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Archive for June, 2011

Battling Ear Infections

Posted in Family, Health, tagged , , , , , , on June 30, 2011 | 2 Comments »

 In 11 years (and 5 children) we’ve only had to deal with two or three ear infections that were quickly treated at home. That was true until this past month. A few weeks ago Ethan got an ear infection and then Myra started having a terrible earache in one ear and then a few days later in the other ear! Obviously they had a cold that lends itself well to ear infections.

Ear infections are one of the most painful experiences that many children will go through. Knowing how to treat the infection can help to minimize the pain and speed the recovery. The way they are treated by doctors has changed dramatically in recent years. It used to be that ear infections were immediately treated with a course of antibiotics. Time has shown though that the chance of a recurring ear infection is significantly higher after having antibiotics. Thankfully medical treatment has caught up with statistics and standard practice now is to wait 2-3 days to see if it will clear up on it’s own. But how do you treat an ear infection then?

 Garlic

 Garlic is often used to treat ear infections because of it’s powerful antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral characteristics. I use garlic oil as a treatment and I make it by placing a cut up clove of garlic in a pot with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. I gently heat the oil for about 10 minutes and then carefully strain the oil. Once the oil is cooled to body temperature (test it on your wrist, it should feel neutral or slightly warm) place a few drops in the ear. This is quite soothing and the garlic is quickly absorbed and begins fighting the bacteria right away.

Ear Massage

Ear massage can be comforting and it also helps to relieve the pressure by encouraging the fluid to drain from behind the eardrum. Apply a few drops of oil to the area to be massaged. Start by gently stretching and massaging the lower lobe of the ear affected. Then massage from the area just behind the ear down towards the throat.

 Please note: Some people are allergic to the allicin in garlic and this can cause pain and irritation when garlic is applied to the skin. One way to check to see if you are sensitive to the allicin is to put some garlic oil on your inner arm for one hour to see if there are any reactions. Never put raw garlic juice in the ear. This can cause irritation even if you are not allergic to allicin.

 

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Interview at Scott School

Posted in Homeschooling, Life, tagged , , , on June 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

Sarah from Scott School recently interviewed me and posted it to her blog this morning. I have never been interviewed before and it was a whole lot of fun! You can read it here- Meet Rachel!

Believe it or not, Sarah lives in the same town as me, we both blog and homeschool and are even part of the same homeschooling group, and yet we’ve never met!

Sarah has a beautiful blog with oodles of great craft ideas and fun activities for children. She journals about homeschooling her little ones and life on their farm. Some of my favourites posts are:

Nature Study-Bracelet Tutorial
Why Homeschool?
Nature Journal Tutorial

Please take a few moments to visit Sarah’s blog and leave her a comment if you’ve been inspired by her creativity and joy.

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A Matter of Perspective

Posted in Life, tagged , , on June 23, 2011 | 5 Comments »

I found this story while reading the OK Homeschool Mom blog and just had to share it with you all. :)


One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.  They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?”
“It was great, Dad.”
“Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked.
“Oh yeah,” said the son.
“So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.
The son answered:
“I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.
We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.
Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.
We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.
We buy our food, but they grow theirs.
We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.”
The boy’s father was speechless.
Then his son added, “Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.”

Isn’t perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don’t have.

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Never Too Much Love

Posted in Family, tagged , on June 14, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

My children collect Aunts and Uncles. You know, the kind that aren’t really related, but might as well be.

One of the “Aunties” recently came and stayed with us. She spent time visiting with me, but she also made sure to play with my children in their fort, and made princesses out of my daughters by decorating them with dandelion chains.

I have another friend that has kept all the books that she used to read to her own children. She put them on a low shelf so that the children that come to her home, can choose a story and bring it to her to read. I love to see my little ones snuggled in her lap for a story.

Others we rarely see, but my children remember them, because children don’t easily forget people that truly love them.

I am so thankful for the people that seed into my children’s life in this way. I know that my children will be immensely blessed, by the time and love that is being invested into them. There is a godly example being set for them. That example will stay with them as they grow and as they make life affecting decisions. It also gives them confidence, joy and a sense of value. And it blesses my heart to know that my children will have life-long, wise and godly people to seek counsel of as they mature.

You might be sighing and wishing that your children also had such loving mentors. There might be someone in your life right now, who only needs an invitation. One friend was concerned that she might be stepping on my toes, or on the Grandparent’s toes, by forming a deep relationship with my little ones. I assured her though, that children can never have too much love.

Maybe there is an older couple at church who’ve taken the time to remember all your children’s names, and whose own grandchildren live far away. Invite them to dinner and birthday parties, and let them know how much you appreciate the interest they’ve taken in your children.

There might be a college student who is missing parents and siblings who would enjoy spending Sunday afternoons with your family. And there are often empty nesters who can be blessed by having children in their lives.

Keep in mind, that this relationship will bless your children, but it will also bless the people who are investing time and love into their lives. Love is never wasted and the giver is always blessed as well.

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Broken Just Right

Posted in Life, tagged , , , on June 7, 2011 | 5 Comments »

If you’ve read my post What’s Wrong With Me? Then you know that housekeeping is not my forté. The boys room was getting pretty bad (maybe really bad in your books), so I sent them upstairs with a broom and instructions to clean their room.

It was sounding a little lively, but I let it go until I heard, “Mommy, the broom’s broken.” Down came my boys carrying my mangled broom.

“How did this happen?” I asked.

“I don’t know. We were just sweeping,” came the innocent reply.

I was more then a little irritated as I swept the floor that afternoon. The broom was awkward to hold and would obviously need to be replaced soon.

The following day, when I next went to use the broom (Oh alright, maybe it was a couple days later), I found it surprisingly comfortable to use. Just holding it slightly turned made all the difference. Actually, it was more comfortable to use than before it was broken! And considering the fact that a broom is made to sweep and not to look nice, I realized that it was broken just right!

As I reflected on this, I realized that we can be broken just right too. Nothing is wasted. God uses our trials, pain and hardships, our weaknesses and disabilities, to mold us into useful vessels to bring Him glory.

 

“And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,

for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”…

2 Corinthians 12:9

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The First Field Trip

Posted in Homeschooling, tagged , , , , on June 3, 2011 | 5 Comments »

I know it sounds a little late in the game for a first field trip, but my children have always been homeschooled. We’ve gone on plenty of family outings, but last week we got to experience the real deal.

I recently joined a local homeschooling group, and our first outing was a trip to the Fort St. James Historical Park. About seven families came with oodles of children, ages 10 months to 15 years, many of whom I was meeting for the first time.

I ended up leading the oldest group of kids: 8 & up. There were 7 stations with activities at each stop. Our group started out with throwing spears. You don’t get to throw spears every day! I cheered on the group, and tried not to jump up and down and yell “Me!” when the coordinator asked if any of the parents wanted a turn. (By the way, the kids are way better at throwing spears than I am.)



Our next stop was the trading shop. The children were asked to identify a variety of furs which they were amazing at. The man overseeing that activity was astonished at how well the kids did. They then had a chance to practice their trading skills at the store, by making up a story about where they got their fur and of what type of quality it was.

This just shows how much of a kid I am, but my favourite station was the historic games. I can walk on stilts! Now I don’t have any pictures to prove it, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. I think I’ll have to get a pair of those. They might come in handy considering I’m somewhat vertically challenged.

We finished up with some teamwork; piecing together a small building, and then a picnic in the grass. I’m thankful for friends new and old, and for the adventures ahead. :)



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