Can't Wait for Spring!

I don't know if there are less germs flying around or more vitamin D or just a "sunnier" outlook that improves my health come Spring but boy I can not wait for Spring to finally arrive!  I have had a bit of bad luck lately with illness ~ it for sure throws you off your game.  About a month ago I had the flu ~ this lasted about three solid days.  Fever, aches, vomiting, weakness ~ it sucked to sum it up.  That was probably the most sick I had been in recent memory.  Then a couple weeks later… bam…scratchy throat.  Somewhere I picked up a cold.  I always find the first three days to be the worst ~ foggy head, congestion, coughing, aches.  I took a couple days off from the gym and rested up as much as a mom of two little ones at home can.  Then about day seven of the cold (which is simply just snot at this point), my three year girl asked me to go out to dinner.  So being a Saturday evening I thought it would be fun for just us "girls" to go out together!  Thinking of a kid-friendly place in town, I decided we would go to Red Robin.  I ate there with my family one other time when they first opened in town and it wasn't that bad ~ and you don't really have tons of options when you have a couple little kids.  

Here is some back story ~ we RARELY eat out…literally once in a blue moon.  We prefer to prepare our own food and being on one income doesn't really allow us the splurge on restaurants.  Plus we just find it a bazillion times easier to eat at home when you have an 18month old and a 3 year old.  Not only do we rarely eat out but we also eat very "clean" ~ minimal processed foods, lots of fruits and veggies (tend to have more organic and local), organic and local meats as well.  So long story short eating out is a novelty and Marley, my daughter, was very stoked to be "eating in a store".  We receive our meals ~ and it just didn't taste right but I sort of figured it just might be my tastebuds since I had a cold recently.  My daughter only nibbled at the food ~ she was excited to order ~ made up her mind fast ~ was excited when it came to the table ~ had a couple bites of this and that ~ but then wasn't interested.  So I had some of hers and I tried to entice her to eat some of mine (For reference we shared a caesar salad, a kids chocolate milkshake, I had a bite of her little red robin cheese burger which she took a couple bites from, she ate her melon slices, I only ate barely half of my chicken burger on a whole wheat bun ~ it had those fried onions which tasted gross and when Marley's strawberry sundae came she had a little lick and said she didn't like it which is COMPLETELY not like her ~ she loves treats!  But I think at that point her tummy wasn't feeling right).  I actually gave her a little lecture about asking for food and then not eating it!  Ha! It retrospect I am SO happy she didn't eat as much as I did because I would have hated to see her go thru what I did within a couple of hours!  I usually gobble up my food as well but stuff just tasted "off".  We left and returned home with a big "doggy" bag with all the food we didn't eat.  Within an hour or two I was throwing up.  Marley had an upset tummy.  Luckily she never threw up and was able to fall asleep.  I, on the other had, was so sick I lived in the bathroom and was horizontal any chance I got.  What added an extra "suck" factor was that my husband had a course the whole weekend so I was on my own with the kids ~ who are very curious about what mommy is doing in the bathroom.  Poor kids ~ hopefully they are not traumatized!  Marley's tummy seems to be better today.  I am getting over it a bit more ~ still feel a little queasy at times and am only eating bland foods.  Taking in more fluids today which is good and hoping I feel 100% with a day or two.  My cold has lingered a little bit longer now that I had food poisoning to juggle as well.  I am fine with a little congestion as long as my stomach isn't constantly cramping and I don't have to look in a toilet anymore!    I do wonder if our super clean diet does make us a little more more susceptible to bacteria, etc. when we do eat out ~ either way I will NEVER ever ever ever visit Red Robin ever again.  Never.  I called and told them what we ate and how sick we were ~ they were nice enough about it.  What do you do other then make them aware and hope someone washes something more, or preps something with a little more care.  

Bad things come in 3's I am told so I am hoping that is it for my winter illnesses and I can just look forward to sunshine, warmer temperatures and better health with Spring just around the corner.  So MORAL(S) OF THE STORY: appreciate good health when you have it and get a babysitter if you have food poisoning and little kids at the same time!