The flu bug in my house is thankfully all gone now.  James got lucky… he was not affected.  He thinks it has something to do with having gotten the flu shot.  I don’t believe that for an instant. I think he avoided the flu because he’s meticulous about washing his hands and using hand sanitizer (inside joke because I don’t believe in getting the flu shot). Regardless, we are once again a healthy and happy family!  I’ll be spending the next week bleaching and sanitizing everything we’ve ever touched.  Yay.

Tuesday was Jamesy’s birthday!  Even though AJ and I had some resemblance of an illness, we still managed to give James a nice, happy evening!  I actually made some home-made cupcakes… with frosting!  And I even made some type of chicken parmesan dinner for him that he really enjoyed.  The secret was in the frying of the chicken pieces… I went full fat and full flavor for this baby!!  Bread crumbs, egg, and milk for dipping, and good old fashioned vegetable oil for frying!!  No oven baking… no boring panko crumbs… full flavor all the way!  (I am such a rebellious soul, hehe)  No worries… we went back to healthy on Wednesday (well, at least until Friday Happy Hour, :D).

Speaking of healthy, we got a new little toy… the Nutribullet by Magic Bullet!  We’ve always made our shakes and smoothies in the Magic Bullet, but the motor started to die, so enter the Nutribullet!  Much bigger than a Magic Bullet… kind of like a full size blender and super powerful.  You can make 2 servings in one go, and not near as klunky to wash as a blender.  We just love our little gadgets.

Can’t leave out the recipe book it came with, with lots of healthy smoothies to create!

As for work, it’s been a week!  Fawns being born, ducklings losing their mothers, bunny nests being uncovered, fledgling birds that really don’t need to be rescued… it’s just crazy.  Some of you may not be aware, but I work at a rescue and rehab for wild animals.  A couple of tips if you run across a wild baby animal:

Geese will foster orphaned goslings. Ducks will kill ducklings that are not their own.

• Birds:  Parents will still take care of their young while they’re on the ground learning to fly.  If you see parents in the area, leave the bird alone.  It’s also okay to re-nest the bird.  That thing where birds won’t accept their young after a person has touched it is just a myth.
• Fawns:  You will never see the mother.  The mother will sometimes leave the baby for up to 12 hours to forage for food; however, she is still in the area.  Fawns are programmed to sit as still as possible until mom returns.  Unless you see obvious signs of it being hurt, leave the baby alone!
• Bunnies:  If your dog or cat brings you a bunny, get it to a licensed rehabber as soon as possible.  Never, ever, ever feed a bunny milk, kitten replacement milk, or puppy replacement milk, or milk of any kind for that matter.  They will develop bloat and die.  If a nest has been uncovered, cover it back up in such a manner that the mother will have to disturb the covered area to get to her babies, that way you can tell if she’s returned to the nest or not.  If she doesn’t return after 12 hours, take them to a licensed rehabber. (If a bunny is the size of an apple, it’s big enough to be on its own).
• Squirrels:  Put them back in the nest if you don’t see any obvious signs of injury.  If the nest is too high, gently pinch their little toes until they cry out then leave the area.  Mom will come down to get her baby and take it back up to the nest, but not while you’re still around.

As for this guy below, he was afraid to come down out of a tree because of a nearby barking dog.  A citizen thought he was stuck.  He was “freed” from this position and still wouldn’t come down. But once the dog was quieted and no one was around, he came down on his own accord. (If you’re unable to make out what it is… it’s a raccoon, and a very healthy one at that!)

I am now about to attempt my first 3-mile run after a 2-week break.  As long as I don’t cough up a lung in the process, I’ll be good to go.  After all, my next half is only a month away.  Holy crap.

Have a great week!!