Stomach bug BE GONE!

The saddest part of our Christmas holiday this year was John. He came down with a 24-hour stomach bug the day before Christmas and was out of commission for 2 days. The girls missed him terribly and talked his ear off a mile-a-minute when we got home that night, filling him in on everything and more. Speaking of Christmas, enjoy this gem of a quote:

Elise: "Mom, on Christmas morning, Abby and I are going to run to the tree and yell 'Santa Claus was here!" and you and Dad just stay in bed and play along". 

We don't "do" Santa and, for the most part, the girls have done a wonderful job keeping our beliefs/traditions among those who share the same thoughts. Abby did request this for the first time:

Abby: "Mom, can we go get our picture taken with somebody dressed up like Santa Claus this year?"

And, while picking up some items at Target, a woman leaned over and asked Elise if she was excited for Santa to come. Elise politely said "Yes" and then turned to me, smirked, and winked. I'm so in love with their awareness of behavior and interactions with others...

Back to the bug. John was sick on Christmas; Elise woke up sick 2 days later. Luckily it ran it's course quickly and Abby and I appear to have dodged the bullet. The girls have had the stomach flu one other time - about a year ago - and nothing sends me into "high alert" like puking. My vinegar spray bottle gets overtime, sheets and pillow cases washed STAT, and dairy as well as any dark-colored foods are eliminated. Popsicles become a meal-time staple and, while there are some good store bought options, we are still madly in love with our Zoku popsicle maker from Grandma. Enjoy our sick-day popsicle recipe from this week - may the new year bring all of us happiness and health!

Pear-Mango Popsicles

• 1/2 C organic pear nectar
• 1/2 C water
• Handful of organic frozen mango
• 1 organic frozen banana
• Toss all into Vitamix; freeze in Zoku
• This made 4 popsicles