Almost three years ago, we had THE WORST winter ever. I don't know if it was because it was an especially cold winter [it was the year we got about 80 feet of snow - ok, that's an exaggeration, it was only 100+ inches of snow...] or if it was because I had two mini germ catchers on the loose [they were ages 4 and 2 at the time] or if it was because I just didn't know how to defend us against germs and fight them properly. But it was bad.
It started out with me having gum surgery in January, with a dose of antibiotics [so there went my healthy gut flora right there, but I didn't know it!] Then the first week in February we had a confirmed case of Influenza A in Curly Girl. I couldn't even get out of bed to take her to the doctor for the diagnosis [thanks Darling Daddy!] so though I wasn't confirmed, I'm pretty sure it was the flu that took me down for two full days of just lying in bed. Then a few days later there was an ear infection for Ginger Boy. About a month later there was a 24 hours stomach bug for Curly Girl. A week later there was a stomach bug for me, with symptoms lasting & lingering for over two weeks. And scattered all throughout that winter were colds with lots of runny noses and deep, hacking coughs. It. Was. Awful.
I vowed that we would never do that again. We couldn't do that again. I started doing my research and making some major additions and changes to our life in order to help us defend ourselves and fight the yuck all around us.
So what is it that we try to do regularly now to try to keep us healthy? There are quite a few things :)
[Note: I am not a medical professional and I am not claiming that any of these things completely prevent or cure illnesses. I'm only saying they do help us defend & protect ourselves against them.]
We wash hands. A lot.
Anytime we enter the house from being out anywhere, we all go straight to the bathroom to wash our hands. And the kids sing their ABC's while they wash their hands. And we don't use antibacterial hand soap. Just the good old soap that I mix up with castile soap and some essential oils.
We wipe hands on the go.
Yes, I know that these wipes may not be the best thing to be putting on my kids hands, but when they get in the car after being at preschool all morning or touching the nasty grocery shopping carts, they wipe the germy grime off. They fit in the cup holder nicely and they double as diaper wipes when I forget to pack wipes when we're at a soccer game. [Not that that has ever happened before...] [Also, any non-antibacterial canister wipe suggestions appreciated!] We also use our Thieves hand purifier when at school or on the go.
We take Probiotics daily.
Did you know that whenever you go on an antibiotic, you kill both the good and bad bacteria in your gut? You disrupt the healthy gut flora. Our guts need the "good" bacteria found in probiotics to aid in healthy digestion. In order to keep a healthy balance of bacteria in your intestinal tract you need to eat foods that promote this balance. Eating yogurt and drinking Kefir can also aid in this. We eat and drink a lot of these things too. You can read more about probiotics here. We usually get these because our kids like them and take them easily.
We take multivitamins daily.
I'm pretty picky when it comes to what goes in to my kids' bodies, so we take specific multivitamins because they don't contain sorbitol, aspertame, or food dyes. We get these vitamins regularly.
We take elderberry syrup regularly.
Elderberries are high in Vitamin A & C, they also have bioflavenoids, which help to boost the immune system by increasing antioxidant levels. You can read more about elderberries here. I make my own elderberry syrup and I get the berries here.
We use local honey in a lot of things.
Using honey that has been made local to where you live has many benefits, including lots of allergy benefits. We put honey in yogurt, or sometimes just eat it by the spoonful. We've been getting our honey here.
We joined a local farm CSA.
This means that for 16 weeks in the summer, we get fresh vegetables and fruit weekly. And we get a lot of them. Because we prepay for this in the spring, I make sure to use our vegetables each week so that it will not feel like money wasted. We use this CSA at Medway Community Farm.
Our kids are required to eat fruits and vegetables every day.
Fruits are pretty easy to get into the kids. There are many that they like and ask to eat. I try to keep a bowl of fruit on the table in a clear glass bowl. I figure the more that they see it, the more likely they are to want it and ask to eat it. They are also required to eat the number of vegetables as the number of years old that they are at dinner each night. And often at lunch too. So Curly Girl has to eat 6 vegetables and Ginger Boy has to eat 4 vegetables. They can be whatever they want from what I have put out. I often put out a plate or bowl with a variety of fresh, sliced vegetables. We've found that they prefer fresh over cooked, so I don't make more work for myself! I'm also able to sneak vegetables into smoothies and home made popsicles that I make for them and they can't even taste them!
We diffuse Thieves essential oil (by Young Living) in the house a lot.
Thieves is a blend of oils that includes cinnamon bark, clove, lemon, rosemary and eucalyptus. It's got a pretty cool history, dating back to the 15th century with some thieves and the bubonic plague. It's known for its immune boosting power and ability to neutralize airborne germs. I diffuse it often before the kids go to school or church to get the immune systems up. Or I diffuse it when they get home from school to get rid of the germs they may have brought home with them. I diffuse it in their rooms at night if they seem to be coming down with a sniffle. Or just because I want to try to keep them healthy. It's basically the oil that made me really get into and love oils.Here's some more info about Thieves.
I've created little glass roller bottles for parents and kids that have oil blends in them to help boost our immunity. We roll these on the soles of our feet every day because there are so many vita flex points on the feet, as well as more sweat glands there than any other place in your body. So the oils get absorbed quickly into the bloodstream in less than a minute. I also roll the kids spines. They like this and think they're getting a mini massage :)
Our kids go to bed early every night and the littlest two nap everyday.
Over the years we have learned the hard way that our kids just can't stay up late. It never ends well that night and it's never good the next day. Or the day after that. And usually the day after that. They just need their sleep. So, they're in bed between 7:30-8:00 most nights. For Curly Girl it's often earlier. And they're in their rooms until 7:00 the next morning. They stay in their rooms because of this magical clock which they have been trained to obey. Curly Girl is our earliest riser and she's usually up sometime between 6-6:30, but she's also the one that's in bed before 7:30 most nights. So she's getting between 10-11 hours of sleep per night. The other two gingers get the same or more, but they both still nap! Yes, naps. They are mandatory here every day. Not only do I need the break, but they need the sleep. And on Sundays, the entire family partakes in a Sabbath afternoon nap. It's glorious.
What we do when the yuck starts to hit us.
[Because, it still does hit, just not as hard.]
Drink apple cider vinegar.
If I feel something coming on, or I just want to increase my immunity, I drink 1-2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar (with "the mother" in it - unfiltered, etc.) mixed with half of a squeezed lemon and 4-6 drops of liquid stevia in 12 oz of water. It's like a tangy lemonade that I know is helping me out.
Drink Thieves tea.
I boil a cup of hot water and add honey, lemon juice and 1 drop of Thieves Vitality. I drink this 1-3 times per day depending on the yuck that I think is coming on. [As I write this, I'm drinking a cup of Thieves tea...]
We diffuse more Thieves oil all over the house & clean with it.
We spray commonly touched surfaces with our DIY Thieves germ spray and clean surfaces with our Thieves household cleaner. [Basically, since I discovered Thieves, I'm kind of obsessed with it!]
Diffuse and apply some other favorite Young Living oils
If congestion and cough present themselves, we'll diffuse or apply some of our other go-to oils like RC (good for respiratory issues), Eucalyptus, Peppermint or sometimes Lemon & Lavender for the littlest ginger.
We double up on our immunity rollers.
Instead of rolling just once a day, we roll on the immune boosting oils multiple times a day.
If it's tummy trouble...
We use our Yucky Tummy roller filled with DiGize oil (by Young Living) and rub it all over the tummy.
If it's just allergies...
We diffuse & apply topically our seasonal discomfort oils of lavender, lemon and peppermint.
We also drink lots of fluids, try to get more sleep and limit the diet, generally removing all dairy products for a few days.
So, how has all of this worked for our Ginger Crew?
Really well. We have fortunately had a lot less sickness in our house over these past 2+ years. Don't get me wrong, we still get sick [we do have 3 kids ages 6 and under after all!] but the severity of it is much less and the length of each illness we face has been considerably less. Hopefully we can continue on this path of mostly good health!
Do you have other things that you do and use with your family?
I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Check out the Young Living site if interested in more information on their oils.
My member # is 10706388
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