Prepping the Activity

I am not the best at prepping for an activity.  This is something I'm trying to work on.  Activities always go better if I'm not scrambling.  I'm calmer, they are too and usually we have fun. 

Below are a couple of activities I had set for the boys.  The clothespins were for Deddy.  Geometric shapes with toothpicks for Rico. 

Fevers

What about fevers?

"And there were some who died with fevers, which at some seasons of the year were very frequent in the land—but not so much so with fevers, because of the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots which God had prepared to remove the cause of diseases, to which men were subject by the nature of the climate-" Alma 46:40

I love that we have a scriptural reference for a specific illness.  I love the Book of Mormon. 

When my babies had fevers, the routine didn't change.  I gave them milk and lots of snuggles. 

When they were a little older, just to help them sleep (very rarely) we would give them some acetaminophen.  Sometimes we still do this.  Deddy is a restless sleeper when he's sick and this seems to help him rest more easily. 

I am with the group of people that believes fevers really aren't a bad thing (most of the time).  They are alerting the body that it is time to rest and that there is an infection or waste of some kind that is trying to be eliminated. 

Making sure kids are going to the bathroom seems to help fevers.  Constipation keeps the waste in the body.  If kids are old enough to take pills, using Dr Christophers lower bowel formula will quickly remedy a constipated person.  :)  For younger kids, a catnip enema if you are really concerned.  Make up a glass of catnip tea, proceed with the enema... near or in the bathroom/tub.  Raspberry tea keeps things moving, so will a smoothie with some extra greens and fiber (we use flax seed if we need any extra).

If you feel the fever is too high or you are at all worried, a natural fever reducer is a catnip bath.  I have used this once with Rico and once with Deddy and it helped quickly.  Catnip and Chamomile are great before bed.  I fill up a bowl of water, steep the herbs and add to the bath water. Yarrow tea is another excellent fever tea.

I rely on the fever to help rid the body of excess toxins, bacteria or viruses.  So, usually I don't try to bring it down.  I use herbs to help the body when needed. 

Wintertime Illnesses

Sick Deddy

There are a few standards in our house for when we get sick.  They differ depending on the sickness and my "feeling" at the time.  I always like to say a prayer to know how best to help my family and I feel like I am usually drawn to one or several of the methods below:

Colloidal Silver: some people think silver is a crock.  It works for us.  My niece contracted hand, foot, mouth disease and was over at our house just before being diagnosed.  We all took silver liberally and none of us contracted it.  Sometimes all a sore throat needs is a little bit of this and the cold never progresses.

Elderberry tincture: great for sore throats, strep, colds, flu. Antiviral and antibacterial-it is a great remedy. 

Kyolic: this is a very concentrated garlic product-supposedly odorless (I can smell it a little).  We prefer the liquid form: it is easily hidden in juice or tea.  This can even be taken as a maintenance measure.  You can find this among the garlic products in the health food section. 

Echinacea tea: antiviral/antibacterial, This been had been studied scientifically and is proven to shorten the length of the flu. It tastes amazing and my kids like it even without honey.

Raspberry Leaf Tea: this is my "go-to." Sore throat, cold, flu, fever.  This tea is also antiviral and antibacterial,  contains many minerals and vitamins, including calcium, and we drink a lot of it in our house.  J and I prefer this tea cold. 

I never sweeten tea with sugar.  We almost always use honey or nothing at all.  I have given my kids tea from the time they drink liquids other than my milk and I think because of that they rarely turn it down. 

Dr. Christopher says to be wise in how you offer tea to children and they'll learn to like it.  I know this isn't true for all people-J being one of those who still doesn't like tea-but even he has come to appreciate it.

Learning to care for myself and my family has been rewarding.  I love being able to help our bodies "help themselves."

Detoxing After a Trip

We love cheese. 

We don't use cheese or other dairy while we are at home. 

When we travel, we eat cheese...sometimes a lot of it.

This Christmas vacation we had our fair share of cheese.  My favorite veggie sandwich from a bakery called Simply Divine in Logan owned by a Belgian man.  With radishes, spinach, carrots, jalapeno jelly, olives, onions and cheese, it is wonderful!  Pizza, mashed potatoes full of yummy cream cheese, 7 layer dip, soft cheese balls, more veggie sandwiches, treats...the list goes on.

Anyway, as you can see, we do "splurge" while on vacation.  By the time we go home we are more than ready to eat normally again and our bodies are done with the stress (aka bloating).

Here is how I detox my family.  It differs in the summer slightly-keep in mind I have a 3yr old, 2 yr old, a 28yr old, and I am nursing-so a full out detox is only available for one person in the house, and I just don't take the extra time for him, so he does what we do...for the most part:

*A day of rest. No school, no major cleaning.  Laundry, books, preparing and eating better food and sleep.
*Spinach (or any green your body can handle) smoothie
*Light breakfast (usually for us that is toast)
*Raspberry tea-for everyone (except the nursing baby who gets the benefits from my milk)
*Hearty bean soup for lunch (onions, spinach/kale, beans, tomatoes, potatoes, some spice and veg broth)
*Healthy dinner

J also drinks some Yogi peach detox tea, or stress relief tea. 

When we get home and get back into our regular routine, everyone's bodies respond pretty quickly and we are back to normal in a few days. 

If you need a more intense detox, see Dr. Christopher's 3-Day-Cleanse. 

Asleep (and sick!) after a full week of eating: