Roughing It - Sicko 1.0

We have been sick for about six of the last eight weeks.
First it was a stomach flu (a horrifying, horrifying stomach flu which took about three weeks to run our ranks) followed by a week and a half of relative good health. And, because no winter season would be complete without it, enter stage right: The Cold.

Fever, coughing, running nose, heavy congestion and cranky little kids. My favourite, ever (can you feel the sarcasm dripping like thick green snot from those three little words?)

The tricky thing about your small children getting sick is that although you can purchase cough and cold medicine for them, there's controversy in the medical world on wether its actually a good idea or not. Even for older children theres a "...risk of serious side effects..." And if you are an anal retentive when it comes to your children's safety, like I am, you will now never purchase cold medicine for children ever again.

So, here are the safe alternatives that we have found to actually work (and they have the added benefit of being natural, and very, very frugal):

#1) Number One is Number One because it makes such a huge difference. A cool mist humidifier:

I got mine for $30 from Walmart. They ranged in price from $20 right on up to $80. I had to return the first one because it was too loud, so don't throw out your box right away. And be careful of the humidifier's requiring replaceable filters; some of the filters can cost $20 or more. 

I consider this $30 well worth it! It'll last for years, and helps adults and babies alike.

#2) Elevate the head of your Sicko's bed a few inches. We used a couple of really thick reference books under the bed legs (don't use fancy ones, though, it marks up the cover pretty bad). I am sure that there's some medical reason for it's effectiveness, but all I know is that it helps them (and me) stop coughing at night and get some sleep.

#3) Honey. For a bad cough, a teaspoon of honey can help. Most medical professionals strongly recommend NOT giving honey to babies under 12 months, as there is a risk of botulism poisoning (many parents do it anyways).

#4) Homemade Vic's VapoRub. Did you know theres turpentine in the little blue tub you loved as a kid, among other nasty things? Don't freak out now, cause it took me all of 90 seconds to whip up a toxin free batch. Seriously the easiest DIY ever. Are you ready? Truly ready?

OK, here goes:

Mix 1/4 cup coconut oil with 5 drops eucalyptus essential oil in a small jar (the recipe doubles or triples easily). If the oil is to hard to mix, warm it up a bit and it'll soften. You can buy both ingredients at a healthfood store and I think (though I may be wrong), Superstore.

 That's it. Rub it on the feet or chest of your Sicko. This worked amazingly well on my son last night.

I'll make any locals a small batch for $4, should they not want to make their own. Email me.

#5) Did you know you can make homemade cough syrup? I haven't done it, but as the ingredients are honey, olive oil and lemon juice, I don't think you could go too far astray. Let me know if you try it and I'll let you know if I do.

#6) Hot Honey Lemon. My mom actually drank this all the time. Just add lemon juice and honey to hot water. Lemon is full of vitamin C and honey soothes the throat.

#7) Salt Water Gargle. My Dad made me do this one time when I was little and I was so mad. Right until I realized my throat had started feeling better. Warm water and as much salt as you can stand for as long as you can gargle it. Don't drown now. Salt kills the bugs and draws the moisture out.

#8) Healthy Chicken Noodle Soup. I admit, I used to use the packets of Lipton's. But I just can't do it these days - it's so chemical and salt laden (28% of your daily salt allowance in 1/4 of a packet and includes MSG, corn syrup and soy). Instead I whip up a quick substitute. Four cups of water, 4 tsp of Better Than Boulion's Reduced Salt Chicken Stock (cheapest at Costco) and whole wheat spaghetti noodles broken into short pieces. I bring it to a boil and simmer till the noodles are soft. That's what I serve my picky eater. But for grown ups I throw in dried parsley and red chill peppers to taste.

And that's what we do for our Sicko's. Well, if I am to be completely honest there's a lot of sleeping and movie watching in there too. But that goes without saying.

Hope You're Feeling Better Soon!

Roughing It - SPA 4.0: Sugaring Putty from Scratch

Last night I had one of my legendary spa nights: hair dyeing, eyebrow trimming and armpit sugaring.

The armpits went so well that I thought I might do my legs today. I discovered I didn't have enough product left, so, being frugal, I tried making my own. I googled and went though about six recipes and three youtube vid's before I felt prepared to take the plunge. Instead of making a sugar "wax" (to spread on with a stick and rip off with a strip of fabric) I decided on Sugaring Putty, which is supposed to be thick enough to use with out fabric. I am not sure where it originated, but they do it in the Middle East.

Batch number one turned out like molasses and I had to throw it out (after spilling it all over the kitchen and my pyjamas). This is batch number two. An amber colored, sweet smelling putty. I brought 1 cup of sugar, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp water and a shake of sea salt to a boil over medium heat and then turned it down and simmered it for a half an hour (recipe I used here). Once it cools, its very thick - almost solid. 

Then I washed and dried my very hairy legs (see below). I put baby powder on, which is supposed to reduce the pain because it prevents the wax from sticking to your skin. 

I grabbed a walnut sized ball of putty and worked it in my hands a bit until I got used to the feel of it. It's quite sticky, so you've got to keep moving. I videoed what happened next, but I feel, upon reflection, that I should keep it to myself (...) However, I will share with you what I learned from attempts one and two: 

1.) Don't add water to the putty to 'make it less sticky' - strangely enough, the opposite will happen and you will get everything stuck to everything and end up glued to a plastic bag and your camera.

2.) Don't add baby powder to the putty to 'make it less sticky' - even more strangely enough, the opposite will happen and you will get everything stuck to everything and end up glued to a plastic bag and your camera.

Attempt number three was the golden ticket:

Basically, you rub the putty against the hair growth three times and then rip it off in the direction of the hair growth (the opposite of waxing). And to my everlasting surprise (and satisfaction) IT WORKS!!!

VERDICT: 4/5 Frugality rating!

COST: Zero dollar signs! (It cannot possibly get cheaper unless you just let the hair grow for the rest of your life!) A regular wax job is between $15 and $60 (depending on the size of the area), and a home kit of  MOOM (what I use at home) is $17. This is the cost of a cup of sugar and a bit of lemon juice, and makes enough product to do your whole body once. 

PROS: It's cheap, convenient and natural.

CONS: It's messy, slightly more painful than using my usual sugaring kit and I cannot possibly imagine using this on my bikini line (I fear I would end up gluing my va-jay-jay shut).

UNKNOWNS: How long does it last once made up? Will my next batch be a bit less sticky? 

That said, I will definitely do this regularly. It would only get a better rating if the putty was a bit easier to handle.