I Bought Ear Plugs

I am not perfect.  Despite everything and everyone saying otherwise, I have my faults.  Yes, it’s true. 

For example I have this little white lie that I wheel out to the kids every now and again. 

They have this propensity to approach me every time I sit down.  They don’t care for the fact I might have a steaming cup of tea in front of me and am taking ten minutes to catch up on emails.  Ok, ok, catch up on Facebook.  You caught me. 

It’s like there is this alarm button on my seat that goes off every time my rear makes contact and suddenly one or two of them require urgent nourishment in the form of food, bathroom breakdown assist, and remote control location or just feel like coming over and touching me or something.

So I do this thing where I tell them that I am glued to the chair and the glue will not dissolve until my tea is finished. 

See?  Not perfect.

They laugh but it seems to work.

This week I turned it up a notch and did something I had been threatening for months. 

I bought ear plugs.

We were just back from Rosslare and something weird happened.  I’ve experienced it before but this time it seemed bigger.  I was wrecked.  I couldn’t focus on anything.  I wasn’t able to concentrate.  I felt like I was on the outside of my body all of the time.  And the noise!  Even when they were quiet the noise was magnified.

It’s sensory overload. 

So I went to the chemist and bought two packs of ear plugs.  Basic little squishy foamy ones that you roll between your fingers to taper out and then pop into your ear.  They unfold or swell until your ear cavity is filled.  The noise levels are deadened or muffled but you can still hear everything.  Just not at such high volumes. 

They’re great.  Especially if I put earphones on over them.  They really helped.

And the cool added bonus is, they are bright yellow and it is quite obvious that I have them in.  When the boys see them, they know I am deliberately tuning them out and need my space.

See?  Not perfect.

Of course they still come over to “have a go” of them.  Smallest Boy thinks when he wears them, I can’t hear him.  Much the same way he is of the belief that if he covers his eyes, he’s invisible to others. 

If anyone knows of such earplugs – the ones that kids wear so their parents can’t hear them, those ones – can you let me know?

Or is that called a mute button?

I’ll take four of those too actually. 

So anyway, ear plugs.  They actually do deaden the pain.  Get some.

Ear plug pro’s

They deaden all the sounds.  Important note- deaden not kill.

Ear plug Cons

They look a bit daft.

They’re probably not very hygienic. 

You can hear your own breathing.  A bit weird.

You can hear your own footsteps when you walk.  Inside your brain.  Very weird.