Fighting The Fall Flu (Or WhatEVER This Misery Is...)

Sore throat, incessant sneezing, runny nose, that funny drainage feeling you get in the depths of your ear canal. I was half tempted to think I was only dealing with allergies gone amok. Unfortunately, queasiness and fever stole away any opportunity for me to claim allergies as the scapegoat to my misery. And since my Tater Tot started oozing green snot on Sunday morning, it was only a matter of time before Mommy succumbed to whatever creepy crawly my little one had seen fit to incubate.

While some bloggers might be able to muster up the ability to write about their goings on hell or high water, I was all about napping every moment I could. So, I'm sorry for my absence yesterday. But it was well worth it: I feel better today. Add to that a tremendous feeling of encouragement that my relief has been obtained via 'natural' efforts, rather than resorting to chugalugging a bottle of OTC liquid cold medicine. The amount of self-satisfaction I feel right now is incomparable.

My hubby and I have dear friends who hail from China. Their old fall-to for handling an on-coming cold is to pop a clove of garlic. Yes. You read me right.  A whole clove of raw garlic. So, when I woke up feeling that mild itch in the back of my throat and the first sneezing fit took over before I had even stopped in for my a.m. 'potty break', my path of action was clear. I stopped by the kitchen counter and peeled a small clove of garlic. Popping it in my mouth I chewed, quite possibly the fastest chewing I've ever done in my life, as I winced on my way to the bathroom. Even though I am a huge fan of horseradish, the pain of garlic gets me every time. Momma is definitely more friendly with the roasted version.

I followed my garlic intake about an hour later with a very green smoothy. Laden with fresh ginger, it almost seemed as though I could feel the nutrients and beneficial effects of the ginger permeate my body. Later that day, after much water, I decided to make another smoothy that'd be anti-cold. This one was an homage to the Mojito. To a bunch of kale, I added lemon and a big handful of mint. I sweetened it all up with honey. What a refreshing combo. I've added that to my recipe annals. 

This morning I woke up not feeling like I'd had a run-in with the proverbial MAC truck. Better yet, there was no sensation of scratchiness in my throat, no sneezing, no queasiness. Yippie! Let's hope my wellness stays on the upswing. I'm planning on working on those paint chips today.  Hopefully tomorrow's post will be filled with colorful creations to share.