~Poop On Jelly~

Our Family's Bitter/Sweet Life



Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Fun in the Sun???

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

I spent my entire childhood in denial of my fair, almost albino, complexion. I spent countless hours in the tanning bed at my high school job. (It was free.) I challenged my skin to develop into something with color as I sat around the pool without sunscreen. Or SPF 4. Whatever. Same difference. I was certain that one day I would sport the mother of all tans.

Yeah, right.

The only color I developed was RED. Yep. My brother was blessed with the Italian olive skin and all I got was the Irish coloring. I like to call it transparent.

Ya know the type of skin I am talking about... burn, peel, repeat.

I can't count the number of burns that sent me to bed early covered in Noxzema (weird, I know, but it helped the sting) and filled with Advil.

So, now I am one of THOSE moms. The one always carrying around SPF 50. My husband jokes that I should wrap the kids in a blanket. Don't think I wouldn't, but when we are nearing temps of 100 degrees, the kids find that to be just a little too hot. Because of my "psycho" tendencies, my children have avoided sunburns altogether.

Well... almost.


This is what happens when I forget to send my son off without my best friend, otherwise known as continuous spray on sunscreen. Man, does that stuff work. But, only... I repeat ONLY... when you use it.

Which he didn't.

Here's hoping my kids learn that sunscreen is their friend, even when Mom isn't standing over them.

Sorry, kids, but you didn't get the olive skin either.

My bad.

13 comments:

Emily said...

OUCH! Hope he feels better soon!

Kmama said...

Wait a minute...am I on my blog? Did someone steal my identity? My pale, sometimes red, identity??

You just totally described my skin tone to a "T". I've given up trying to tan. What's the point?

I did however, have try the "Mystic Tan" spray tan in July and had a bit of a mishap. I think I blogged about it in my Not Me! Monday, New York edition.

My kids don't have Jdaddy's dark skin either, but at least they aren't as see-through as me.

Michelle said...

You sound like your talking about me! I look like a ghost at the beginning of summer! :)

Seriously though, you only 'near' the 100 degree mark? I think we hit that in May and topped out around 120. Not good for the pale skinned!!

Have a blessed day

Michelle

Michelle said...

At least he looks happy! Whatever gave him the sunburn must've been fun! Hope it doesn't last too long!

Sir Nottaguy-Imadad said...

Looks like KFC "extra crispy". Been there, done that, not fun.

Brandi said...

Ouch!!! That is soooo uncomfortable. I'm a sunscreen freak too! ;)

Jewel said...

Oh, but I do know about the transparent skin, Mrs. NB! AND we didn't even have sunscreen back in the day! I'm so thankful for it now!
In our teen years, my sister and I used to slather ourselves with baby oil and vinegar combined, I believe it was. She tanned but I never did. Just burned to a crisp!
Would you believe that my co-workers took up a collection for me to go to a tanning salon? *smile* They said my forehead was so big and white you could show home movies on it! LOL Wellll....I tanned about 5 or 6 times, kept breaking out, itching and burning so I had to forfeit the rest of the visits. My skin just wouldn't take it.

He & Me + 3 said...

OUch looks a little painful. I often forget the sunscreen but lucky for me my kids got my hubs complexion. I bet he remembers the sunscreen next time:)

Mother Mayhem said...

OUCH! Poor lil guy.

I'm Irish too. Jack is Polish. Emily didn't stand a chance.

Queen to my 3 Boys said...

You are my kindred spirit.

I am 'psycho' when it comes to sunblock on the children too.

Boy Mom said...

Once my doctor asked me if I had a lot of sun exposure in my youth.

Well duh, I was a teen in the 80's tan was in, baby oil was sunscreen, it wasn't summer until the first two epidermal layers were peeling off every surface a decent girl could expose.

Mummy McTavish said...

Pale skin and freckles. That was the story of my childhood. It was punctuated by periods of red, peeling skin after sun exposure. So attractive.

Hope he's feeling all better soon. It looks very sore!

TinaJewel said...

me too! just burn, peal, repeat... and after all that, i am still a lovely shade of mayonaise...yep, still a white girl. it takes me about 10 min. to go from pale to red. yikes!

once when i was younger, i even blistered! yep, mom got the sun block with zinc, i was covered in white paste. the other kids at the pool must have thought i was a freak. but hey, i wasn't burning!

hope he feels better soon. we grow our own aloe vera, kinda fun, easy to take care of and useful!