A "Weird Home Remedies" Article

I read this article today, and thought of a few of my own home remedies that are good for certain ailments.

Honey-  Honey is good for burns.  As soon as you burn yourself, slather on some honey.  It will help take the sting and redness away.  Leave it on there as long as you can without getting everything messy.

Honey is also good for your skin.  "Honey absorbs impurities from the pores on the skin, making it an ideal cleansing agent." (See this article for more on honey.)

Apple Cider Vinegar - Any time Papa Bear and I have tummy ailments, we make a tea of sorts, with 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar, 2 Tbsp. honey, then fill the rest of the cup with hot water.  Seriously...when your tummy is upset, or you have a case of stomach or intestinal flu, this is the best stuff or it!

Oatmeal - Oatmeal makes a superb facial scrub.  Mix it with a little honey, you have a great, natural mask!  

"Many people swear by oatmeal as a natural remedy to acne. One easy recipe is to cook up some of the stuff, let cool until lukewarm, then apply to the affected areas. Let stand for several minutes, then rinse." (source)
Buttermilk - Buttermilk is a lovely way to get beautifully radiant and soft skin.  It also has other uses:  "A great remedy for dark spots on your face is to grind dried orange peel and combine with buttermilk to make a paste.  Apply daily and let it dry before washing it off.  After 30 days you should see quite a difference and without the use of harsh chemicals." (source)

Banana- "You can do a lot more with a banana than slice it on your cereal. Among the fruit's other uses: slap a banana peel (the inside part) on an itch caused by a bug bite or poison ivy; this will dial down the inflammation and relieve the itch. You can also use mashed banana as a facial--it’s great for moisturizing dry skin. Banana peel also has anti-acne properties: just rub the inside part of the peel over your clean face to get the anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial effects." (source)

What are some of YOUR favorite home remedies?  I'd love to hear about them!

Mama Bear

UGH! The Bug!

Well, I knew it had to happen sooner or later. Papa Bear's side of the family is taking turns getting the stomach flu, and we were with them on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It started with my little 16 month old niece, and it made the rounds.

Last night, we had some good friends over for dinner, and right in the middle of eating, Brother Bear (the fifteen year old) laid his head on his arms on the table. He's a little bit of an actor anyways, but we asked him "What's wrong?". He said that his stomach hurt, so we sent him immediately to his room to lie down.

We sat back down and were just chatting, when out of nowhere, my phone rings, with the ring tone that is only my son's when he calls me from his cell phone. I answer, "What's wrong?". He says "I need you." I went into his room and got assaulted, both visually and scentually. Papa Bear had put a wastebasket somewhat close to Brother Bear's bed, but Brother Bear doesn't get up out of bed quickly, because of his disabilities and because he's in a bunk bed...on the bottom.

You guessed it...he totally missed the bucket. Cleaning up pizza and soda was not my favorite part of the evening! And it didn't stop there. But he did manage to get it in the bucket from then on. We made him drink the magic potion: Apple Cider Vinegar and Honey Tea. Any time any of us feel anything gastrological coming on, we don't run for the Pepto. We run for the ACV. We pretty much swear by it, and it really does work.

Put 2 tablespoons of ACV and 2 tablespoons of honey into a mug. Fill the rest of the way with water, and nuke (microwave) it. Stir well and drink like a tea. I promise you, it will do the trick. I had Brother Bear drink a cup under duress. Just kidding...I told him that I was going to count to 15 and not leave his room until he had downed at least 1/2 the cup. Then I told him that if he missed the bucket again, he was going to clean it up. I'm such a loving and nurturing mom, huh?! If there's one thing that makes me gag...

The bucket and potty were his friends pretty much all night. I made him another cup of the magic potion before I went to bed around Midnight. I got him comfortable, because he had squeezed his big teenage body into the bathroom with pillows and blankets and wastebasket and all. I checked on him around 5:30 to see how he was feeling. He told me that he drank the other cup of potion, and hadn't thrown up since about 3am. YAY!

I went back to bed, to awaken to the sounds of Baby Bear coughing...a LOT! I prayed and prayed that he wouldn't get sick. 2 year olds do not know how to NOT miss the bucket! It would've been ALL over the place! It seemed to be just a little bit of congestion, but just to be safe, Papa Bear gave him some of the magic potion in a medicine dropper when he got up this morning. Papa got up with Baby around 7am, and let me sleep in until about 10:30.

Brother Bear has not had any more projectile episodes since he finished the other cup of potion. Whew! Hopefully we've seen the last of it.

As I type, I have another cup of the magic potion sitting on the desk in front of me, waiting for me to drink it. I will head this bug off at the pass!

Tip: Do not leave your TV tray without wiping up the trace of honey that was on your cup. You WILL have ants in the morning! Bears aren't the only ones who love honey.

Hey, have a healthy and safe weekend!

Mama Bear