Medical Moment

As I look back through the blog, and as D and I recall from memory, Thanksgiving is the time of year we're almost always sick. Well, this year is no exception. In fact, one of the four of us has been sick in some way at some point since October 22nd! That's five weeks straight! I was the one who started this yucky, sick mess. I got a nasty infection on my scalp. I won't go into too many gory details, but I will say I was misdiagnosed with Shingles. I freaked out! The treatment for that made the rash worse, so I was put on another treatment, to which I had a horrific allergic reaction to. All of that took place over the first two weeks of the last five weeks. Then the boys started getting little coughs and runny noses that were simple colds at first. What was a simple cold turned into Bronchitis for N, when N and his classmates were allowed to play outside in mid thirty degree weather for gym time two days in a row at school. N's cold turned into a nasty cough over night. It hit him like a ton of bricks. L had had a cough/cold, too and he took a turn for the worse, so I took both boys to the doctor. That's when I found out N had bronchitis and L had a double ear infection. We got the boys on antibiotics, a liquid steroid and breathing treatments. The liquid steroid the boys were on made N insanely hyper. Hyper active, hyper sensitive, you name it. It was awful. I mean awful. He was literally bouncing off the walls. He could not control himself he was hyper! So, after a full day of talking it over with N's doctor, I took him off of it. And, amazingly, N returned to himself after about twelve hours of being off the med. It was incredible. The boys were healthy for two and a half days, Thanksgiving Eve, Thanksgiving and half of Black Friday. Then, out of nowhere, L started holding his tummy and throwing up about every two hours. He was sick for a little over twenty four hours then I got it. And wow, did I get it! Man, did I feel awful all night Sunday night. I guess it's the flu. Towards the middle of the night Sunday night N got it. By morning we were all down for the count! L wasn't, be he'd already had it, but D, N and I all had it. I knew D and N weren't feeling well because both of them laid on the couch together for several hours. N even took a long nap. I stationed myself in the basement with L and did the best I could to play with him. That little booger almost wore me out! I was so glad when his nap time rolled around so I could get some rest on the couch. One way I knew I didn't feel well? The food commercials on TV grossed me out. Even Olive Garden. I love OG, but watching OG commercials when you're sick is not appealing! Even chocolate commercials got to me. It's almost ten at night now and I think we're out of the woods....knock on wood! D and I still feel a little weak, but I think the worst is over. Now maybe we'll all get healthy enough so we can go get our flu shots! Ha!

Mommy and Me Day

N and I had a fun "Mommy and Me" day today. I do these special days with N every once in a while. When L is old enough I will do them with him, too. Today N and I went to Micheal's (or the craft store as N calls it) and we went to the movie Tangled. At Micheal's we caught some good deals and stocked up on fun Christmas crafts. We went to the movies after the craft store. Going to the movies is something we rarely do, mostly because, until now, N hasn't been able to sit in his seat through an entire movie. I made several attempts to take him to the movies and he didn't make it through them. Luckily I learned this through the $1 or free movies offered during the winter months, so I didn't have a lot to lose for that price. This time around, N did very well. We each got a "munchie tray" which consists of a small drink, popcorn and a big tootsie roll. N looked so cute sitting in his seat with his. I tried to get a picture of him with his goodies using my phone, but it just couldn't take a decent pic in the theatre. For the first time ever, I had N sit in a booster seat so he could see the screen better. This worked out really well for two reason. For one, the obvious, he could see better and because it was more difficult to get out of. Ha.

Tangled was a good movie. N was captivated for the whole thing. I will say one thing, though. The movie was a little more dramatic than I thought it needed to be. One minute your overjoyed and happy, the next you were sad. Then there were some parts that were more scary than they should be. I thought the woman Rapunzel lived with was played out as too mean for a movie meant for kids. Then the part where the....oops. If you haven't seen the movie I won't spoil it, but there was a part towards the end that I thought was too sad for a kid's movie. I looked over and N was actually crying. He crawled into my lap to be comforted. They did end the show on a jubilant note, though. I'm glad they did that so we left feeling good. But, with that said, it was a good movie. I think it's better suited for the six and older crowd.

On the way out of the theatre N noticed the arcade games and asked if we could play them. I told him no, not this time. I told him today was movie day and next time we can have a arcade day...Do I see Chuck E Cheese in our future??

Peppermint Mocha

I'm in love with mint and chocolate right now. This happens to me every winter. Last year I was introduced to Starbuck's Peppermint mocha. Yummmmm! For whatever reason I usually don't crave warm coffee drinks during the day. It's night time when I'm in the mood for one. And, wouldn't you know it, that's the time of day when it's the least convenient for me to swing through my local coffee place to get one. So, I'm experi-minting (har, har. I had to) with making mine own at home. Now, keep in mind, I do not have an espresso machine, so this doesn't taste quite as good as a nice, fluffy latte, but it'll do in a pinch. I've been making mine with decaf. If I drink caffeine after, say 2pm, I'd be up all night. But, if you want to make yours caffienated, go for it! I have a tiny coffee pot (makes 4 cups), so these measurements are created with my coffee pot in mind.

Decaf coffee

1 packet your fav hot cocoa (Coldstone creamery's 70 cal packs are yummy)

1-2 peppermint patties or one miniature candy cane (I suppose you could use mint extract too)

1 packet Splenda

Brew your coffee. Pour cocoa into cup. Mix coffee and cocoa. Drop in your peppermint. Stir and enjoy.

Breakfast Casserole (8x8)

I took this egg casserole to a (morning) Halloween party this year and have been asked several times for the recipe. Here it is folks. Enjoy! I tried Jimmy Dean's already cooked crumbled turkey sausage for this recipe the other night. It tasted good and made this recipe that much easier to make!

8x8 Breakfast Casserole

4 Hash brown patties, frozen

1-lb sausage or bacon, crumbled (I used turkey sausage)

6 oz. cheddar cheese, grated

6 eggs (3 egg whites, 3 whole eggs)

1 cup milk (skim)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1. Line an 8x8 baking dish with frozen hash browns.

2. Sprinkle hash browns with crumbled sausage or bacon.

3. Top with grated cheddar cheese.

4. Mix together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and dry mustard

5. Pour over meat and hash browns.

6. Refrigerate over night.

7. Cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

I found this recipe at the following website, but have tweaked it a tiny bit to make it healthier. http://www.mountain-breeze.com/kitchen/breakfast/44.html