Of flu and washing machines

We've been hit by the all nasty flu bug here.  As it has made its slow torturous way through the ranks, we've been "enjoying" it's visit for over a week now.  Thankfully Mamma (me) only had the really bad part for 4 days.  So hard to take care of the littles when Mamma is down and out.

sick kid pile up aka tic-tac-toe 3 sick kids in a row

It seems the boys just had a cough - which I've now dubbed "The Cough" because of how violent it is, at first.  Then I got The Cough with the flu followed by Tabby the next day.  Then the boys joined us in flu land.  (I think Frank has only had The Cough - which has lasted over a month for him.)

On a positive note, we've gotten lots of reading done.  In between coughing fits, I've read most of By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the boys.  Hunter has also immersed himself in wiring and plumbing books in between naps.  Solomon has wanted to mainly sit in my lap.

Tuesday the scene was still:

But yesterday we had progress!  We had a whole day with no fevers.  And ... Hunter felt well enough to convert an old toolbox into a pump.  Solomon actually had a terrible day but he is much better today. 

Still, we're moving more slowly than normal and having to take lots of breaks.  And I've got to get more food into Tabby - she's lost 10 lbs. and sure didn't need to.

It's a good think I didn't have a bunch of New Year's resolutions planned or I would have been crushed as it feels like the month is almost over and I have nothing productive to show for it.

I've taken over animal care while Tabby has been sick.  It's really quite nice being out in the early morning, in the quiet, breathing the fresh air and seeing the sun coming up.

Last week I was so surprised to see that the daffodils were coming up already!  This is pretty early but the weather has been bizarre this winter.  Really warm temps alternating with really cold temps.  Our camellias have hardly bloomed because of the warmer weather and now the daffodils think they are supposed to start.

Back to the flu, I've been treating us with mostly natural remedies.  Started out with Elderberry syrup.  (See my post last year on this wonderful syrup.)  And lots of vitamin C.  The syrup usually knocks anything right out.  But not this time ...

I remembered when we had swine flu 2 years ago, my friend that was staying with us had made a garlic salve - something she called "GOOT."  (Imagine 6 kids all lying sick across the living room and 2 mammas trying to take care of them while alternating being sick themselves.)  Garlic has been shown scientifically to kill influenza viruses.  It boosts the immune system and fights complications like bronchitis. 

I couldn't remember C's exact recipe so I got out one of my most useful books:  Be Your Own "Doctor" by Rachel Weaver.  The author says garlic salve can clear up coughs, colds, and even pneumonia and RSV!   Here is my summary of the author's garlic salve recipe (p. 94):

Blend at high speed in your blender:  1/3 cup coconut oil, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 8 cloves peeled garlic, and 5 drops of lavender essential oil.  Then strain through sieve.  Store in refrigerator.

Put on the bottoms of your feet at least 4 times a day.  (Pull socks on so that you don't slip and fall all over the place!)  It will work even faster if you put it on your chest and back.  Frank did this and it knocked the worst of his cough out in less than a day!

The children seem to be "cursed" with my ultra sensitive nose though, and we simply couldn't tolerate the garlic salve on anything but our feet.

Since we chickened out about using the garlic salve on our chests, we used Beeyoutiful's Winter Breeze Vapor Rub, which I think smells wonderful, on our chests and necks.

I have a cool mist diffuser that I have been running an essential oil blend called RC by Young Living along with lavender essential oil (for respiratory).  I alternate that with Young Living Thieves essential oil (for germ killing).

When Frank felt he was relapsing, I gave him a tincture by Mountain Meadow Herbs called Olive Leaf Extract.  This is a really good immune booster.  He thought it helped a lot.

The kids and I are also on heavy rounds of Sovereign Silver which is a natural antibiotic.  I even read that you can use a little in a nebulizer to treat breathing issues.  I almost had to use this with Tabby.  But she ended up being OK with a mix of almond oil with lavender essential oil rubbed on her neck/throat.

Finally, apple cider vinegar (with the mother - like Braggs brand) is great for fighting the germs/detoxing the system.  Tabby likes her's in tea form:  8 oz. hot water, 1-2 tbls. apple cider vinegar, and honey to taste.  I've been drinking the Trim Healthy Mama's "Good Girl Moonshine" which has it in it, along with ginger which is also helpful, so I just keep drinking that.  (I did have to cut the ginger in half though, because I felt it was making me cough more.)

We've done some other things too, but I think that's enough of that stuff for this post.

the goats waiting to be fed and milked

On another note, on December 20 our new-only-2-months-old washing machine stopped working!  Oh how disappointing!  And here it is ... January 14 and it STILL NOT WORKING.

Briefly - it is a Samsung front loading washing machine.  (When working, I love it.)  But because it's under warranty, we decided to follow up with customer service to get it fixed.  It has been about impossible to get anyone out here to fix it.  One repair company said they could come January 21.  (Which back in December that seemed really far away.)  The other repair company that Samsung referred us to insists that we are not in their service area.  Samsung insists that we are.  How about a duel to decide?

Finally Samsung decided to just get Lowes to bring out a replacement washing machine and take the broken one.  Well of course that takes processing and whatever else. (Papers must sit on people's desk for long periods of time I assume.)  Samsung should finish their part by the end of this week.  Then Lowes has 5 days next week to get the washing machine to us.

Painfully long agonizing lesson learned:  do not buy ANY brand of appliance unless you know for sure that it is pretty easy to get quick warranty service in that area!

Thankfully we've got a laundromat about 10 minutes away which we've gotten to know way too well.  Because we have a ton of laundry - especially with the flu.  Frank's been having to stop after work to do it.  (Just for the washing machine - our dryer still works so we can do that part at home.)

Right before I got sick, the boys and I enjoyed a field trip to the laundromat.  We were the only ones there so Hunter had plenty of time and space to thoroughly study all the machines.  (He's loved washing machines since he was only a few months old.)

Sure hope the broken washing machine - and all traces of illness - both leave this house asap!