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!

Ruffle scarves and Elderberry syrup

Tabby has been on a ruffle scarf making kick!  These have been pretty good sellers for her, though usually through word-of-mouth rather than her Etsy shop.  Contact me if you would like to purchase one - cost is only $10.00 per scarf plus postage:

Tabby also wanted me to share this recent drawing she did of Obi-Wan Kenobi (from the Star Wars prequels):

I think that picture is good, but I really like this picture she drew last week of Caleb, a little boy that had Trisomy 18.  She drew this as a gift for his family, who celebrated his 6th birthday, honoring him in heaven):

It may seem a little pointless to post about a wonderful immune boosting syrup at this time of the year.  Spring is FINALLY here and we're all supposed to be healthy now, right?  We made it through the winter with very little sickness, but all my kids had colds earlier this month, so I am going to go ahead and share this anyway.

For years, I have liked and used BerryWell, a product by Beeyoutiful.  It is a wonderful Elderberry syrup that fights against colds, flus, and all sorts of viral infections.  It's such a popular syrup that Beeyoutiful has trouble keeping it in stock in the winter.  This past winter, they came out with a BerryWell Kit so that you could make your own syrup.  This webpage includes the recipe.  I was so happy to see this as I already had most of the products needed.  I have made several batches so far and think it's been excellent at both keeping sickness at bay and bringing quicker healing.  Elderberry is even safe for children as young as one.

You can read an explanation of why Elderberries, raw honey, apple cider vinegar, Echinacea, and bee propolis are so great for battling illness on the Beeyoutiful site here. 

I enjoy making the Elderberry syrup.  The Elderberries cook up so pretty:

I store the finished syrup in bottles, for easier pouring:

If you want to make a super easy version of Elderberry syrup, using just Elderberries, apple cider vinegar, and honey, see this recipe from The Haven Enterprises. 

Silver in the eyes

In my last post I mentioned that Solomon was still sick and had "goopy eyes" so I was going to take him to the doctor.  Well his eyes are almost completely better - thanks to a suggestion from my friend C from Haven Enterprises.  She told me to try putting a little collodial silver in his eyes.  I posted recently that we use silver as a natural antibiotic during sickness.  But I had never thought of putting it in our eyes!  But I gave it a try and his eyes looked better after just one application - of a few drops on eyes he was squeezing shut as hard as he could!  Amazing!  So no doctor visit needed.  Plus he's all better except for a lingering cough.

the blue munchkin

oh yeah - a front end loader!

 Frank is still battling his kidney stone(s) but we think he may be winning!  He still has some pain but not as bad as it was.  We are following suggestions to dissolve the stone and help it pass from a book called Be Your Own "Doctor": An Informative Guide to Herbal Home Health Care by Rachel Weaver M.H.  This book has been invaluable to us and the section on kidney stones is proving to be also.  We followed the directions for dissolving the stones and used water, limes, and alfalfa tablets the first day.  Then the next 2 days Frank drank apple cider vinegar and honey in water, and took alfalfa tablets.  He noticed improvement but still felt them.  So now we're using the book's suggestion to use Herb Pharm Stone Breaker compound three times a day, along with the alfalfa tablets and a banaba leaf supplement.  (The book suggested banaba leaf tea but I couldn't find that readily.)  The compound is 3x a day.  In the evening I give him apple cider vinegar with lemon juice and olive oil.  (Yuck!  Apple cider vinegar helps dissolve stones and relax the urinary tract.)  I'm going to keep him on this until he's better.  I have ordered a kidney cleanse and kidney cleanse + function tea from Supplement Warehouse, but am still waiting for those.  Finally, the book suggested having a bottle of lobelia on hand.  (I've also ordered that from Supplement Warehouse.)  The book's author said she was having terrible pain from a stone and took 2 droppers of the lobelia by mouth and then rubbed lobelia liberally onto her kidney stone area.  Within 5 minutes she was off the floor and sitting in a chair.  Lord willing Frank won't get to that point, but I thought we better be ready.  Finally, I decided that he will do a kidney cleanse twice a year from now on, as a preventative. 

So there's my crash course on trying to get rid of kidney stones naturally.  Hopefully that will help someone else!

If you saw Tabby's blog earlier this week, you know we were surprised to see that the goats aren't the  only furry creatures around here that are pregnant:

On Monday Frank and Tabby both realized that Dixie was "with puppy"!

Dixie trying to look innocent - "Who me sneak off?"

As part of Tabby's schoolwork today, she's going to write up a report on dog pregnancies so we're fully informed on the whole process.  I'm looking forward to puppies - I've never seen newborn puppies.  (Or any newborn animal except baby birds.)

This made me laugh the other day - Solomon was pushing Hunter around in an old baby doll stroller that was Tabby's.  Push hard Solomon!

And speaking of Tabby, she has been enjoying taking the goats for a walk.  On a leash!

 

 "This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24

Tips to stay healthy during the germy seasons

If you read my last blog post (this past Monday's), you might remember I ended it by saying I would be sharing some tips to stay healthy when people around you are sick.  My timing in this is INCREDIBLY IRONIC.  Guess what?  I AM SICK.  Blah.  There goes all my credibility, right?!

But maybe I can regain a little if I tell you that for the past 20 years or so, it has been rare that I am sick more than once a year.  So see - that's really a pretty good record I think. 

For several weeks, Frank has had a terrible cough (violent at times) but felt fine overall.  (Except during painful coughing fits.)  This with congestion more of the throat area, than deep in the chest, is something that is going around in are area.  People call it the "creeping crude."  Entire families we know have been repeated wiped out from it.  Symptoms also can include sore throat, swollen glands, and discomfort in the ears.

I consider sick people "walking germ machines" though Frank frequently reminds me I have no idea if they are or were contagious.  OK that is true.  But I still think it.  So as the days over the Christmas break passed, and the kids and I stayed healthy, I thought "wow - what a great job I am doing in keeping everyone healthy." 

But then I guess God thought I needed some humbling.

First Hunter succumbed to The Cough.

Even when sick, Hunter loves to create what he calls "hook ups"

Then Tabby got it, though her's started differently.  It started in the typical "Tabby is getting sick" way:  headache, fever, one good throw up session, and general achiness.  After moving past all that she has The Cough with some congestion.  Oh and pink eye in both eyes.  What fun!

Tabby the day before she got sick.  I just think this is a cute picture!

Then Saturday while doing our weekly shopping at Walmart (which always exhausts me anyway) I suddenly started feeling incredibly achy, and sort of dizzy/floaty, and my throat didn't feel right.  Noooooo!  Things are bad when the Mama is sick!  Then yesterday I felt a little feverish, with some achiness in my throat and ears and some of that congestion in my throat.  A little coughing.  Sigh.  Same thing this morning.

However, there is one little warrior in the family who is still going strong!

Solomon loves building/stacking anything he can find

If we have been out in public and around sick people, or are traveling, we all take a few rounds of Echinacea.  Or if someone in the family comes down with something, everyone else stays on the Echinacea until that person is better.  The forms of Echinacea are a bit different for each of us.  Solomon takes the Infant Immune-Booster by Mountain Meadow Herbs.  Tabby and Hunter take Herb's For Kids Echinacea and Astragalus.  Frank takes a straight Echinacea supplement.  I like Beeyoutiful's BerryWell.  If we have cold symptoms, I also add Nature's Way Umcka ColdCare.  (There is an adult version and a children's version.) 

Or you can take a different route and give everyone elderberry syrup.  This is even safe for babies.  You can buy it or easily make your own.  (Making my own has been on my "to do" list for awhile.  For an easy recipe, check out my friend's C's post about it over at The Haven Enterprises.  C also talks about how to make a healing ointment called GOOT.)

Back before the current man made antibiotics, collodial silver was a natural antibiotic that was used.  I am currently taking the maximum number of doses of collodial silver right now.

The above weapons are what I pull out as soon as anyone starts coming down with something.  (It's usually respiratory illness in our family.)  We also take daily supplements.  I've adapted supplements to what each person needs, so we have some variety  between each of us.  However every day, we each take a good multivitamin (Beeyoutiful has them for men, women, and children), Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and cod liver oil.  (The boys and I take Green Pasture fermented cod liver oil and Tabby & Frank take Beeyoutiful's cod liver oil capsule.  See both here.) 

Finally, one HUGE step you can take to get everyone's immune systems operating at peak again is to STOP EATING SUGAR.  Eating anything with sugar in it drastically suppresses your body's immune system by 75%, for at least 4-6 hours.  (Info. on this is widely available online.  Here is a link to one very good article.)  I really believe the sugar thing is what finally did the kids and I in.  Usually when one person is sick, we hold off on desserts for everyone.  (Our daily meals are healthy with low, if any, sugar.)  But how could I do this at Christmas time?  We recklessly ate our yummy treats, didn't get as much sleep as usual, and didn't follow routine.  The result was our bodies were completely run down.

Note:  If you have a child with a fragile immune system, like our Lilly did, you may find some more helpful tips in my "immune boosting" post. Actually anyone may find those tips helpful.

I'll leave you now with a funny picture.  Solomon think's Hunter's "hook ups" are great fun for climbing on and touching.  Hunter does NOT think that anyone messing with his work is fun at all.

"Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul." - 3 John 1:2

Those fragile immune systems

A few days ago, I read an article called "Pass Not Thy Germs: Do's and Don'ts of the Flu-Spreading Season" in the latest Beeyoutiful catalog. (Hopefully it will soon be posted to their articles page on their website.) Even though Lilly is no longer with us, I still find myself reading every article I come across on ways to not spread germs.

Bella Santorum is back in the hospital. The family has not released details yet as to what Bella is sick from this time. One newspaper article I saw reasoned it was "due to Trisomy 18."


I'd say "yes" and "no" to that. Trisomy 18 doesn't send these kids to the hospital. However, Trisomy 18 does cause problems within their bodies with one of the results being a very weak immune system.

In the article I mentioned at the beginning of this post, the author wrote that whenever her family went out, she carried her baby in her Ergo or Mobi. (Baby carriers that you wear on your body.) She wrote: "Studies have shown that natural immunity is passed from skin to skin contact from mom to baby, so having her next to me boosts her immunities." I had never heard that one before, but I did "wear" Lilly a lot in baby carriers. We both enjoyed the snuggle time and I like knowing I was boosting her immune system too!

In photo one, Lilly is in a "ring sling". Look how tiny she was! She was 3 months old. In photo two I'm wearing Lilly (11 months) in a water wrap by Gypsy Mama. She loved being in this and being in deeper water. I also had a regular Gypsy Mama wrap that I carried Lilly in. It was my very favorite. But when Lilly got older, about 15 months, she began protesting about the closeness of the wrap. So I dragged out the Snuggli (photo 3), my least favorite carrier (it pulls on my shoulders and back) and found Lilly LOVED that one.

I finally decided that Lilly must have liked that Snuggli so much because it held her out a big farther from me so she could see around much better. After all, she may have been physically and mentally delayed, but she was getting to be a big girl and she was so interested in the world around her. Plus it helped hold her head up. (Her neck never got strong enough for her to hold her head up for very long.)

I wrote about the various supplements that I used to help boost Lilly's immune system in this blog post from January. Two things that I didn't mention in that article that we started doing during Lilly's life was to for each family member to use a different hand towels to dry their hands. So that means in our two biggest hand washing areas of the house - the kitchen and the privy (powder room) we each have designated hand towels. Another thing I do is run an essential oil diffuser most of the day. These are wonderful for killing airborne germs and help in healing. You can read a number of different articles, and see a video, on the Beeyoutiful website here. My current favorite blend is to add these essential oils to the water in my diffuser: (several drops each of) Eucalyptus, Sweet Orange, Lemon, and (a drop or two) peppermint. (I did a lot of research to select what I do use.)

I hope these ideas might help someone else out there! We still use many in our family.

Oh - I can't neglect mentioning one more HUGE immune booster. PRAYER!!! And lots of it!

"Pray without ceasing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:17

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." - Mark 11:24