Good Livin’

“A good life is when you

assume nothing,

do more,

need less,

smile often,

dream big,

laugh a lot,

and realize how blessed you are.”

 

Living “a good life” takes intentionality. We can’t just sit back and wait to see what’ll happen… and then REACT. We must be purposeful.

I enjoy writing about my view of a good life and have dedicated part of my blog to highlighting choices we’ve made to live in a health-conscious way.

After 26 months at Reflections Of A Homemaker, I thought I’d offer some abridged portions of previous posts from the “HEALTHY LIVING” section of my blog.  

If you’re intrigued by any of the samples, simply click on the colored words. It’ll take you right to that article. Hope you learn something new!

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~ Laughter is a wonderful medicine. Research conducted by the UCLA Medical School found that there are physical benefits of happiness… and that laughter and joy are the perfect antidote for stress. Did you know that the diaphragm, thorax, abdomen, heart, and lungs are given a massage during a hearty laugh? Yep. During a laugh, you get a massage on the inside! A hearty laugh is great therapy for the body, soul, and spirit. And it’ll build fun memories with your family, too

~ As the weather gets colder and the sniffles begin, add ‘whole chicken’ to your grocery list. According to Sally Fallon in her book Nourishing Traditions, “Properly prepared, meat stocks are extremely nutritious, containing the minerals of bone, cartilage, marrow and vegetables as electrolytes, a form that is easy to assimilate.” Both delicious and nutritious, chicken stock has been tagged as ‘superior’ to everything else, even more relaxing than Tylenol. ‘Good broth’, says a South American proverb, ‘resurrects the dead.’  Just don’t wait until then to try this recipe!

~ Here is my favorite cleaner for the sink and tub. A year ago, I finished up my bottle of Soft Scrub and replaced it with this totally natural version, Earth Paste. Wait till you see how easy it is to make! And when you read the ingredient list… you’ll love it even more!

~ Perspiring is the pits, isn’t it? It’s just awful! But let’s be honest. We all sweat. Sweating is a natural, normal way for your body to rid itself of toxins… but it doesn’t have to cause you to smell bad. Check out this simple deodorant recipe.

~ Here are some recipes for those holiday leftovers including steps to make the wonderful Creamy Crockpot Turkey Spaghetti.

~ Last winter when my six-year-old-sweetie began coughing and coughing and coughing, I grabbed for the Vicks Vapor Rub. When I turned it around to check for an expiration date and found, instead, an ingredient list that included petrolatum and turpentine*, I decided to check into making my own. Here are the instructions for a homemade vapor rub.

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Until next week, be intentional about living the good life

by realizing how blessed you ALREADY are!

 

 

Tents and Vapor Rub

My mom made the best indoor tents! Sometimes we’d get to play in a tent in the kitchen – under the table. Now and again, Mom would create one in the living room using the couch. She even helped and encouraged us to make tents in our bedroom! We spent countless hours in ‘tents’ growing up, camping outdoors in the summer and imagining it, indoors, the rest of the year. Such wonderful memories!

I must confess that there was, once, a near disaster when my big sister and I tried to make the lighting more “campfire-like” in our bedroom, next to our tent, by laying a pajama shirt across the top of a lamp. It was a pink Strawberry Shortcake PJ, if I remember correctly….that started on fire after resting on the hot light bulb for a while. Opps! Small lesson there…

While tents were a thing we all loved (and fires too – just campfires, not house fires!), there was one kind of tent that did NOT signal ‘fun’. It was the tent Mom made when one of us was sick! If we saw a sheet draped over the bedposts and backs of chairs pushed up against the mattress, we knew… THAT tent meant a bit of isolation, a bit of extra loving care, and an appointment with the vaporizer. Vicks Vapor Rub was also applied to the chest to ease breathing and relieving coughing, water consumption was encouraged, and story time lengthened. It was our path back to good health.

As a momma of 5 kids, I’m pleased to report that we’ve been quite healthy (since removing the toxic mold from our home three years ago… another interesting story!) but last winter when my six-year-old-sweetie began coughing and coughing and coughing, and coughing and coughing, I grabbed for the Vicks Vapor Rub. When I turned it around to check for an expiration date and found, instead, an ingredient list that included petrolatum and turpentine*, I decided to check into making my own.

Today I am posting a homemade vapor rub recipe that I found (and adjusted, as usual!) at www.mommypotamus.com . I made it up a few months ago to be prepared for the cold and flu season and just recently had the opportunity to use it on a few coughers in our home.

Homemade Vapor Rub

4t (18g) beeswax

2T (1oz) cocoa butter

Melt in a double boiler. Turn off and add:

8T (4oz) coconut oil, softened

60 drops essential oil

20 eucalyptus, 10 rosemary, 10 lavender, 10 tea tree, 10 lemon

Mix well. Pour into a clean glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Makes about ¾ cup. Good for up to 1 year! (Don’t forget to put the expiration date on the jar.)

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 I’d encourage you to check out the above website. It’s wonderful! You’ll find different E.O. combinations that you can use when making up your own vapor rub and you’ll also find a recipe for the little ones (under 2 years old).

P.S. Here is a primary reason why I choose to make my own “just about anything” if I can… I know EXACTLY what’s in it! Take Vicks Vapor Rub, for example. It contains *turpentine. What do we know about that? Turpentine is primarily used for thinning oil-based paints, for producing varnishes and furniture wax, and as a raw material for the chemical industry. Its vapor can irritate the skin and eyes, damage the lungs and respiratory system, as well as the central nervous system when inhaled. It is combustible and poses a fire hazard. It can cause skin irritation, is poisonous when swallowed (fatal to children in amounts as small as 3 teaspoons) and can also cause spasms of the airways. It is particularly bad for people with asthma and whooping cough.  Now, what is vapor rub to be used for? Colds and coughs! And it is to be rubbed on the body. So that you can inhale and feel better? Ummmm… I think I’ll make my own.