Crazy, but true!

Several years ago, I heard about a trick that sounded downright bizarre. I was pretty desperate though, so I did it. I used an ink pen and drew all over my daughter's arms and legs. Sound crazy? She was eaten up with mosquito bites and they swelled and itched terribly. The creams weren't helping.

Don't ask whose foot this is. It may or may not be a prissy little girl.

And then someone told me that if you draw a circle around the bite, it stops the itch. It's sounded ridiculous, but the child was scratching till she bled and I was ready to try anything to give her relief. Thankfully, it worked!

To do it, just start about a cm or so out from the bite and draw a circle around the bite, using firm, but not hard or painful pressure. Complete the circle, doubling back over the starting point just to make sure you got it all the way around.

An ink pen works well because you can apply just the right amount of pressure and it glides well on the skin. I have had the same success with a dried out pen and even with a knitting needle! With these, you just have to be a bit careful with the pressure; obviously, you don't want to create a new misery while eradicating the first.

So now you know! Don't forget to take an ink pen on your next camping trip!

BeeYoutiful Review

I have enjoyed Beeyoutiful products for years now, starting with Stephanie's Supermom Vitamins,  Bee Pollen capsules, and then her elderberry/echinacea syrup that has since been replaced with the new Berry Well syrup. I've also enjoyed reading her articles on health and wellness. Having full confidence in the quality of the products, I jumped at the chance to review a set of Beeyoutiful products on my blog. 

I loved opening my package of goodies. My girls helped me pull everything out, stopping to smell and taste the products. Beeyoutiful uses all natural ingredients and they are absolutely amazing in sight, scent, and flavor. Truly, I can't express just how good everything smells!

                                                      

 Ow-Ease is the true miracle product in the package and I will ALWAYS have this on hand from now on. I desperately wish I had taken pictures so I could share the visual impact of how incredible this stuff can be, but I was too busy worrying about another emergency room visit to think of taking pictures at the time. Trust me; it's that good. Here's the story: Ethan was playing soccer with a friend early in the morning. The grass was slick with dew, so his friend decided to wear cleats. Ethan did not decide to wear shin-guards. Ethan received a good kick to the shins with those cleats. It hurt, but he went on with his day and never shared this with us. That night, he jumped and landed on that leg and nearly collapsed with pain. We iced it and sent him to bed, wondering what we'd find in the morning. Ethan has an incredible pain tolerance, so we were afraid we would be taking him to the E.R. for a broken leg. It was so terribly swollen and he was obviously in pain. We hoped things would be improved by morning, but we didn't hold out a lot of hope for it.

Sure enough, it was even worse the next morning. He could barely hobble on it and it was grotesquely swollen. I called the doctor, but just before we left, I smeared on a bit of the Ow-Ease Arnica salve. By the time we made it into the doctor's room, the swelling was noticeably decreased. The doctor looked at me funny for worrying about what turned out to be just a bad bruise. By the time we left the doctor's office, he was walking around just fine. If you didn't know Ethan and just how tough he truly is, you'd think I was silly. But we went from "it has to be a broken leg" to "can I go outside and play" within an hour! 

Mmmm, sugar.

In case you didn't catch it from my last post, the sugar fast is disastrously over.

My awesome sis visited throughout the week beforehand and I flopped numerous times. It's getting easier and easier to make the non-sugar choice though. I can tell such a difference in how I feel, think, and act that it makes it simpler to realize that eating the cake or drinking the coke is actually making a decision to feel like crap later. I weigh it each time....temporary pleasure ending in bad skin and short temper or bland, boring water with good skin and steady mood? Okay, yeah, I've been opting for the sugar, but I thought about it first. See the difference there? I think this eating-right-thing must be a 12-step type of deal and I'm surely on step 3 or something. As soon as I find the name of the program that fits my theory, I'll embrace it whole-heartedly.

So far, I've eliminated trans-fats from our diet (except for the occasional fast food run) and begun eliminating corn syrup...wow that one is more widespread than I could have imagined and is certainly a process. I've switched to whole grains, except for flour and I do that one half-and-half. I've begun taking Omega-3's and am researching getting them into the kids for less than a fortune-a-month. Lastly, I've thought about how terrible sugar is for me and my kids. Thinking about it. Thinking and intending are not the same as actually eliminating, unfortunately. I'm working on it. Sorta.

Now, my computer has a funny, electrical melting smell to it, and my screen is going dark, so I may or may not be on tomorrow - lol. It's apparently time to shut 'er down.