ear infections

For the first time in my life I have an ear infection. In BOTH ears! Would you believe me if I told you that I think my neti pot is trying to kill me? I was having some sinus congestion so I went to do a rinse with the neti pot. I didn't tilt my head just right and the solution went all the way up into my sinuses and then I felt the dreaded splash in my eustacian tubes. That night I woke up with searing ear pain. Just awful! However, I am finding great relief in the fact that I can sit up today and am having very minimal pain.

With my own *ordeal* and a recent chat with a new friend about her daughter's ear infections, I thought I would pass on some info and resources that have been helpful to me in treating ear infections.

First off, I have to say (again), I am not a doctor. However, I have a really great pediatrician and he likes to tell me interesting facts. Like how approximately 95% of ear infections clear up on their own with no intervention. Because of this, he doesn't quickly jump to antibiotics for ear infections if he knows that the parent is pro-active and will take appropriate measures to nurse their children back to health. A former pediatrician told me that he prescribed antibiotics for ear infections most often because parents requested them. Not because he felt they were necessary (and he explained this to the parent- I don't want to make him sound negligent in any way! He is a wonderful doctor).

Actually, a study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1997 found that 70% of ear infections are viral- making antibiotics useless in treating them (unless there is a secondary infection). Of the other 30% they noted that most cleared up on their own with no intervention, and few actually needed antibiotics. I feel like I need to throw in a disclaimer here about how I think antibiotics are important and useful when used appropriately. But the bottom line here, is that most ear infections do not need antibiotic treatment.

In 2003, AAP published a double blind trial using an herbal oil (infused olive oil with garlic, mullein, calendula, St. John's wort and lavender) vs. amoxicillin. The results showed an equal rate of improvement after 3 days, and beyond that, the herbs proved to be better in pain relief and sustained health. The study also showed that antibiotics alone do not improve treatment outcomes.

*This research was found while studying in my course book (written by Jessie Hawkins) for my Master Herbalist certification through Vintage Remedies.*

The ear oil that I most prefer is Mullein Ear Oil by WiseWays herbals. This stuff works fast! After one application I began feeling some relief. After 3 applications now I am feeling almost 100% (however I am going to continue using it through tomorrow).

I also take an herb internally to help with fighting the infection. I really like the line of Wish Garden herbal tinctures. For the kids I prefer the "kick-it herbal biotic". I use the adult version as well for myself at the first sign of anything coming on and usually by the morning I feel better. I never leave for a vacation without this and their "daily immune builder".

Another tool I like to have on hand is my very own otoscope. This didn't prove to very helpful with my own ears (obviously!) but I love it for the kids. When they have a runny nose, I start checking their ears, just to make sure it doesn't spread. At the first sign of any inflammation I begin using the ear oil. This usually prevents a full on infection.

The otoscope I use is made by Dr. Mom. It is really easy to use and comes with color pictures to show what ear infections look like. It's also a good idea to have your doctor let you look in the otoscope next time you're in the office to see first hand what an infection looks like. S/he can explain what you are seeing.

If at any time I feel like the ear infection has progressed further than what I can offer at home, I never hesitate to call into the pediatrician to make an appointment. Not doing so would be a matter of pride- and that's just silly!

***Note: ear oil should NOT be used in the case of a burst eardrum.***

there's a fungus among us

a fungus has attacked my fingerling potatoes.

on the advice of my friend (and farmer) jenny, i had to dig them up. give the other plants a chance at survival.

i must say, it was a bit painful digging up those five plants. i had such high (read: delicious) hopes for those little guys.

you can see the small potatoes that were forming. there were four to six on each plant. i hope this means that the rest of the plants are producing this many. i still have 41 potato plants. that's a lot of potatoes!

not all is lost. i made buddy gather up all the babies- we're going to eat them anyway!

elderberry

buddy woke up yesterday a little congested. this morning the congestion is still there and now his nose is runny. mind you, he "doesn't feel bad", but none the less, he looks a little puny to me. perfect morning for some elderberry tea. elderberry is full of antioxidants and bioflavonoids, making it perfect to boost the immune system and fight off both viral and bacterial infections. interestingly enough, in 1995 there was a flu pandemic in panama, and elderberry was used to fight it. that is one powerful little berry!

to make the tea i add one tablespoon of dried elderberries to one cup of water. this morning i wanted enough to make 3 cups, so i used 3 tblsp. of berries. i rarely buy tea bags, i usually just use bulk teas, or rather, components of teas (dried herbs) to make my own blends. you can find reusable muslin tea bags at most health food stores for little ( i think i bought a pack of 3 for under $2).

another use of elderberries is as a syrup. this is wonderful to have on hand. it keeps in the refrigerator for 2-3 months. this recipe is from the herbalist **rosemary gladstar:

elderberry syrup

1 cup fresh or 1/2 cup dried elderberries

3 cups water

1 cup raw local honey

glass jar with lid

1. heat the berries in the water and bring to a boil. reduce the heat and let the berries simmer for 30-45 minutes.

2. using the back of a fork, mash up the berries, strain them and add the honey. stir up until it is well mixed.

3. pour into a glass jar with lid and keep in the refrigerator.

**have you ever noticed how prominent herbalists change their names to sound more 'herby'? john and i have been tossing some names back and forth for me after i complete my herbalist certification. funny how most of the names end up sounding like stripper names and NOT serious, clinical herbalist names, ie: daisy wildrose, dandelion honeysuckle, etc.

hahaha!!! i'm cracking myself up here!

market day- part 2

thank you so much for all of your encouragement and well wishes as we set out on our first leg of our granola adventure!

we had so much fun at market day! i have always loved shopping at farmer's markets, so being on the other end of it as a seller was pretty great. the community you feel with the other vendors is really special. lisa and christian from blue heron farm brought these precious three day old baby goats. the minute they hopped out of the car buddy asked me "do you think i can hold one?". he did not want to let that baby go! i don't blame him.

the weather had been stormy all morning, so the turn out was lower than expected. But for my first go, i was really pleased with the traffic that went through. there was meat, goat cheese, produce, lamb, pork, chicken, pound cake, and our granola.

moonpie was my little helper throughout the day, flitting back and forth between our table and the field where she was busy building grass forts with the other children. i think she was the most excited to learn that we completely SOLD OUT of everything! what a blessing!

***a big, big thanks to my sweet friends that came out to support us! that really made my day!

market days

On Sunday I am selling granola in my first farmer's market! I am excited and nervous all at the same time. I keep thinking my recipes aren't good enough, and that I'm drying it out, etc. Good thing I have John around to encourage me!

We spent some time today putting the bags together. I couldn't find a bag option that I was happy with, so I decided to make my own.

I cut out strips of wax paper and sewed up the edges. John filled the bags for me and handed them back over. I folded the edge down and sewed them shut. Moonpie stamped all the tags for me. My creative friend Lynsey came up with the idea of using old cereal boxes for the labels. I love the way they turned out! Thanks Lynsey, you ol' smarty pants!




If you are going to be in our area this weekend, and are so inclined, stop by Market Days out at Home Sweet Farm on Sunday from 2pm-4pm. You'll see our beautiful wild flowers and get the chance to support local farmers from all around the area. Also, I wouldn't mind a seeing a friendly face or two!

p.s.- speaking of wild flowers, would you just look at my girl...sigh...

egg count

Whenever someone mentions that they are casually thinking about getting backyard chickens, I enthusiastically tell them that they indeed SHOULD get chickens! Chickens are so easy to raise. They are less maintenance than a dog, and they bless you daily with delicious eggs! I have been trying to keep track of the eggs being laid around here for the past month. From March 13- April 13 our four chickens (3 full grown, 1 bantam) have laid 57 eggs (and that doesn't even count all the eggs Buddy has broken while on egg collecting duty)! I think that's pretty great for a small backyard flock!

making butter

lately we have been enjoying the taste and experience of making our own butter. since we live in the year 2010, butter making is super easy. easier than loading up the kids and heading to the store. trust me!

we use raw milk from a local source. i buy a gallon specifically for butter/yogurt making. see in the picture below the distinction between the cream and the milk? typically, if i were going to drink it, i would shake it up to mix it all together. but for butter, i need that cream.

1) i slowly pour the cream off into a jar. i let the jar sit out to warm up a bit (room temperature is nice, but not necessary).

2) after the cream is a nice temperature, i pour half of the quart jar into my blender and set it on a medium speed. on my vita-mix it is set on 4. by the way, you don't have to use a fancy blender to do this- any will do.

3) pretty soon (about 5-8 minutes) the butter begins to separate from the milk. it looks kind of clotted (see picture below).
4) in the above picture you can see the solid separated from the liquid. i stop at this point and pour off the liquid into another jar. this is buttermilk. do not pour it down the sink! i use it for corn bread or pancakes. yum!

5)after the liquid is poured off, i give it another spin on the blender on a low speed. by this point it looks nice and smooth. a little more buttermilk will have seeped out, so i add that to my jar. next, i add cool water and pour it off. i do this over and over until the water runs clear. the less buttermilk that is left in the butter, the longer it will last.

6) after the water runs clear i put it in some cheese cloth to drain a bit more. while this is draining i start on the other half of my cream. i just do the whole process over again!

you'll notice that the butter is yellow. that's because it is from nutrient dense, grass fed, raw milk! no food coloring used here!

7) when i'm all done, i spoon it into a little glass bowl that has a lid and place it in the refrigerator.

that's it! super yummy butter, with little effort!

if you'd like to read up on the benefits of raw butter check here.

tough guys wear pink

buddy has a new favorite color...betcha can't guess what it is.

i have been fine with his new found love of pink. honestly, it hasn't even caused me to pause and think. a color is a color. no big deal. but then, when we went fabric shopping yesterday to choose fabric for some new soft pants** for him, he wanted pink. i'm a cool mom, i'm down with the idea of boys liking pink. i mean, pink ice cream? sure! a new pink hot wheel? fantastic! but, pink pants?!? i am ashamed to say that i tried to talk him out of it. the conversation went back and forth like this:

"how about green!"

"no mama, pink."

"ooh- what about gold!"

"no mama, pink."

so we left. with a yard of raspberry hued fabric. and one shameful mama. i would never have tried to talk moonpie out of a color, no matter how 'boyish' it seemed. i whole-heartedly supported her thomas the tank engine phase when she wanted to only wear blue and red thomas t-shirts and underwear. i even thought it was cute. so why the discrimination? why can't my buddy love pink? he tells me "pink is the most perfect color in the world, mama". who am i to say he's wrong? i'm just glad i came to my senses. because look how cute he is in his pink pants (with the requested giant pockets for lizard catching).

***soft pants are buddy's newest quirk. i can't get him into a pair of pants that are not

(a) of a soft material

(b) button-less
(c) zipper-less

it's been easy with the cooler weather to just have him throw on a pair of sweat pants, but with the days warming up i wanted a cooler material- hence the linen.

stretching

ok- i know, i know, i've been away for a long time. and as i sit to strike up the conversation again, i feel like i need to stretch my blogging muscle. i'm out of shape.

just so you know, nothing catastrophic happened. i was just unplugging from the material world for a world, plugging in deeper into the spiritual. and today, on easter sunday, i'm all shiny and new. ready to get out there again.

lots happened last month (me thinks the longest month in history). my old side-kick singer bit the dust and i purchased a new fancy girl. she's so quiet i can sew when the kids are asleep! score! i've had some sewing successes and a major sewing failure. i am for sure enjoying that. our garden is going strong. i can't wait to show some pictures of all that is coming up out there. this is our fourth spring in this house, and i think the soil is finally thriving. after lots and lots of work. lots! we also have expanded our fowl flock with two new sweet ducklings. they are peeping away by my feet while i type. the kids named them clover and rose, and they are precious!

now i'm off to check on some of YOU! my have i missed you...