Dr. Bean, MD

Bean loves going to the doctor, and she constantly talks about her pediatrician. This comes in handy, kind of like Santa Claus, when we try to convince her to eat her vegetables or brush her teeth. "Dr. B. said big girls need to eat their peas..." Works like a charm. Sometimes.

Anyway, she recently started pretending to be Dr. B. I have a blood blister on my pinky that just won't go away. She has to be sure to "kiss my boo boo to make it feel better" at least twice a day, and yesterday she decided she would fix it once and for all - with her toy Craftsman drill. She also had to use the drill to take my "temp-asure" in my armpit, which of course required a lot of shirt-wrangling and contortion on my part. "You no have a fever, Mum. You don't need medicine." [Surely she was thinking, "More medicine for me!" - will post on that subject shortly.] Finally, the drill doubled as a "telescope" to listen to my heartbeat.

The healing-by-drill was a fun game, but I had to put the brakes on when she said, "You have a tummy ache, Mum. I make you feel better," as she lifted up my shirt and stabbed me in the stomach with a pencil. I did NOT see that one coming. I suggested that she focus her healing attention on her teddy bear. I'm sorry to say that if Boo Boo Bear didn't have a tummy ache before, he surely has one now.

My favorite Dr. Bean moment was when I was feeling blue a few days ago. She said, in her most tender voice, with a little hand on my cheek, "You are sad Mum? You want me to get you a band-aid?"

Honey, do

A few weeks ago I attended a mead making class with a good friend. Since mead is wine made with honey and yeast, the instructor also provided a lot of background information about honey before we got started. I was surprised to learn that it is a good source of B vitamins and has antibacterial qualities: it has low water molecule transport properties and is highly acidic, preventing the growth of microorganisms. You can use honey on cuts or an an antiseptic gargle, and some posit that eating locally harvested honey helps prevent seasonal allergies.

Bean has been sick this week: poor little bug has two ear infections, conjunctivitis, and a dry cough. Her doctor prescribed an antibiotic for the infections, but does not recommend using over-the-counter cold medicines to ease symptoms such as runny nose and cough until she's much older. And, indeed, there has been a lot of information in the news lately about the dangers associated with giving these readily available cold meds to babies and young children.

So I decided to put honey to the test to help Bean's cough. I dissolved a teaspoon of the golden sticky goodness in lukewarm water, and she stopped coughing after a couple sips. And of course she liked the taste. My hubby had a sore throat, so I made him a gargle with honey, lemon juice, and water, and that gave him some relief, too.

It's good to have this natural, inexpensive, safe remedy in my mommy arsenal. (Please note: honey is NOT safe for children under one year of age.)

Personally, I became addicted to honey while reading Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees, eating it by the spoonful straight from the jar. Do all those good qualities counteract the calories??? Judging by the size of my...hive...I'd guess not. ;-)