Laura Kubicki | Lauras Choice

Merry Christmas! God Bless Us. Everyone!

December 24, 2014 by Laura Kubicki Leave a Comment

It’s Christmas Eve. And what an Advent season it’s been! The hustle and bustle seems to me to get more hustle-ie and bustle-ie each and every year!

This Advent, we’ve been on a magical journey to the North Pole on the Polar Express (it happened to visit Bryson City, NC this year – what luck!), were the family lighter of Advent Candles on the Advent Wreath at our Home Moravian Church, in Old Salem, celebrated Joseph’s 7th, our nephew/cousin’s Jakob’s 1st, and my dad’s XX birthdays, attended the Nutcracker, the Davie Dermatology Christmas Party, and went out to dinner with family friends, all sprinkled around a couple last minute third grade school projects and shopping! Phew!

Now, all the presents are wrapped and some are under the tree (Santa will be bringing the rest come morning I’m sure). The breakfast casserole, coffee, Christmas Kringle, and Cranberry Bread are ‘holding’ in the fridge for tomorrow morning’s festivities and we’re getting ready to head out for our traditional Moravian Christmas LoveFeast service in Old Salem at Home Church.

Whatever you find doing on this 2014 Christmas Eve, know you are wished the merriest, brightest, most blessed Christmastide, for the 12 days of Christmas are just about to begin!

We wish you a Merry Christmas and much love always,

Laura (and the fam)!

Fresh, Homemade, Ginger Tea

December 22, 2014 by Laura Kubicki Leave a Comment

It’s the dreaded cold and flu season. Ug…Now I must warn you…

WARNING. Brace yourself. If you have a weak stomach you may want to go straight to the recipe! If you’re up for what’s next, here it comes. Consider yourself warned :o)….

Cold and Flu season hit us hard last year. We were immediately saddled with colds, which led to month long, ‘I think I’m dying’, sinus infections, followed by a family bout of the flu at Christmas – EVEN WITH FLU VACCINE on board!

And when I say it hit us hard, I mean HARD!

…like my oldest vomiting over the side of his upper bunkbed – at 2am – spewing something resembling some nasty substance from Aliens, and somehow managing to get it under the mattress, on the slats, all over my at the time 5 year old, both beds, comforters, pillows, stuffed animals, and ending with a perimeter of you don’t want to know what, smeared around the beds soaking into the carpet.

Whimper. It was awful for everyone…and it smelled atrocious! It took Jason and I over two hours just to clean it all up, which we worked on while simultaneously giving Joseph a bath, running emergency laundry loads, and holding Jack as he continued to get sick every 15 minutes of so. Horrible, horrible, night!!!!

Hey. I warned you :o)!

Ugh! So anyway, as I was recalling those events of last year’s cold & flu season, I remembered the one home remedy that I use frequently this time of year for nasty colds and nauseous tummy troubles (post vomiting stage of course!). And seeing as how we’re in the midst of a pre-Christmas cold experience…this soothing remedy is quite top-of-mind, so to speak.

In fact, I’ll go as far as to say that this fresh, homemade, Ginger Tea recipe is one good thing that comes with the ‘sick’ season – and perhaps has the power to make you and yours just a little bit happier when your stuck home snuggling with an ever emptying box of tissues…or worse.

First let me say, I know of absolutely no other home remedy that helps me feel better and reduces my horrible sinus congestion, cough, sore throat, and various stomach maladies than this one! My mom and I are VERY prone to horrible, sinus infections and have spent a lot of stuffy, sick days trying various ginger/lemon teas to help soothe our symptoms off the shelf and they don’t hold a candle to this simple brew.

The soothing tingles from the ginger spice and citrus elements, combined with the silky honey extinguish a hot, scratchy, post nasal drip, swollen throat and work to help open those clogged nasal passages that keep dripping…dripping…dripping. And as you swallow this amazing concoction (am I overselling here??), it cuts through all that mucus gunk (TRUE!) that burns and itches unceasingly – better than even a fizzy soft drink – and it’s all natural!

It’s not a cure, but I swear, combined with what ever OTC or Rx products you are using (I’m not aware of any med contraindications here, but seeing as I’m not a doctor you should check with your MD if you’re concerned) and a steam bath, this potion really comforts when you’re miserable. Jason drinks it by the gallon when he’s sick, and my kids go to it when they’re all stuffy too! My Mom even takes batches to sick friends or family. Great stuff!

Wish I could take credit for this, but I’ve got to give a nod to my mother on this one. She found this idea watching a relatively famous MD daytime TV show (HINT. The Wizard Of _____). So friends…while this isn’t my own invention, this stuff is just so soothing and calming to me when I’m sick, I have to share it with you (in case you missed it on TV)!

There are only 4 ingredients and it’s super fast and simple to brew. Plus, depending on your palate and spice sensitivity, you can feel free to adjust quantities to exactly what suits you!

Hope it helps you as much as it does us! Here’s to your health my friends!! AH-CHOO!

Fresh Homemade Ginger Tea

Ingredients:

1 2-3 inch piece of fresh ginger

2 TBS Juice from 1 lemon or to taste – I use store bought in a pinch, but it’s not as potent

Honey to taste

3-4 C Boiling water

Directions:

Put on about 3-4 C of water to boil.

Gently peel the ginger. This is the longest step. Ginger has a really thin skin so be careful to just scrape off or lightly peel it so you get the most ginger for your money! I’ve seen other people scrape off the skin with a spoon, but I use a peeler or pairing knife myself.

Mince ginger. I use a Mini Food Processor for this – I affectionately call it ‘mini chop-chop’ as I use it all the time for fast, quick prep. (if you don’t have one you might want to invest! It’s a great kitchen tool).

Mince away – it should look like this.

Add to 3-4C boiling water cover with a kitchen towel, and steep. I do 5-10 minutes. But if it’s an emergency a couple minutes is ok too.

Strain the steeped ginger out of tea. Add the juice of a fresh squeezed lemon or to taste and about 1/4 C of honey, or you can wait on the honey and add to taste cup by cup. I like a teaspoon or two per cup in mine.

Pour a cup, reheat in microwave if needed and store the rest in the fridge for up to two days. That’s it! My favorite beverage choice for this year’s cold and flu season! Sure hope it helps you and yours feel better (and happier)…sniff…sniff….SOON!!

Christmas Snowflake Cupcakes

December 8, 2014 by Laura Kubicki Leave a Comment

Need a quick school Christmas treat idea? Try Christmas Snowflake Cupcakes! They take very little time and are oh…so….cute!

Here’s all you need…

1 box of chocolate cake mix – your choice :o); or if you have a favorite cake recipe have at it, but it’ll take a little longer.
White frosting – I used one can of Pillsbury Classic White Frosting cause it was inexpensive and quick, quick, quick!
Red and Clear sugar sprinkles to make them sparkle

Follow box directions and bake cupcakes – takes about 20-25 min (I did it the night before while making dinner so the cupcakes were ready to decorate this morning). Let them cool completely (duh!).

Then grab a Wilton or other cake decorating bag and for the snowflakes, I used tip number 21 (looks like a large starburst). After securing tip, fill up the bag with frosting. Then just squeeze one ‘snowflake’ at a time around the outside perimeter of your cupcake, filling inwards until done. The whole top looks like a snowflake when you’re done!

TIP: You can practice ‘snowflakes’ on a paper towel or piece of wax paper to be sure you fill the decorating tip and get the feel first…

Finally, just sprinkle with your colored sugar and voila! Your little elves will love you for it! Plus, these are WAY better than store bought, and probably even takes about the same amount of time as a ‘quick trip’ to said store (seriously have you seen the holiday traffic scene???) – I promise ya!

Happy baking!

Tuck and Sing. A Cherished Family Ritual

November 30, 2014 by Laura Kubicki Leave a Comment

Can you guess what one of my favorite times of the day is?

BEDTIME!!

And I’m guessing here that it just may be one of your favorite times too…because like me, you probably just crammed so many dang things into your already jam packed, race around, “not another RED LIGHT/PHONE CALL/BILL TO PAY“ day, that once that sun sets, and the last smidgen of your strength is gobbled up by the ever remaining dinner dishes, last minute emails, letting out the dog, and making the coffee for the next morning (because I am a BEAR if my AM coffee is not immediately available at my 5:30 wake up call), your bed, like mine, is looking pretty darn nice!

But I’m getting ahead of myself, because there is another part of the evening that I simply adore – tucking my boys into bed. And not because of the quiet that finally settles into our otherwise rambunctious home (although that is nice too)…

Rather, it’s the calm, warm, one on one snuggle time I take with each of my boys (almost every evening) to read a story, talk about the events of the day, say prayers, and kiss/hug them goodnight. I never tire of hearing their sleepy ‘I love you Mommys.’ And I love that all of us count on that special time with each other every day.

Sometimes we practice reading. Sometimes we talk about a dramatic elementary school issue that caused them pain or joy during the day, or share dreams for the future, or make plans for the weekend. Sometimes I read classic children’s books or Bible stories out loud to them while they cozy on up to me along with their various blankets and stuffed animal friends. Sometimes we just giggle and act silly. And then we click off the light and say prayers to thank God for our blessings. And then I sing.

I’ve been singing to my boys almost every night since they were born. Comes from having musicians for parents no doubt. My mother sang to me all the time growing up – and you can still catch her humming or singing a tune at all sorts of random times during the day. My mother’s voice is one of the most meaningful things to me and even though I don’t have the professional, soprano, vocal technique she did, I can carry a tune.

And you know what? Even if I couldn’t, I’d still sing. Because I really believe your voice is one of the things children always remember about us – even after we’re gone…(but goodness lets NOT go there)!

I’ve got a whole repertoire of songs from nursery rhymes, to lullabies, to seasonal favorites and hymns. But my kids seem to especially like the same two songs and like Pavlov’s dogs, once they hear them, their sleepy little eyes droop shut most nights and off to Neverland they go.

Do I, after 8 years of singing almost every night, get sick of singing? Sick of the same songs? Yes. Yes I do. But I try and remember they’re not for as much for me, as for them. The familiar songs finish off my growing boys day in a secure, happy, cozy way that lulls them into dreams and refreshes them for another day of go go go boy stuff.

And I’ve found it relaxes me too!

And many days, when the going gets tough, I think about our bedtime ritual, and suddenly I can see the light at the end of day’s long tunnel. And I smile, because we Mom’s (and Dads :o))! all know this time won’t last forever, but I bet the memory of this time will…

For all of us.

Thanks for spending a little of your time with me today – I hope you come back soon!

Sweet dreams!

Enterovirus Strikes!

November 17, 2014 by Laura Kubicki Leave a Comment

So we Kubickis were going about our crazy, happy and relatively carefree lives, when…

SMACK! Right between the eyes – literally. Enterovirus strikes.

Enterovirus. That ugly, microscopic, mean little respiratory bug that ‘somehow’ appeared in the US and sent more than a few poor kids to the hospital with horrible wheezing issues – especially if they were asthmatic. There were reports in the news of children flooding hospitals across the country in numbers that surprised us (and then along came Ebola and our focus shifted but that’s another story).

Well, Enterovirus was reported in NC too, and took off once school was back in session. So we redoubled our efforts throwing all daily clothes into the laundry, hand washing and hand gelling to the max, making sure we ate healthy, and got plenty of rest, and stayed hydrated, and kept fingers out of our mouths, and got our flu shots…but it was of no use.

Sure enough – it…got…us:o(!

Jack first…marked by a headache and sore throat followed by four days of high, stubborn, fevers, especially at night…followed by about 8-10 days of fatigue, respiratory and sinus symptoms. Yuck.

And, like you no doubt do when your little ones are suffering, I found myself up every night, administering ibuprofen and acetaminophen on schedule, refilling humidifiers and drinking water, fluffing hot pillows and sheets, holding hands, stroking damp hair, retrieving stuffed friends, singing lullabies, and praying for a quick end to this for all of us…

But the end was not to be, because in case you haven’t heard, Enterovirus is…quite contagious. Quite. So after Jack, Joseph followed (along with more sleep deprived nights). And friends from school reported their kids home with the same symptoms. And then Jason and I got it (thankfully minus the fever, but with rubber cement post nasal drip, combined with a red hot throat).

So now its been two weeks and we’re just now getting over it, dragging our energy depleted selves through the days…hence I haven’t had the ability or the energy for a blog update!!

Grrr. Just when we’re getting this thing going too!

But like my mother always says…if at first you don’t succeed…try try again!

So here I sit with my Ginger Tea in hand, trying to melt the ever oozing and nauseating goo trickling down the back of my throat, but armed with my first night of full, undisturbed sleep in two weeks, hopping back into the saddle. Can’t keep a good woman down after all, and we’ve got a lot to do with the holidays here.

So thanks for hanging in there with me! I sure missed ya! All of yas!

Here’s to your health!!!