Under the Weather: Bookish comfort when you and your family are sick (plus a recipe)

“Then would you read a Sustaining Book, such as would help and comfort a Wedged Bear in Great Tightness?” (“In Which Pooh Goes Visiting and Gets Into a Tight Place,” Winnie the Pooh, by A.A. Milne)

Our family recently spent almost two months taking turns being miserable with a viral infection of uncertain origin that turned into various forms of discomfort. First, one boy had it for two weeks. Read-alouds during that time included Winnie the Pooh, because it is so comforting and never gets old.

Then we had a break, then three more boys came down with the same thing, another reprieve…and then Mother went down, then my eldest, and finally my husband while I was on the mend.

I was too weak and miserable to read for several days, aside from occasionally listening to the audio of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier for my Moms’ Book Club.

On the fifth day, my youngest was getting particularly fussy, and I knew his Mother snuggle tank was too low. I had been hoarding a stack of picture books from the library, so I invited him up onto the bed. He was happy to read to himself while I read mine…until I came across Mr. Fox’s Game of No! by David LaRochelle. Oh, the giggles we shared! Laughter really is the best medicine.

I managed to finish reading The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, though we still haven’t seen the movie. I’ve heard good things about it.

Day six I was well enough to be up occasionally, but knew I still needed to focus on rest in order to recover. I didn’t care about the schoolwork we weren’t getting done, but the youngest two needed something to keep them occupied while I rested. It was the perfect opportunity to start The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe audio book. Their brothers had listened to the series several times, but moved on to other books before the younger ones were interested. They mostly listened to books in the Freddy the Pig series while playing Lego, so now I made the decision. We would listen to The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe.

It took up most of the day. I dozed and knitted mittens, they played War with cards and lounged beside me. At the end, my 10yo looked at me and asked, “What’s the next one?”

So there you go. A sweet, engaging read when I could keep my eyes open, a gothic romance mystery when I couldn’t, and enjoying the time with boys and books even when my voice couldn’t carry the story.

It was good to be on the mend. As soon as I had the strength to make it back to the kitchen, I steeped a pot of this honey-thyme-lime cough syrup that I indulge in even when I’m not sick (because I think it’s SO good! Only some of my boys agree). I printed this off a website YEARS ago and am so glad I did, because not everyone maintains their website forever.

Honey Thyme Lime Cough Syrup

• 2 c. water
• 1 package fresh organic thyme, stems and all
• 1 c. raw honey
• 2 limes

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add the thyme, cover and let sit for 10 minutes or until cooled. Remove the thyme, strain as necessary, add honey, and whisk. Wash and thinly slice limes, then put them in a one-quart glass mason jar. Pour the honey-thyme mixture over the limes and refrigerate until needed. Administer 1-2 teaspoons (or more, if you’re me) as needed.

Featured image from Pixabay