NO Fear of the Fever

I started the morning at 5 am, with my sweet eldest (3 1/2 years old) asking for his dinner and chewing on the garlic bread he had left behind the night before.  At dinner he was listless, drank his diluted juice and wanted to be excused to play his harmonica.  He happily fell asleep at 7:45 to awake at 11:30 with a high fever crying for Mama.  I managed to plop Belladonna in his mouth between cries, held him, and soothed him into a deep sleep that lasted until 5 am.  Fever gone, hunger back.
Fast forward 5 hours and little brother (almost 2) came down with the fever.  His hands were cold, his head slightly warm, he nursed to sleep.  He awoke 40 minutes later screaming Mama with a fever of 104 F. I slipped Belladonna and Aconite onto his wailing tongue. 1 hour later he was sleeping in his bed.

It has taken me 3 1/2 years to learn that I do not need to fear the fever.

I took a class years ago from an Anthroposophic nurse at a Teacher's Conference. She described the home
remedies to do for a fever and that the fever is there for a reason. But for many reasons, mostly my loved ones and pediatrician suggesting the Tylenol, I often gave Tylenol or Advil if the fever was over 102.
I wish I kept an accurate journal of the middle of the night fevers and treatments we have been through.
I am quite certain that the fevers that were medicated with Tylenol and Advil lasted longer.
The experience has given me the observation skills and trust to no longer, FEAR THE FEVER.

Here are a few tips I heard about but now know are true:

1.  If the hands and feet are cold the fever is still rising.  Keep them comfortable without chill.

2. If hands and feet are about the same temp as the stomach, the fever is done rising.  Now you can give cool wash cloth, bath, or lemon wrap on the feet.

3. Treating with Tylenol or Advil may make the child more comfortable to sleep for a bit, but when it wears off the temperature will probably try to rise again to ward off the illness, making the illness last longer.

4. It seems a whole lot easier to hold my children, help them sleep, and give them some homeopathic remedies, rather than to convince them that the gooey, sticky medicine they don't want is good for them. (Especially now, that I feel that it isn't)

5. The Homeopathic Travel Kit from my local Homeopathic Doctor has been one the the best purchases of my life. $90 and it will last for years.  They will refill the bottles for $2 when needed.

6. Belladonna for sudden onset of high fever with flushed face.  Aconite for fever with pale face, intense thirst and restlessness. Pulsatilla for fevers with low thirst and clinging whining babes.

7. Rescue Remedies Pastilles are a great distraction from their ailments.  My little guys think they are a treat and it calms them.

8. If their throat hurts after the homeopathic medicine has been given, Tylenol can be comforting, but I try to use it very sparingly and not for the purpose of bringing down a fever. (Our last illness turned to sore throats and coughing for a week.  I did give them Tylenol when my boys were crying in pain and so they could drink fluid. I had to take an ibuprofen myself one night in order to get my head and throat from hurting so I could fall asleep.)  So I do use it as pain relief when necessary to keep comfortable while the body battles the illness, but not to cover the illness or fever.

Which would I rather give to my little guys?  The pretty ones without red #5.

Home Christmas Celebrations

Christmas Eve

Simple pasta and meatballs that everyone loves

and for dessert Peppermint Star Ice Cream

Peppermint Star Ice Cream:

Break up one- two candy canes (we happened to have organic which are actually so much more flavorful)

Soften a pint of Grater's Vanilla Ice Cream.

I placed the broken candy cane piece in a cake pan then gently pulled the ice cream out of the pint.

I sliced a circle placed it on the candy pieces, cut out with a star cutter and then added some of the softer ice cream to fill in all the way. After making four I quickly placed them in the freezer with some ice cream left over for another time.

They were a big hit.  Our chocolate lover got a little chocolate sauce on his.

Little Chamomile tea, cookies, and wine to finish up some gifts at the last hour.

The special gifts I made for the boys.

Santa brought the boys a town and candy canes

They would have been just as happy with only shovels.  They had to go out in their  pajamas

Christmas Kugelhopf

Merry Making

This is the first time I have made salve and lip balm, but I am hooked.

Once I find a good source for containers my dear friends can count on these every year.

Hand Salve:

1 cup olive oil with dried herbs (comfrey, slippery elm, calendula)

simmer for 20 minutes.

Then slowly melt beeswax (about 3 tablespoons) in a double boiler or in my case a little stainless steel bowl over a copper pot.

Add beeswax to oil and 1/2 tsp Vitaman E oil. Let cool a little and put in containers.

When I do this again, I will either use powdered herbs or strain them from the oil before adding the beeswax.

Lip Balm:

From Soulemama   http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/2010/12/elving.html

But I changed it a little bit:

I made half a batch:

4 tbls. coconut oil

1.5 tbls beeswax

2 tsp raw honey

10 drops of Thieves (Clove, lemon, cinnamon, Eucalyptus, Rosemary)

A about a teaspoon of pink lipstick that had some sparkle to it.

Melt everything together, let cool slightly before pouring into containers.

I used a small funnel and needed to rewarm a few times.

Little Big guy requested star eggs for Breakfast.

While preparing and eating Star eggs I thought of how blessed I am to be at home with my boys

and we can get completed diverted with making things a little special.

Of course the Star eggs needed birthday candles because this is what they usually get for their birthday breakfast.  But that was fun too.

Auntie Nettie's Birthday and Christmas:
The boys painted the apron last year and I finished the edging last week.
She requested Chocolate Brown Curtains.
I was very happy to make something useful.

Winter Walk

We are blessed to live a short distance from The Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Every time we get to Kendall Lake or the Ledges I feel

immersed in beauty and awe.

I love this big field.

As soon as the little guys shoes were on they ran as fast as they could down the hill.

It was a warm Sunday winter walk (58 degrees in December) and so much fun.

Chickens and boys on the roam

Our lovely chickens have decided they would rather roam.
We take little walks with them around the yard.
The boys love picking them up and holding them. Umm, and also helping them with their dust baths.

Martinmas Lanterns and Laundry Soap

The lack of posting lately is due to busy nights sewing in the basement studio. My goal was to make as much as I could to sell at a local festival so that I would have money for Christmas Presents. Well I did alright and  managed to get enough homemade items from local vendors to fill the Advent Calendar for the boys. Pictures to come later as the Advent Calendar I completed last year comes to life again.

We have been busy during the day as well.

preparing Sammy's eggs for our breakfast

Beside the daily unfreezing of the chicken water, collecting of one egg, and general observation, we have had quite a bit of fun holding and caring for our chickens.

For Martinmas the boys made Lanterns from old applesauce jars, wire, glue, and tissue paper.
They were beautiful on the table and for the Lantern walk at our local Waldorf School.

Making Laundry Soap:

Then we returned the new box grater I purchased to make laundry soap back to the kitchen and pulled out the best grater I have every used.

 My dear friend passed this down from her mother's home.  It was once used to make a great deal of bread crumbs and grated cheese.  But now it emits the lovely smell of tea tree from the soap and makes the perfect size and texture of soap for our laundry mixture.
This was fun to crank, to smell, to feel in the bowl, but not so much in cleaning up off the floor beneath.

Laundry Soap Recipe:

Two 4oz bars Tea Tree Oil Soap grated

1 cup baking soda

2 cups washing soda

2 cups Borax

mix well and store in a glass jar.

Chicken Day

I was like a child at Christmas this past Sunday morning.

The early risers awoke the slumbering big guys with: "It's Chicken Day, It's Chicken Day!!!!"

I know it is silly and I also know that some out there understand. 

 I have wanted to raise chickens for a long time.

It isn't really the desire to care for more beings or clean up more poop.

I think the desire to raise chickens is similar to the experience of the garden: creating a relationship with the land; a relationship that teaches, shapes and feeds (in more ways than one) you.

I also really like the idea of having pets that we can observe and love.

So here is the beginning of our Chicken Chronicles:

So-Mo 

Sammy the lover and wanderer
She laid an egg on her first full day here!