large family natural health series #2

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health

FreeDigitalPhotos.net by Praisaeng
 

With the cooler weather coming, that means  long gone are the days of leaving our windows open for fresh air to sweep through.  It also means that we will be indoors more as a family.  When you get a lot of people indoors you share more germs.  With sharing of germs that usually means that a sickness will occur.

Most of the years, we seem to get by with just the normal colds.  About every 3 years it seems we get hit with the flu type sickness.  With a house full of people being sick at the same time it can make for one weary momma.

What is a mom to do to help prevent this type of sickness?  Feed her family a good, healthy, whole foods diet with a minimal amount of processed foods.  Plenty of Vitamin C in their smoothies and if all else fails and you get it, be prepared with some elderberry flu syrup.

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Studies have found that elderberry eases flu symptoms like fever, headache, sore throat, fatigue, cough, and body ache. The benefits seem to be greatest when started within 24 to 48 hours after the symptoms begin.

I was able to get some fresh elderberries from a friend who has an herb garden. I sat outdoors with my girls and pulled the berries from the branches.  I saved 1 cup to make my flu syrup and I dried 1 cup to save for my second batch of the season.

IMG_20140925_130323I put them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and dried them in my oven on the lowest temperature.  I saved these in a plastic container in the freezer for another time.

For elderberry flu syrup you will need:

  • 1 cup fresh elderberries or 1/2 cup dried
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger root
  • 3 cups water
  • 1/8 tsp cloves
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon

IMG_20140925_130528Place all ingredients into a small saucepan.

Why ginger root?IMG_20140925_124750Ginger can relieve nausea and vomiting because of its ability to disrupt and expel gas in the intestine.

To prepare your ginger root, use a potato peeler and peel off the outside and cut into chunks.

Mash and simmer all for half an hour.

IMG_20140925_130615When finished simmering, strain into a bowl and add 1 cup of  honey.

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Place in a quart sized jar and refrigerate.

Will stay good for  3 months.  Save your dried elderberries to make this for the second half of the winter season.
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For flu prevention take 2-3 Tbsp daily.  If flu has already started increase dosage and it will help lessen the effects of the flu.

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Putting LIFE into perspective

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Ever have one of those days where you just feel like you could just  crawl right under a rock and wish the world would leave you alone?

  • Maybe your children have been whining and fighting all day.
  • Maybe your husband just came home and let you know he was being laid off.
  • Maybe you have been looking at your pantry and wondering just how you were going to make ends meet this week with nothing to eat.
  • Maybe you have been encouraging a friend who is going through a divorce or one that is dealing with cancer.
  • Maybe you are just sitting looking at your own life and wondering why me.

It is so easy to sit and question God.  “Why God, do you give me this lot in life?”  “Why must I endure such hardships and trials?”  “Aren’t I good enough and worthy enough of your grace to not go through these?”

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.    Romans 5:2-5

What we NEED to be telling ourselves is “Yes, why not us!”

If we just took our eyes off of our current situation for one moment and started focusing on God we could start putting things into perspective.  Our lives seem to revolve around this little box that we put ourselves in.  I know that my trials in life may be very different from someone else’s trials and on some days I may THINK that I have got life REALLY bad.  But if I would take my focus off of my situation for one moment and start realizing that my little problems aren’t really that big at all.

I was sitting one night, after midnight painting princesses onto wooden dolls for my daughters birthday the next day.  Me, not being highly artistic was getting frustrated with my outcome.  I received a text from a friend who was sharing the different trials that were going on in her life and suddenly my “problems” of trying to paint princess faces were so small compared to what was going on elsewhere in the world.

Did you know that right now:

  • A child lays awake listening for gun shots and bombs in the air.
  • A child feels pains of hunger as they try and fall asleep..
  • There is a 4 year old child  being taken from her mother and  is being sold into human trafficking for someone’s finance gain.
  • A mother is mixing up lard and dirt to feed her children for dinner because there is nothing else.
  • A baby dies at the hands of a doctor through abortion because it was considered an “inconvenience” to one.
  • A child is thirsty and cannot get a drink because of someone’s greed.
  • In China, a mother is dealing with the guilt of throwing her newborn infant girl into a trash bin alive because of government laws on number of children.
  • A child feels shame because they are being abused sexually by an adult that is supposed to protect them

Our world is wrong.  People are messed up.  Bad, horrific things are going on all around us and here I sit frustrated about painting my princesses.  That is wrong.

In reality….my problems are NOTHING when compared with someone else’s.  There is always someone who has things worse than we do.  When you can start putting into perspective some of the “problems” in your life, life doesn’t seem very bad at all.

For most of us, before we go to bed, we will be able to get a clean drink of water.  Our stomachs will have some sort of food in them and our children will lay inside a house with warm blankets to keep away the cold.  Maybe we will lay in bed with worry and concerns about what tomorrow will bring but after closing our eyes we will wake up to a new day.

We need to remember that the Lord will never meet ALL of your  expectations. But He is always in control, and He does all things well. Consequently, when you are going through the dark night, remember: It’s not the end. It’s only the beginning. As high as God is going to elevate you is as deep as he digs to lay the foundation.

Our Lord is a God of restoration. He takes away the first to establish the second. And the second is always better. When trials are coming, as they do remember to get behind the eyes of the Lord.  Look at how He works.  It is in the hidden hours of the night that God does his deepest work of transformation. The night, the evening, and the darkness are all promises of a new day. If you can hold this in your heart, it will change your life.

Don’t dwell on your problems start putting life into perspective.  Remember our problems are about as big as painting princesses.

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.  1 Peter 5:10

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.  James 1:12

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