Know what I’m feeling guilty about this week? The fact that I have obviously passed on some serious allergies AND my throat spasms to my innocent little girl. Yep. For the last couple of weeks, her nighttime cough has ended with her throat closing. She awakens in a panic and the only thing that helps is if I give her water to drink. It opens her throat and she can breathe again. Needless to say, it’s scary and I’m at her side constantly in the night. 

I’ve been to pediatricians, I’ve been to ENTs. No one has an answer. My next step in an allergist. Meanwhile, I wonder when I’ll ever feel safe leaving her alone to sleep again?

I also wonder what we both could have been exposed to for us to be having these similar reactions. I’m horrified by the chemicals that have become part of our everyday lives. But I’ll save my feelings on this subject for a rant.

Right now, all I want is to for my little girl to feel healthy again. That’s the most important thing in the world.

So, this week, instead of drowning my blunders in an alcoholic cocktail. I feel more like healing them with a drink that is natural and refreshing and packed with those antioxidants everyone’s talking about. I don’t know if they work. But at this point I’d try anything. I’d buy a gallon of hand-bottled elixir from a dude wearing a straw hat in a tent who handles snakes and speaks in tongues.

So, drink up and heal whatever ails you.

GREEN TEA AND MANGO SPLASH

1 cup strongly brewed green tea (2 tea bags to 1 cup water)
2 cups mango nectar
Ice cubes
Mint sprigs for garnish
Mango slivers for garnish

Combine tea and mango nectar in a pitcher. Serve over ice, garnished with mint sprigs and mango slivers.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 97 calories; 0 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 25 g carbohydrate; 0 g protein; 1 g fiber; 4 mg sodium.

What you get: Antioxidants, vitamins A and C. (Chew the mint and you’ll get an extra bit of fiber and folate.)

ENJOY. STAY HEALTHY. AND DON’T FEEL GUILT AND DRIVE.