So this was Christmas.....

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! 

Ours was.....different.

I like to have my plans set and unfurl accordingly, but there was no planning this one.

A yucky bug made its way through the family this year, and all of our extended family that had plans to stay with us had to be rerouted (the day before their arrival) to another relative's house (& city!) in order to avoid infection. 
So, it was a quiet, yet enjoyable Christmas with just us, with some late nights and fussy babies thrown in there.

We made cookies, popcorn on the stove, and drank custard.

We wrapped presents and made dark hot chocolate with a little cayenne pepper.

We had a fire in the fireplace.

We enjoyed the radio station with all Christmas music, all the time.

We did lots of coloring, playdoh, and dress-up time.

We cuddled under blankets and read books.

We bundled the kids up and drove around in the warm van to look at Christmas lights since they were too sick to go to the Gardens Light Exhibition as planned.

All in all, it was different than expected, but still very wonderful all the same.

Soon I'll tell you about some of our favorite things that Santa brought us this year.

I did have to run out and in desperation, purchased an all-natural cough syrup. 

This turned out to be a fantastic find!

If you haven't heard of Zarbees Cough Syrup, and you have young children like I do (who aren't allowed to have the regular OTC cough remedies), or if you prefer natural remedies, I suggest you buy a bottle to have on hand in case you need it.

It is safe for children 12+ months, and is made with "a blend of special dark honeys (buckwheat & wildflower), vitamins and immune-bosting ingredients. The ingredients in Zarbee's are all-natural, side-effect-free and proven in clinical trials to be effective at calming coughs and sore throats in children and young adults." 

It is also Gluten, dye & preservative-free, and contains no drugs or alcohol.

It was created by a Pediatrician who wanted a natural product safe for young children's coughs.

 It doesn't taste like traditional medicine, which threw my kids for a loop at first, but soon after they took it, we noticed that the frequency of coughing had substantially decreased.  They also went to sleep quicker and easier after taking this.

If you are interested in trying it out, I know you can order it from Amazon:

or, buy it from Walgreens, like I did.  If you visit Zarbee's website, there is a link on the lower right hand side of the page for a coupon to purchase it at Walgreens.

Aside from this product, we found some relief from baths, cool mist humidifiers, and a tip from our Doctor to elevate the head of our children's beds with books or boards under the feet of the head of the bed just enough to keep their heads a little above the rest of their bodies to help with their coughing.

If you have any more tips, I'd love to hear them, as for some reason it appears (from new fevers today) that round 2 of a bug is just beginning.....