I woke up the other day with the scratchy throat, stuffy nose and foggy head that made me wish time could stand still… just long enough to get over the incoming cold that was about to take residence in my body.
As a mom, sneaking in an extra ten minutes of sleep time is do-able, but sometimes we need another boost to get back on track. I was thrilled that a few tools worked wonders this week:
- Have you tried those packets of Emergen-C fizzy drinks, with 1000 mg of Vitamin C? They seem to work well for our family, but for our family of 10, the $8 for a box of 30 servings adds up. Instead, I buy pure vitamin c powder and put 1/4 tsp into hot tea. It’s only 5 cents a serving and it’s a healthy way to combat the cold season. I buy ours at the Dr. Clark Store.
- Heat: in the form of a hot water bottle, or a heating pad, or my absolute favorite, a wool corn warmer made by a special customer and friend last month. It’s great for aching muscles and cold feet.
- Homemade Vapor Rub : you can make this as strong as you like, and what I suggest below for essential oil amounts is quite strong (use care and discretion if using on children). This recipe was inspired by Crunchy Betty’s recipe here. I fatted mine up a bit to make a thicker salve by adding shea butter.
Homemade Vapor Rub
- 1.5 oz shea butter
- .5 oz almond oil
- .25 oz beeswax
Melt the above ingredients. Remove from heat and add:
- ½ tsp peppermint essential oil
- ¼ tsp eucalyptus essential oil
- ¼ tsp rosemary essential oil
Go ahead… kick the cold out of the house so you can focus on more important tasks!