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 

Twin Talk

The girls do love to talk. And talk. And talk. I have no idea where they get it from... I'll stop there and let you enjoy some quotable quotes before you start pointing fingers. See - I'm a woman of few words. But you already knew that, right? Still going...

Elise: "My heart is broken."
Me: "Why?"

Elise: "Gramps didn't invite me for ice cream."

(which he really did, she just didn't hear him...)

Abby (crying from the bathtub): "Elise bit my toe!"

Elise: "But Abby told me to!"

Abby: "I meant to say 'I love you'..."

Elise: "I don't want that blanket on me. It makes me nervous."

Abby (walking through a doorway): "Duck"

John and I look at each other, confused.

Abby (walking through another doorway): "Duck"

Me: "Abby, what are you doing?"

Abby: "Uh, I don't want to hit my head. I'm Jeff Withey."

Me (to Elise, who is sitting quietly on the couch bench while Abby Jeff Withey plays a mean game of bball in the living room): "Elise, why are you sitting on the couch?
Elise: "I'm Tyler Self. He's not as good as the others."

Now, before you read this last one I need to share some background. A few weeks ago, John showed the girls the movie "Aristocats". For some reason, rather than focusing on the "cats" or "kitties", the phrase that stuck with Abby and Elise is that the movie was about "pussy cats". OBVIOUSLY, there is not another meaning associated with this phrase for my precious children. And I have responded very nonchalantly when one or both has asked "Mom, how do you spell pussy?". Cat. They are talking about CATS:

Abby (talking on the phone with John): "We were swinging daddy and I fell...."

John: "Did you fall on your tushy?"

Abby: "What did you say?"

John: "I said, 'did you fall on your tushy'"?

Abby (chuckling): "Ohhhh.... haha, Daddy! I thought you said 'Did you fall on your pussy'"!

Oh, the things kids say...