Eat. More. Kale.

" Deck the plates with piles of kale... falalalalalalalalala

Tis the season for immunity to fail... falalalalalalalalala! "

It truly is the season when everyone gets something - gifts abound, stockings are filled, and germs invade. I don't get a flu shot. I don't give the girls a flu shot. But we do what we can to give our immune systems the fuel they need. Here are my top cold-season must haves:

1. Elderberry juice (local, of course)

• It's not the cheapest little serum, but a little goes a long way. I give the girls each 1/2 tsp per day, usually mixed into their smoothie but they'll down a spoonful if needed. High in vitamin C and touted as a good antioxidant.

2. Kale

• It's green and lovely. We eat it in soups... I loaded lasagna with it... it makes the best fresh salad... and we're pretty much green-smoothie-a-day folk.
• Smoothie:
• 2 C organic fresh kale
• 1 C organic whole milk plain yogurt
• 2-3 organic oranges; peeled
• 1-2 organic frozen bananas
• 1 C organic frozen mango or pineapple
• Kale Salad (which we fondly call "Kay's Kale Salad", as she introduced us to it)
• 1/2 bunch organic fresh kale
• 2 T toasted whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/3 C finely grated parmesan
• Dressing:
• Juice of 1 organic lemon
• 1/4 C olive oil
• 1 garlic clove; pressed
• Pinch of kosher salt

3. Vitamin D

• John, the girls, and I all take Vitamin D supplements daily. We're getting less sunshine these days and a little boost can't hurt.

4. Sleep

• Non-negotiable. The girls are in bed by 7:30... usually asleep by 7:33. And if bedtime is bumped back, their daily rest often turns into a nap. If we know we're going to be up later than usual, we take a nap that afternoon as a proactive measure. I don't do tired - not me, not my kids. 

Knock on the Christmas tree, but we are doing good thus far! There has been a lot of coughing and sneezing at family gatherings the past couple of weeks and, while John got taken down for a few days, the rest of us are feeling a-okay, which is good because last Friday was a big deal: first piano recital! The girls are loving lessons and doing fantastic. They showed no signs of nerves or anxiety - marched up and played their two pieces each like pros. Elise, after seeing another student very nervously struggle to get started, turned to Gran and whispered "this must be her first recital". Yes, sweet child, just like it's your first one as well! And the day after, while riding in the car, Abby said "that piano recital was so much fun".