Curly's trick for swallowing icky medicine

Part of Curly's ongoing recovery is four daily doses of Flagyl, one of the grossest meds around. Seriously, even the pharmacist told me, "It doesn't get much worse than Flagyl."

I tasted it, and immediately I felt like I was going to throw up.

So, needless to say, it's been a struggle to get Curly to take it. We tried everything from mixing it with chocolate syrup and his favorite ice cream, to begging and cajoling him, to forcing it down his throat with a syringe -- and getting it spit right back in our faces.

But I few days ago, I stumbled on the answer. The key to getting a 3-year-old to take "icky medicine."

1. Put the meds in a small medicine cup.
2. Mix in a squirt of food coloring -- we prefer blue.
3. Cut a straw to about 2 inches.
4. Let the little one sip it up, in between drinks of lemonade.

I know it's strange, but Curly's now taken 16 doses this way. No more crying, struggling or tantrums.