Nature's Antibiotic

Although commonly over-prescribed, antibiotics do hold a place in the nature of our well-being. However, a little-known fact is that there is a safer alternative to what you would pick up in a pharmacy. I am so grateful to have discovered the natural, healing benefits of garlic and cranberry.

The first time I was blessed by this homeopathic cocktail was shortly after the birth of Noah, my first homebirth baby. The morning after he was born I was struck with intense and rapidly increasing abdominal pain, accompanied by a sudden-onset low-grade fever. The pain came in waves, similar to that of contractions, and was concentrated in my lower back and abdomen. We called the midwives. My hunch was the beginning of a uterine infection; they didn't know. What they did do was to start me on an immediate regimen of garlic and cranberry, paired with a tincture of echinacea and goldenseal (for immune system support.) By dinner time the fever and pain were gone. I know it was the natural antibiotic properties of the garlic and cranberry that overpowered what may have been the potential start of an infection- and I never had to leave my house or deal with the uncomfortable side effects of mainstream antibiotics. The midwives testified that with this regimen, they had never had to send a woman to the hospital as the result of an infection. I believed their words.

Well, with Noah being as sick as he was on a Sunday, I knew I had to rely on Nature's Antibiotic if I was to provide him any relief before the weekend's end. I called my dear friend Naomi, whom I knew would have some garlic on-hand (the chewable soft-gels that my kids will take as readily as candy.) We were able to pair this with dropper-fulls of cranberry concentrate for Noah, washed down with orange juice. I also took Naomi's advice and massaged behind his ears with eucalyptus oil. He fell asleep for a long nap, and when he awoke the pain in his ears was gone. We continued with the garlic softgels and cranberry concentrate (as it's important to hit it strong in the beginning when using homeopathic remedies) and later in the evening my other dear friend, Brittany, sent her very knowledgeable and experienced chiropractor husband over to give Noah an adjustment on our living room couch. This aids in the opening up of the eustachian tube, allowing for proper drainage. By dinner, Noah was up and around, and by Monday he was back to his usual self. I couldn't believe the complete turnaround he had made in less than 24 hours. But what I felt the most strongly about was the gratitude I have for caring, knowledgeable friends and the gifts God has put on the earth for us to heal ourselves.

Ashlee's Take on Chores

As I sit here and review the day's school work, I come across an old writing prompt from the beginning of the year. It reads:

"At home, I have a lot of chores to do. I have to do all my chores while everyone else does theirs. In big families, everyone needs to pitch in to get the job done quickly. Some of the good things about doing chores are: you feel good inside, you can impress your company, and the house smells clean. There are also a few negative things about doing chores, such as people getting tired and grumpy, the chores getting to be too hard, and whining. If you don't want to clean, I've learned that if you hum, or do it quickly enough, you can actually enjoy your hardest chores."

-Ashlee, 5th grade

Thanks for the reminder Ashlee. She never ceases to amaze me with her insight.

My Sister's New Sock Monkey Hats

Are these not the cutest?

My sister just received an order on her Etsy store from a lady who owns an upscale boutique on Broadway in New York. She'll have her own little display there for her hats!

I think I am partial to the one for little girls- love the look of baby pink and gray together.

Very inspiring Roxanne!

Home Sick

Poor Noah- today is a sick day for him. He came in my bed at 2:00a.m. and whimpered throughout the night that his ear hurt. The last time he did this it turned out to be a ruptured ear drum, so I'm worried about him. He even threw up a couple of times (although my hunch is that this is more related to the inner ear opposed to a flu bug.) He's been crying all morning from the pressure in his head, but now he is resting (phew.) It's so hard not being able to do anything for them when they are like this.

A Good Run

Distance: 4 miles
Time: 42 minutes

It's always nice when a combination of factors work in your favor. I don't know if it was the early morning, the pay-off from a week's training, or the carbs from Katie's yummy pasta last night, but today's run felt good (and I passed my friend Kristen out there, that was fun!) It also helps that my sweet Rachel decided to sleep 8 hours last night- makes 6:00a.m. feel a little less painful. My recovery drink: a peanut butter-banana smoothie with Trader Joe's Organic Chocolate Hemp Protein Powder... mmm!

7 Months- She's a pacifier girl!

Rachel will be seven months on Monday. Here she is on my bed this morning, trying to put her pacifier back in her mouth. This girl has a unique relationship with her paci- at bedtime, it's crib, blanket, pacifier- out like a light. It's nice to have something that will undoubtedly soothe every time (although Noah and Kaitlyn seemed to manage fine and still fall asleep on their own without it.) What's also nice is that she now has the hand coordination to find it and cork herself. I witnessed it the other day- I sneaked into my bedroom during nap time, which startled her awake (guess I wasn't sneaky enough.) She whimpered a little, then, with her eyes still closed, I watched her little hands come up in front of her face. She first checked to see if it was there (it sometimes gets hooked on her thumb) then she began to scan the area around her head. Sure enough, she lifted it up from beside her head and into her mouth. Back to sleep. Precious!

Rachel, you're growing beautifully.

A Runner's Dinner

At the end of the weekend, I will have run a total of 13 miles. Week one training- check.

Knowing how important it is to properly refuel, I have made a concentrated effort to incorporate wholesome, high-energy, regenerating foods into my shopping this week. Here was last night's dinner:


Marinated Salmon (this is in your recipe packet if you attended the last Cooking with JC class- healthy foods.)

Quinoa Salad (compliments of Nikki's blog, only mine didn't hold a flame to hers!)
*Quinoa is a rare grain in that it is a complete plant protein. It is also high in lysine, an amino acid responsible for tissue growth and repair, making this the athlete's perfect food.

Buttermilk Cornbread w/ raw honey (recipe from September's Fine Cooking magazine- I ground the cornmeal in the wheat grinder.)

Farmer's Market salad w/ homemade buttermilk ranch (you can't have too much buttermilk in my book.)

I truly feel that the better I fuel my body, the more efficient my running will be. After all, we get out what we put in, and the results are synergistic. Happy eating!