Remember – flu and what we call stomach flu are not the same thing. I know we grew up calling stomach upsets the flu, but actual flu (or influenza) is really an upper respiratory infection.
I don’t want to jinx it, but right now actual flu cases are fairly minimal throughout most of the U.S. – how do I know you say??? Check out the CDC Flu tracker!
Click that link and you’ll be amazed at all the information you can find on the flu. Maybe the incidence is down because the flu shot is working well so far this season? Who knows – just knock on wood that you don’t catch it!
If you’re past napping or Coke as a cure for an upset stomach, my Dad swore by stuff called Emetrol – there are store versions of it at Walmart or Walgreens. If you’re sick at your stomach and home remedies don’t work, I can almost guarantee Emetrol will. Next time you’re feeling nauseated, give it a try!
Yesterday was the first day of Hanukah. Chances are you’ve heard of Hanukah (or the Festival of Lights) and you might know it lasts for 8 days – but do you know the story? Chances are you don’t and here’s a fun fact – the story isn’t included in the Torah because the events that inspired the holiday occurred after it was written. It is, however, mentioned in the New Testament, in which Jesus attends a “Feast of Dedication.”
Planks are harder to feel good about – they are SO much harder than they look! But you can’t deny the good they do for your abdominal muscles. And they’ll help you improve your posture as well – a great added benefit as we age.
Have some fun with Christmas lights. Who says lights are just for the tree? I have a string of Christmas lights that are a phone charger cable too – can’t wait to plug them in at work!
year for less than $10. Just a wire wreath form and a bunch of ribbon I bought on Christmas clearance last year; then I added some berries I found on a sale rack this fall. An hour or so of cutting and tying ribbon onto the form and ta-da! Festive front door!
Thundersnow is a real thing – although relatively rare. It is most common in the Great Lakes region of the US so we have that going for us Midwesterners! Thundersnow is really just a good old thunderstorm that produces snow rather than rain – in my case last night, the storm system was snow over the north and western suburbs of Chicago, but across the state line in Indiana, it was all rain. So what caused the thunder? Just like with a summer storm, there was a lot of movement in the atmosphere with pressure and temperature changes. I didn’t see lightning, but that is possible with thundersnow as well.
Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday – even though the Canadians have one too. (Point of fact, Canadian Thanksgiving was a month ago and is a sad, pale imitation of American Thanksgiving.)
Learn Or Do 