TORNADOES (REID THINKS YOU CAN SHOOT THEM) & NOLA'S COUGH SYRUP

Tuesday was a bit of a stormy weather day. Thankfully where we are it was mainly wind and rain, but the potential for severe weather was everywhere around us. At least that's what Rich Thomas kept telling me. Because it was projected to hit here around the time I would be getting Mac and Reid from preschool, I decided to keep them home. I fear bad weather. I am truly terrified of Mother Nature's wrath in any form but a tornado is top on my list. So when I heard the tornado sirens blasting I quickly turned to my trusty WSFA 12 weather team to get a check on things. Obviously if I heard the sirens it meant our county was under a tornado warning.  Reid may just have a future as a storm chaser one day. He kept opening the door to look outside to see if he could see the tornado. He wanted to know what it looked like, what it sounded like, when it was coming, etc. He was quite interested in it all. Mac, not so much. Mac shares in my trepidation of bad weather. He kept walking to the window to look outside but wanted me right there with him. And every time Reid would open the door Mac would run close it yelling, "YOU'RE GONNA LET THE TORNADO IN." I try to keep my fear in check because it no doubt would add fuel to Mac's tornado-fearing fire so I put my big girl panties on and tried my best to explain to Mac what our plan would be if a tornado was imminent. I could breathe a bit easier when they said that although parts of our county were under a warning, the part we live in was not in the path of that certain storm. Reid of course had to open the door a few more times to make sure he didn't see one coming. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that it drove his brother crazy every time he did it. And every time he opened the door we could hear the siren. So although I told Mackey we were okay I could still tell he was concerned. He looked at me and said, "Momma, if a tornado does come here let's get in the car and drive real real fast away from it, okay?" Then Reid said, "Well if daddy has a gun he'll just shoot it. Probably with a pistol." No wonder he wasn't afraid. Just shoot 'em down.

NOLA (that's me)'S COUGH SYRUP:

The boys are still suffering from the effects of a cold. A cold that will not go away. We've made a couple of trips to the pediatrician's office and have been told it's viral and to just treat the symptoms. One of the worst things has been their cough. It's nasty. The boys' pediatrician gave us the name of a cough medicine to take. It worked but we went through a bottle in no time flat. Between the cough syrup and the Motrin for the fever, I felt like I was giving them toxic soup. So began my quest for a more natural approach to treat their cough.

I found it. Seriously. Here's the recipe:

1 c. honey
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 c. water
1 peppermint stick, crushed (I used soft peppermint)

Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan and heat on low (making sure it doesn't boil) until mixed together well. It doesn't take long. Strain peppermint.

Use one or two tsp. every 2 to 3 hours as needed. Store in refrigerator.

I've found that it works best warm so if it's been stored in the refrigerator warm it in the microwave a bit.

Two of the boys loved the way it tasted. One of them, The Professor, thought it needed a spoonful of sugar to help it go down in a most delightful way.

Try it. It works!