The life and times of people just like you... and me.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Bad Buggeroos

Team Gregarious has spent the last five days in the company of a rather nasty stomach flu. I am aware that is not the proper term, but you all know what I mean. Vomit, diarrhea, aches, chills, fever... it's been nasty! Happily, I managed to help my three peeps to the road to recovery before falling victim to the villainous vomit myself. When I did get it, it was comparatively mild to what I watched my son and hubby experience, and I was lucky hubby had the day off and could entertain Little Miss while I rested (and writhed in pain from headache, chills and aching hips and spine... yuck). 

As soon as I thought my stomach could handle it, I made my Recovery Smoothie. This is super-simple, but I swear by it and wanted to share!

Recovery Smoothie
In a blender, combine these ingredients
1/4 C. Plain Yogurt (mine is Greek)
1  Banana
2 tbs. Honey
(a little milk if you would like a thinner smoothie)
1/4 tsp. salt

You may be thinking "Salt???" Yes, salt. You've lost a lot of it. People swear by Gatorade for its electrolytes. What are electrolytes?  Basically, a bunch of minerals, and salt is one. A couple of others are Calcium and Potassium (hence, yogurt and banana!). You also need to get the good bacteria going in your stomach again, and yogurt with live active cultures is perfect for that.

It helped! Yay! It always does (that's why I am sharing)!

Today, both kids got on the bus and the hubby went back to work. I'm loads better, but maybe not 100%. So, Step 2 is a good soak in the tub! I took an Epsom salt bath, but this time, I added 1/2 cup of sea salt. This tip I learned from my friend, Dr. Pamela Grover, who works with Dr. Leila Kirdani at Quality of Life Medicine in Rochester, NY. She said Epsom salt and sea salt baths were great for helping headaches, and I'd certainly had my share of that over the last three days! SO, in went the sea salt, along with the Epsom salt mixed with lavender and orange essential oils.

Ahhhhh...................

It's just an hour later, and I really do feel much better! I ate an English muffin (bland sounded safest) with butter and here I sit... in my underwear while my clothes dry. You know how it is, right? Mom gets sick and all anyone else can do is feed themselves and let everything else pile up. Surely, why would anyone want to do any more of Mom's Job than they have to? She has nothing else in the world to do anyway, right? Uh-huh...

Sigh

And that is why we must recover quickly. Getting buried under housework could mean having to run to the grocery store naked! Thank heavens I freelance from home, if the lack of pants didn't throw a coworker or client, the rollers in my hair most assuredly would.

Stay Healthy, My Friends!






Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Turquois in the Middle of Winter White

It's been a long winter, hasn't it? My gosh. I don't mind the cold, normally. But waking up to negative temperatures day after day has been... well, negative. This past week, I've found myself resenting winter so much, I'm silently vowing to never wear white during the spring and summer seasons. Clearly, who wants to wear white after they've spent three or four months living in an oasis of it? The blahs abound. I find myself frequently writing posts for Namaste about Ayurvedic ways to reclaim energy in this season that seems to freeze us into total stillness. The inspiration is purely environmental!

A new "environmental inspiration" came via my mailbox today. My friend Jessica, who owns this exciting shop called Nouriche Boutique, sent me a special treat to try! I had never heard of t.s.pink Bath Whip before, but I am now quite grateful to my friend for having made the introduction!

As I study Ayurveda, I've gained interest in abhyanga, which is a method of oil massage that is used to bathe the skin, encourage circulation and bring a general sense of balance to the body and mind. I use a light sesame oil before I shower, and though I cannot claim to spend the full, recommended 20 minutes pre-shower, I do make sure I hit the most Sahara-esque areas (heels, knees, elbows and hands!) and it really does help! My hands are not as dry as they have been in previous winters, and we all know this is a harder winter than we have had in a while!

Still, the Vata that I am will always deal with dry skin. My thoughtful husband gave me a jar of O'Keffs Working Hands Hand Cream, from his store, and it is helping too. But the thing my practical man doesn't quite understand is that I love when a product brings you an experience. You know what I mean, right? The color, the texture, the scent... all cause your endless stream of thoughts to suspend for a little while as you take it all in.

THAT's what happened when I tried Turquoise Bath Whip! Whew! This is an experience! It has a wonderful scent that had me thinking of warm weather, water and a mineral spa. The texture is light and smooth, the color serene. The ingredients list begins as this: "Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Almond Oil, Organic Aloe Juice..." There is nothing in the list I cannot define. That is really cool! Plus, the oils bring me back to my original intent in studying abhyanga: protecting my skin instead of stripping it as soap does.

The directions for use are as follows: "Scoop just a few small fingerfuls of your nutrient-rich Bathing Cream™ and go crazy. Work yourself up into a later and then cream yourself clean." In short, massage! So I did. The more you work this product into your skin, the more luxurious the lather becomes. SO, this actually accomplishes another goal of abhyanga, right in the shower. Being a multi-tasking mama, this has serious appeal.

No tight skin post shower either! I hope you can try this product. I owe Jessica a great big Thank You for introducing me!