Sick Day - It's the little things...

I woke up this morning to, "Mom, I don't feel well."  Oh, no.  We've made it this far - so you could say that we were due.  My kids sound like they've been pack-a-day smokers for years.  Tuesday is one of 2 work days a week for me, but our typical "sick day practices" were still in full swing. 

So, we double up on our vitamins, take in lots of Vitamin C and rest.

When the kids are sick, I always make them a "nest" on the sofa.  The "nest" is merely a pillow (not a throw pillow, but a sleeping pillow from their bed) and a blanket - a fancy name for making them feel special when they're not feeling well.  Then it's a lot of fluids, reading, soup, oyster crackers, movie time, board games, cards - and today, a little lego building.

I'm so very fortunate and blessed to be in the living situation I'm in right now - living with my in-laws.  Our nanny took care of Brooke while Mimi tended to Matthew and Champ.  She came home from Target with a new box full of legos and some raspberry jello.  I had no reason today to feel guilty for being at work because I knew all day long that they were probably in better care with her than they would have been with me!  Though, it did make me feel good when Matthew called me mid-day and said, "Mom, are you almost home?  I want you to make a nest for me."

When I got home from work, I fluffed Matthew's "nest" and made him a glass full of crushed ice with white grape juice and a green straw.  I've found that it's these little things - this attention to detail - that make them feel special.  He wrapped himself up in his snuggy and sipped on the apple juice over crushed ice and he went to bed feeling better!

 What are the little things that you do to make your kids feel special and cared for when they're sick?  I'd love to know...

And those of us with dogs know that they suffer from very real sympathy pains....

To follow it up this morning, Matt went to Arden's Garden to pick up a jug of "Fresh Nutri-Boost Recovery" smoothie."  

This stuff is amazing!  Arden's Garden is on Roswell Road just north of Piedmont.  I love Arden's Garden because their smoothies are made from pure fruit - not from a ton of powders and additives like a lot of other smoothie companies use.  This has 425% daily value of Vitamin C and is made from apples, oranges, strawberries, bananas... It stimulates the immune system to fight colds, flu and infection.  (too bad we didn't start drinking it BEFORE the kids got sick)

It costs $12.00 (64 oz) which is a good price, in my opinion.  

So, if you feel a cold coming on, pick up a jug of Complete Recovery, make a "nest" on the sofa and feel better soon!

Hot Apple Crisp

 This weekend, we decided to see what apple picking was all about.  Now that we have our girl, such trips are warranted (even though she will have no memory of this beyond pictures), right?  After five minutes of surfing the web for an orchard, we headed up to Ellijay, Georgia, to Hillcrest Orchards.  After an hour and a half in the car and a rather humorous directional argument (mapquest vs. navigation -  according to Matt, if we had followed the directions I thought I had copied correctly from mapquest, we would have been in Charleston by the afternoon  - and I must admit, he was right!), we finally arrived at Hillcrest Orchards.

What a great day we had!  Almost mid-October, the apple trees were pretty picked over but the boys didn't care.  They took pride in picking the best looking apples they could find.  We filled a HUGE bag full of all different types of red and green apples.  They enjoyed many activities while were there - bungy jumping, sliding, the petting zoo....  There were people EVERYWHERE - people chasing their kids, people eating fried oreos and moonpies, walking around with giant turkey legs, people shuffling leisurely along - typical festival atmosphere... aka, Matt's version of Hell on Earth.  Oh, he enjoyed it, though - even if he did enjoy some of it from the "sidelines."  We left feeling the same way we felt when we left Disney World a few years ago.  We had an AWESOME time, but we don't feel the need to do it again anytime soon.  

We came home with a 20+ pound bag of apples. What to do with all those apples? We made Apple Crisp (thank you, Ina Garten, one of my favorite tv chefs!).   

After peeling all of these gorgeous apples, I cut off the 4 "cheeks" of the apples (a Food Network trick I picked up from the countless hours I watched it when Brooke was a newborn).

 

My dear friend, Irmela, has given me countless cooking tips over the years - there isn't a day that goes by when I'm not thinking about something she has taught me.  Today, it was my nutmeg grinder.  In the picture above, Champ is using my nutmeg grinder to add fresh nutmeg to the recipe.  Fresh nutmeg, Irmela says, should always be used when nutmeg is called for in a recipe.  Mmmmm... she's right!

After a lot of slicing, dicing and mixing, out came our wonderful creation...hot Apple Crisp!  There are those yummy recipes that you taste once and know you will make again and again, and this is one of those.  It's actually so good that I think I'll only make it once each Fall when I can use freshly picked apples.  The apples are swimming in a buttery brown sugary sauce (hey, if you're going to make dessert, MAKE dessert.  I did not attempt to make this lighter in calories or fat and believe me, every delicious little calorie was worth it!) with a crispy oatmeal topping - mmm mmm good! 

We spooned it out tonight after dinner and put a cold scoop of ice cream on top - oh, it was delicious!!!  And to eat it knowing we picked the apples made it taste that much better.  As Champ was licking the sticky apple goodness from his lips tonight, he asked, "Mom, when can we go back to Hillcrest Orchards?"  Hmmm... guess we might consider doing it again next year afterall...

Bracelet - $22.00

The holidays are right around the corner!  Stock up now for those ladies in your life who like to wear a little something different.  Made with leather, this macrame` bracelet is adjustable and comes in a variety of colors.  It makes a great teacher gift, gift for your friends, family, etc. 

Thank you, Mimi, for being my model!  In these pictures, Mimi is wearing two together.  I wear mine by itself or three or so stacked together.  This bracelet comes not only with white beads but with turquoise, brown, black or green beads as well. 

If you are interested in purchasing one or a few, please email me!  I'll be happy to deliver them to you.  Supplies are always limited.  First come, first serve!

Fruit 66 - healthy "soda-like" drink

Several months ago, I stumbled upon these cute little drinks at Publix.  Called Fruit 66, they are 8 ounce cans of 100% fruit juice mixed with 2 ounces of sparkling  water.  One can contains 100% daily value of Vitamin C and has no added sugars, artificial flavors or colors.  It is gluten, caffeine and preservative free.  Oh - and no High Fructose Corn Syrup, either!  It's the perfect size drink for my kids - it comes in a variety of flavors and today, Publix is selling them 2 for $1.00! 

The manager at my Publix (Chastain Square) pointed out to me that in the middle of each isle is a "healthy" shelf.  The shelving unit protrudes outward just a bit and has healthier food on it.  This is where I stumbled upon these Fruit 66 drinks. 

Check out Champ below who can hold a Fruit 66 perfectly - cast and all! 

My kids LOVE this drink - it gives them the same satisfaction that a regular soda does....but this is actually healthy! 

Farm Fun

Last week we went to the Farm for a few hours.  It was a few hours of fresh air, beautiful blue sky, and freedom - freedom to roam without regard to phone calls, internet, noise from traffic, cars, etc.  The boys fished, shot their guns, rode the 4-wheeler, nuzzled up with some horses and just ran.... It was wonderful to spend a few hours away from the hustle and bustle of life as we know it in the city.  Brooke took a nap and I spent an hour with my REAL SIMPLE and SOUTHERN LIVING magazines.  I can't wait to share with you some recipes! 

Anyway, here are a few of my favorite pictures.  I love this picture of Brooke.  She was entertained all afternoon by nature's offerings - pinestraw, rocks, birds flying around - and here she is looking at something in the distance while holding a piece of pinestraw.

This next picture makes me smile and say, "Thank you, God!"  I'm just in love with my three kids.  I can't believe I HAVE three kids!  What a gift they are - individually and collectively :). 

It's hard to resist taking pictures of little people!  I mean, I think my boys are cute and everything but there's something about babies.... mmm mmmmm.  They're just delicious!