Which Essential Oil to Use for Chest Congestion and Cough

Just when I thought I'd made it through this year's Spring with NO allergies, something bloomed late! As in, May late.  In my neck of the woods, allergies start up around mid-February and I'm usually out of commission for several weeks.  I suffer sinus irritation, watery eyes, post nasal drip, nasal congestion, chest congestion and....as a result of it All....cough.  Wow!!  I'm usually a mess by now.  I cannot take OTC allergy medications (neither would I want to).  They usually make me so sleepy that even the children's version knock me out for 1-2 days.  I know, I'm sensitive like that. 

Enter essential oils.  I've been using essential oils trying to meet some basic needs throughout the last few years.   I've also perfected the art of the neti pot.  So, sinuses got flushed and various oils diffused and inhaled.  It's now  the leftover congestion  that's got me hung up.   This time, I'm trying something I've never tried before.  Frankincense.  I thought it was just a specialty item in Bible times.  Seriously.  I read up on it and it is actually an expectorant and is antiseptic in nature as well as an immune stimulant.  I need all those.  

Here's to the Bible stories coming to life, right? LOL  

Middle School Years: Lower Your Voice

We have been a homeschooling family for 10 years. If you quickly calculated it, you know that we now have teenagers. And that journey is taking us to all sorts of different places.  But before you get on that road, there's the onramp.  The middle school years.  Oh my..... I do have to confess that I was warned.  But there were some aspects of the middle school years that I didn't even see coming.

It seems that during those times when adolescents begin to decide who they are and what they believe, they want to hear less of us telling them anything. Anything at all.  Even just what time the clock says!  That might (or might not) be a slight exaggeration.  But the point is, they wanna start doing some of the talking.  They make declarations.  They ask the questions, and they just want the answer without parental analysis.    This is their time.  For deciding which direction they are thinking of heading. There could be changes down the road a bit, but they're getting on that ramp and accelorating with purpose.  Mindsets are solidfying in some basic areas during these years and this is where we come in.  And it's the hard part.

Lower your voice.

Your young person doesn't want to hear his business come from a friend's mouth.  He doesn't want (too much) posted online. She's very picky about how she looked in a recent picture.  She doesn't want her business made into a blog post.  It's not cute anymore.  He may not be proud that he's homeschooled.  She may feel unsure if she's on grade level with peers.  He may feel awkward developmentally.  Or, none of these may be true.  But this is the time to begin respecting their privacy as young adults, which will get you immensely further than blurting it all out because you're "just sayin' " (as they would say).  The rules don't apply.

Seed Time!!!!

At least in the deep south. This time of year marks Tue beginning of gardening endeavors. We bought 50 lbs of seed potatoes and are hoping for a better harvest this year. Last year we bought the same amount but too much rain in the spring ended our season. The potatoes still came up but the harvest was pathetic. Our wonderful neighbor, Mr L allowed us to dig from the plentiful harvest that he had. We canned a ton of potatoes and just finished the last jar last week. I was wanting to use the potatoes up, so I tried using the canned potatoes for potato salad. Bet you can't imagine doing that! But I tell you, it turned out pretty good for potato salad in the winter and not at a picnic or barbecue. They were not as good as fresh, but they sure beat store bought. Scared to try canned potatoes and potato salad? Just give it a shot. You will be able to tell the difference but the satisfaction
of using your canned potatoes in something as delicious as potato salad will beat that out every time. So, here we go on a new season of gardening and our first endeavor is always potatoes. We live in an area where the soil is perfect for them. Here goes!

                                                                Linked at the Barnhop!

ACV: A Friend With Many Uses

There have been many benefits to ACV touted in the news on the natural front. My most recent discovery in relation to its uses involves urinary symptoms. I wasn't tested at a doctor's office, but let's face it, a girl usually knows what's up when one shows up. I drink about 2-3 tablespoons 2-3 times a day for several days. Just dilute it in water, which helps the issue too, by the way. The pain disappears almost immediately. I keep it up for at least 3-4 days. By then, I think there has been enough time to clear out most of my system. Try it next time-- it's not as bad as you think. Really. Let me know if you do.

Just so ya know, I usually use Bragg's but the store I was in was out of it and I didn't want to go store hoppin' so this is what I ended up with ;)

Linked at the Barn Hop

Sounds of Spring

                                                                                                                                                                                       

 

       From across the way, I hear it coming.  The constant hum.  The up-and-down.  The turn-around. Pause. And then on his way again.  It's my wonderful neighbor turning under the soil for the first time this year.          I look forward to hearing it each time.  More than the last, it seems.

  This year, our parts even saw snow and sleet which has only happened once in my lifetime before.

All this has to mean spring is on it's way, right?????   

This also means our little plot on our property is ready too!!  He usually plows ours for us and we are soo grateful

Spring Awakens ?? Seedlings

Already?? Wow. It's barely February. Okay. I guess. Whatever. Hope Old Man Winter killed enough mosquitoes off that we aren't taken away by spring. My spinach seedlings are peeking through. I'm giddy with these first green signs of warmer weather. I have them beside my kitchen door so that I can easily tear off leaves to use in my cooking. Same with my herbs. I also have lettuce here. I'll post pictures as things come alive.

Essential Oil Uses : Fluid in Ears

The last few days, several around the place have been having "junk" in there. Throats. Ears. Chest. Sinuses. Whatever it is, we've got junk in it. I try, whenever possible, to work out treatment of minor issues at home. We have great medical coverage in the event we need it. When my 7 yr old said her ear felt "heavy" and like it had water in it, I assumed it was just some fluid since she hadn't had any pain at all. She did have a low grade fever, but she is prone to them and it isn't alarming with this child. I used a few drops of an essential oil blend along with a few drops of olive oil lightly massaged behind the ear. Three times yesterday I did this , along with pushing water and lots of rest. This morning, she beat me up and was ready to go out to play. No fever. She says there is a little fluid in there but not much. She's at about 95% today. And that makes this mama's heart
happy.

Friendly Winter Harvest : Scallions / Green Onions

                                      

We have a fabulous neighbor who does far-and-away more gardening and farming adventures that we do.  And the season comes when these little gifts begin showing up on my porch.  I love them!  I love the smiles they come with, too!

Today it is scallions, I guess.  We call them "little green onions" but I suppose they have a technical name. Love these!  And, they regrow themselves, I'm told.  My husband eats them as a side with any beans I might serve.  I chop them  and sautee' in just about anything. 

As you enter our home today, the aroma is all about the entryway. And I can't stand smelling like onions just because I cook with them.  But today, it's okay.  It is near 80 degrees and it's February!  It's giving us the tease that spring is here and I'm feeling like getting in the garden  and that makes it OK to smell onions as my "home fragrance" today!!

Pre Cooking Without Cooking : Homemade Convenience Mixes

 

I've done freezer cooking.  Still do, when it suits.  Done OAMC.  Still do, when it works out.  This is one variation of pre-cooking that we use. 

My daughter made up these brownie mixes that are just as good (or better) than the store-bought cookie/brownie mixes.  She used the recipes found here and combined dry ingredients in glass jars.  The pint jar contains ingredients and instructions for the small batch (9X9 or so) and the  quart jar is a double batch. 

Instructions on the lids are just on little Post-it type sticky notes, with amounts of wet ingredients, temperature and time.  We all know how to mix it up, right??!

SO easy to just dump in a bowl, add eggs/oil and stick in the oven for afternoon snack or even a quick dessert, since I usually forget to consider that. ;)

Copywork on Sick Days

This is just how it goes some days. My youngest recently came down with a tummy bug. She wanted badly to be up bouncing around with the rest of us. By the third day, she even wanted to do school with the rest of us. Since stomach issues are grounds for quarantine, this is what she got - simple, portable and not intensive. She stayed in bed and still got to participate in school stuff.

Five in a Row and Additional Subjects

Many moms who consider using FIAR for their students have one concern right out if the chute: Is it enough? The quick answer is No. However, it quickly becomes enough when you further evaluate how it can be used to deepen studies and spread across the subjects. For example, copy work can be related to any subject you choose. Further study on the geographic region , time period, etc., can offer enrichment. An artist from the time period could offer in depth art studies. Adding a biography of any person related to the scientific, historical or artistic areas related to the title is always a good idea to bring depth for older students. Also, a poet of the time period, a poem on one of your topics or created by the student can add language arts value. Words that the student encounters in any area of study can be used for vocabulary and/or spelling study keep this area practical and not
an added drudgery. Systematically, math is not taught. It is added in applied lessons. You may opt to expand the math lessons and allow that to stand for the student's math studies for the day, but a separate curricula is suggested. So, the in depth, detailed answer is YES🙌 FIAR is more than enough.

Giving Planner Perfect a Go

And so far, so good. My planner has got my meals lined up, appointments made, notes from my days that I want to remember. Moments of gratitude, dates to remember, improvements to make, places to be and planning to plan ;). If you need another planning technique, not just a new planning book, scoot on over to Planner Perfect

No Naked Bears

So, Christmas has come and gone and Build a Bear Workshop was a  part of ours ;)  However, anyone who knows me  knows I am not paying what they want for clothing for these guys.  And my girlie wanted some of those clothes soooo badly. 

This pair of bear pants were only TWO....2....1, 2  two seams!  I used recycled jeans of my daughter's.  They were made a smidge bigger than this bear...but only by a hair ;)  I made them because this is not the creature they are intended for.  My daughter picked out the bulldog (and promptly named her Uga, as any good Georgia peach would).  And Uga is a smidge more pudgy than the average Build a Bear.  So, these directions might be give-or-take about 1/4 inch here or there.  Not too hard to manage when you are sewing too big and NOT too small ;)

Here is my template

Here we go with the tutorial....in as many pictures as possible!!

 I lined up the hems of an old pair of jeans with the bottom of my pattern piece.  This means no hemming required!  Easy Peasy!!

Lay the pattern piece (which is meant to be placed ON a FOLD) on the fold of the outer leg seam.  I slit my inseam so that it would lie flat.

The hem of my jeans are exactly on the bottom edge of my pattern piece.

 And outer seam is lying flush with the edge of pattern piece.  Pin then cut.

 This is what it should look like :)

 Repeat.  These jeans were purchased with embellishments already applied, so if you'd like something nifty on yours, apply it now!

 With the right sides together, fold each piece in half and pin.....

 then stitch.

 Turn ONE of them right side out.

 And slide that one inside the other to match up crotch seam

 Pin.

 Great time to remove this extra plate if you have a removeable one!

 Stitch the crotch..and it will look like

 this!

 Turn under about a 1/2" waist band.  PRESS.

 It will look like this.

 Stitch all the way around it, except for about 1 1/2 ".

 If you have a bodkin with which to thread your elastic through, use it.  Otherwise a safety pin will work just fine.  This piece of elastic is not the best one for this project..it just turned out to be all I had, after destroying my notions box.  Sooo....anyhow.....it is about 16"-18" long...

 When it comes through to the other side, pin it then size it on your bear.

 While I was sizing, I marked (with disappearing ink) where the tail slit will go.

 Once you've sized the elastic on your bear and pinned it at the size it should be...

 stitch it together

 and then complete the waistband stitch, which encloses the elastic!

 Ripping out the tail slit..

Thought it needed a bit more than I originally marked

 Stitched around it in buttonhole shape..NOT with the buttonhole stitch. Although you could, if you wanted to, but I don't expect these to last forever so I'm not putting a ton of effort into tiny details!!

 Here's my guy!

I can't figure out how to rotate this picture, so I won't worry about it now!

Five in a Row: Gramma's Walk

One of the things I love about FIAR is the flexibility.  It doesn't tell you what you must do to be doing "the right thing" or doing "enough."  You can make the choices necessary for your own child, according to ability, needs, etc.   This is just one example of how you can use FIAR for your entire curriculum, except math.  There are applied math concepts lessons but no systematic teaching.   This is one way to utilize copywork / dictation methods in your FIAR homeschool.

I do not do English every single day with my middle schoolers or elementary school students.


For  K-2 child, the expectation would be to copy a selected passage.  The copy should contain correct punctuation, spelling and capitalization.    Review it with the child for errors.  Praise student for specific details that he correctly performed.  This is what my homemade form looks like:

On a different day, I'd use this passage:

Donnie slips quietly into the sunroom where Gramma waits.

The lesson could also contain a mention of the concept of "qu" sound and drawing his attention to how we use it.  Or a compound word found in the sentence.  Or whatever you see in the sentence that you could draw attention to, in order to show your student how things work in our language.



For a child a bit older, maybe in grades 3-5, my lesson would look something like this:

Copy or dictate the following passage:

        Donnie listens and makes a picture in his head of the lighthouse out on the point.  He sees the path through the tall grass and thinks about his feet crunching into the dry sand as he walks beside Gramma.

Errors should be corrected and discussed as needed. 

The next day, I would bring to the student's attention the use of prepositions.  We'd discuss the uses of prepositions and compose a list of them. I would have the student circle any prepositions he finds in the passage. 

He might also illustrate passage , if desired.  On a different day that week, I might ask him to do another short writing assignment where he "makes a picture in his head of being........somewhere......" and to describe what he sees.

Finally, he will be required to recopy/dictate the passage.  Hopefully errors would be few or none this time, but corrections are still required. 

Farmhouse Chats

I love talking, as anyone who knows me can verify....

Don't make me talk to myself!  Join up!

QUESTIONS

1. Do you use any type of water filter (pitcher or sink mount)?
2. Do you have any tips for staying hydrated in the warmer weather?
3. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?
4. Are you on top of all the chores/work you do, or are you always running behind?
5. If you could sing a song to Wendell, what would it be?

1.  I have well water out here.  But we do not have a filter, softener or anything else.  It doesn't taste bad...but the slime under the fridge water dispense gives me the willies.  I'd love to get our water  cleaned up a bit.

2.  I'm a water drinker.  I always have a Mason jar with me.  everywhere.  or a salsa jar or whatever I can find.  I add lemon to it and sweeten it.  Or maybe a shot of ACV with ginger and stevia.  Or nothing.  I actually Love water.  Tip:  drink water!

3.  My hair is naturally curly.  But not a beautiful, spiral, flowing curly.  A frizz-wave type of curly.  I straighten it every time I want to look human. Or at least blow dry it so that it's only a minor "body" type of wave.

4.  Never.  I try.  I am Type A.  But with what goes on here in a week, I can't think of one week when everything that needed to be done got that way.  So, I just relax and know that I have enough hours in the day to do what I am called to do....the rest can keep on calling.....I answer when I can.

5.  I don't know Wendell...so, I'll not offend him upon first impression. Can we just shake hands?  Really .  My kids would even advise it.!!!

Camping Fun....and a Few Tips

 

Our family took our first camping trip 3 years ago.  We tried it out someplace local, mainly so that we would be convenient to home if it didn't work out camping with young children.  As it turned out, we had a fabulous time and went several more times that first year. 

That first year taught us a lot!  You see that rustic looking campfire setup at the top?  Well, don't be deceived...that is precooked bacon yall!!! (okay, as I'm proofing,  I'm guessing that sounded like a famous female chef....but we're from the same area...the accent and tendency to end a sentence that way is Real ;)  )   I just put it on the pan to warm it.   I was not taking chances.  I did, however, perc the coffee in that pic but learned it has to "cook" a lot longer in that setting than the coffeemaker does at home.  So plan for an earlier morning if you want your daily cuppa when you're out on the trail!

 

This water container was a great investment!   We filled it half full and put it in the big freezer the day before. Then, when we were ready to go, finished filling it.  It worked out very nicely and was more convenient than bottled water.

 This brought back great memories.  Remember these popcorn pans?  They still make 'em!  Try them out over the fire.  It'll be fun!  Especially for the younger ones.

This was one of our "learning curve" ideas.  I'm not sure bringing the doggie was the best idea.  Trying to ride bikes and hike and play doesn't lend itself to keeping a doggie happy and safe in an unfamiliar environment.

 

Doesn't that look snuggly?  Well, it is...but it doesn't make for a good night's rest.  Because guess what's below most campsite pads?  Nothing.  Maybe rocks! So, we learned to bring an air mattress along.

 Safety...yep.  Shoulda discussed the wildlife issue before we left!  Just remember to check what the local prospects are and address the "what if you come across......." side of things.  Before you leave.

 Most campsites have plenty for little ones to do..usually playing and enjoying nature.  The wildlife. The water..........

 all of His creation is beautiful....and we sure enjoyed exploring!  So much so that this is what the trip home looked like: