Books that have big words, archaic phrases and sentence structure stress me out a bit. When I have time to sit down and read, I’m probably already half asleep anyway, so it can’t be too mentally taxing! I do aim at reading one non fiction and one fiction book each month. Lately I’ve been falling far short, but what is a goal if it’s easily attainable?

I also find myself reading homeschooling blog posts, or World magazine (to get a little bit of the happenings of the world around me since I don’t watch the news or listen on the radio) or a devotional journal. While those are all good things, I still want to be making my way through books as well. I try to post reviews here when I can.

I’ve recently finished two books that I haven’t reviewed yet. I hope too… I just haven’t gotten around to it. There are a lot of things I haven’t gotten around to lately! We are moving on October 13th, so that has consumed my to do list at the moment. But I digress…

Reading is super important to me! To our family! Thankfully I love to read to the kids, they love to listen and they love to read or look at books themselves! It really bothers me when I hear the words, “Unload the dishwasher like I asked you (three times) or I’m going to take your book away and return it to the library.” Not good… I really don’t want to make taking reading away a punishment… but it really does work! They get a whole lot of motivation, real quick!

And… since I need to add more to my plate these days… (quick update, I’m working at a birth center two days a week, work at Kaiser 1 day a week, homeschool, have a recently adopted 1 year old, in the process of adopting a handicap 12 year old, moving in less than a month, teaching a human biology class at coop, sell and teach classes on essential oils, participate in the Holistic Moms Group, my husband and I lead a bible study, and I know there is more) I kinda joined The Old Virginian Literary Circle.

I’m a bit nervous about it, I must say! They plan to read a book a month (I should be able to do that) and get together to discuss it. I certainly don’t feel smart enough to do that, much less, I don’t get art… remember… I don’t get the “art” of literature either…. But I enjoy the story and what it brings to my life and soul.

There are certainly some “literature” titles on there that frighten me a bit… they might take too many brain cells for me to digest… but I’m giving it a go! It seems odd to have someone else telling me what to read, but it’s good so far!

Our first book is Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry. I never would have picked this off the shelf. It’s certainly easy to read and it reads like a memoir. While it is fiction, reading it, it sounds so life-like and true! I could easily believe it’s a real life and a real farm and a real town. I’m glad I’m reading it! It’s quite enjoyable thus far! I hope to write a review once I finish!

So… this post kinda ended up more like a mini update, but really I want to encourage each of you to read, read, read! Yes, it can be a chore on the to do list, but once I crack the spine and hear the turn of pages, I’m sucked in an it’s pure bliss!

I want to teach my kids through story… history through real lives, and faith through the stories of scripture! If I want them to love stories, then I too need to love stories and teach by example. And even though it starts as something to do, for me, it has quickly changed to something I enjoy. And I do learn, too. It makes me think, remember, contemplate, cry, feel, and connect.

Reading is a non-negotiable in our family! How about you?

Credit:  The gorgeous graphic was created by @alicealmighty for the group.  It’s it amazing?!?!

Books are always left on all surfaces around the house… We usually have
Two or more CD cases in the car as back-ups for when we finish the current CD set! It would be TERRIBLE if we finished and didn’t have another book to pop in! If the kids and I are in the car, then 99% of the time there is a book on CD playing. It passes the time and I don’t mind the time in the car so much! It also tends to keep the arguing down a bit… sometimes… and sometimes a child just makes noise to annoy the rest of us. Or talks just to make themselves heard…

Here are the books we have finished so far this year. We will continue to work our way through the Little House series, the Chronicles of Narnia series and we plan on soon starting Anne of Green Gables as well!

I love that the kids enjoy listening to books! Whether it be from a CD or me sitting and reading to them. I love it as much as they do I think. I try to pick books that are worth reading, for sure. I want books that encourage faith and trust in God, love and commitment to family, patriotism, strong work ethic, respect and love for all people no matter what the race or belief system. I also want my kids to hear these things, and also discuss them, reason with each other and figure out what they believe.

I’d love to hear what you think of these books. Have you read these? Familiar with them? Like or love them? What was on your list this year? We are always looking for new recommendations! Pass them along, please!

1. The Castle Corona – Creech, Sharon.
2. The Gate in the Wall – Ellen Howard – we LOVED this one… all of us!!!
3. Amos Fortune Free Man – Elizabeth Yates – About a free African American during a time of slavery
4. Liftoff – R. Mike Mullane – fantastic!!! – Story of an astronaut and what it’s like to be in a space shuttle
5. Crispin and The Cross of Lead – Avi – Medieval adventure with villains, minstrels, castles, and knights
6. Crispin at the Edge of the World – Avi – book #2
7. Crispin The End of Time – Avi – Book #3 We enjoyed all of them.
8. The Penderwicks at Point Mouette – Jeanne Birdsall – all of the Penderwick books are favorites. Adventures of a family of mostly girls and a baby brother.
9. Where the Red Fern Grows – Goes without saying!
10. Johnny Tremain – Esther Forbes – SO good, so sad, but many good lessons about work, loyalty and family.
11. The Door in the Wall – Marguerite de Angeli – Another medieval adventure of a young boy trying to be reunited with his family.
12. The House of Sixty Father’s – Meindert Dejong – World war II adventure of a Chinese boy during Japanese occupation
13. Adam of the Road – Elizabeth Janet Gray – Can you tell that the middle ages was our history theme this year? Another story of an adventure of a minstrel
14. The Penderwicks in Spring – Jeanne Birdsall
15. The Magician’s Nephew – CS Lewis – No explanation needed I think.
16. Roland Bingham Into Africa’s Interior – Janet and Geoff Benge – Reminds me of David Livingstone, travels into Africa for the Gospel during a time that most didn’t return due to death by disease.
17. Little House in the Big Woods – Laura Ingalls Wilder – Another classic…
18. Farmer Boy – Laura Ingalls Wilder
19. George Washington Carver – Janet and Geoff Benge – And AMAZING african american scientist who made literally 1000s of discoveries during a tumultuous time in history after the Civil War. A truly strong, faith filled, hard working, resilient man, worthy of emulation!

The year isn’t through and there will be more added to the list as we go! Sometime next year I’ll update the list and add more books! I’d love to see your list too!

By Saroo Brierley

A book review and a few thoughts on adoption…

WOW! For anyone who has watched Lion, this is the autobiography of Saroo, the main character in the movie. While the movie was amazing, the book is even better! Of course there has to be drama in the movie to make it appealing to the masses… but for me… real human life is exciting enough, much less a story like Saroo has to tell!

For those of you who haven’t heard the story or watched the movie, the quick synopsis is that Saroo was born into a very very poor Indian family. His father left the family, just when baby #4 was due to be born. The mother had to work manual labor to even hope to provide for her family, and she still couldn’t. The children were starving and they tried to help provide for the family as much as small children can.

One night Saroo gets separated from his family and trapped on a train and ends up in an unknown city. As a 5 year old he fends for himself, and is miraculously rescued and ends up being adopted by an Australian family.

Saroo always remembers his family and rehearses in his mind his village, his family, how he got lost, what his train ride was like so that he would never forget the details. Once the internet became accessible he started to search for his family using google earth. He searched and searched, becoming almost a recluse and obsessed.

If you haven’t seen the movie, I won’t give up the ending! It’s a must read and a must see!

This also brings up the subject of adoption and hearing Saroos perspective. He wanted to find his mother and siblings, but that didn’t lessen his love, respect and commitment to his adopted brother and adoptive parents. He was grateful to them for their care and love and support of him, and yet he also wanted to see his birth mother again. He missed his birth family.

I think this is something that is so important to remember for adoptive children. They do love their adoptive families, but they also want to know where they came from. They want to know what they might look like, how tall they might be, where did their personality come from, are they right handed or left handed, what are some of the odd preferences that they share? I would want to know those things too!

Our adoption of Aspen, is an open adoption. His birth mother and I are still in contact and we text and call back and forth and I send her email updates and photos of Aspen. She has visited once, and I hope she comes again. I want Aspen to know where he came from. I want him to know that his birth mother loved him enough to say that she couldn’t provide what she thought he needed, so she chose a family that could. We are honored to be that family, and we don’t take it lightly. He is a gift to us, not for us to keep, but to hold lightly and raise. His birth mother loved him very much. She gave him a great gift, which cause her much pain. I know she still misses him terribly.

I also think that kids are crazy smart. I’m not at all fearful that he will be confused with the arrangement between his birth mother and us. We both love him and want what is best for him. I often compare it to stepfamilies when people are skeptical of open adoptions. A child is NOT confused about which parent cares for him and provides his needs and which parent was a participant in his birth. Hopefully they receive love from both and care from both.

Adopted kids have a non-traditional story. It wasn’t designed to be this way. It’s this way because something broke or didn’t pan out right. And these kids didn’t choose it. This is something that happened to them, they didn’t get any part of the decision process.

I want this to be an open conversation with Aspen whenever he feels the need to talk about it. I want him to feel what he needs to feel and talk what he needs to talk about. It might not be pretty or it might hurt, but it’s his story. I’m part of it, but I don’t get to determine his story. I’m just helping him along the path that God has designed for him.

I hope I can direct his gaze to Jesus through these conversations. That his deepest need for love, affection and acceptance can only come through Christ. No matter where he searches, he won’t find it elsewhere… and Aspen’s story was all in God’s plan. God wasn’t surprised at the circumstances of his birth. Jesus himself had an adopted father and we can also see Jesus’ love for His GREAT Father, God. He had two fathers he loved and who loved him.

There is no perfect way to address all of this and no perfect answer. Each child is going to experience it differently and have different thoughts, feelings and perspectives. Allow it… help them walk through it and come out the otherside.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this subject! Please share!

Lately our lives have been all about finding a house and getting a house ready to go on the market. It’s been a crazy amount of work and I fall into bed half dead each night. Moving is horrible and I never want to do it again! And this is ALL I’m doing. I’m not getting ready or preparing for school that’s supposed to be starting. I’m not getting my planning done on the Human Anatomy and Physiology class that I’m teaching in a few weeks. I’ve dropped all my friends. No one has been invited for dinner. We aren’t going to any of our summer concerts (we went to a few early in the summer). I’m not making it to my bootcamp workout class that I LOVE. And my poor kids have lost their summer. They thought we would get to visit some water parks, but we haven’t gotten to a single one… we’ve just been painting walls… again… cleaning windows, and scrubbing bathrooms and fixing the broken corners.

I know this is a season, but it had better be over soon! Those of you who follow me on Instagram have seen some of what we have been up to, but I just haven’t had time to sit and write. I’m making the time now… at 10 o’clock at night. After taking stuff to the storage unit, organizing the attic and visiting my sweet sweet newborn nephew today. Crazy day, but that’s the way we roll these days… everyday!

I’m SO ready to move on to the next step in the Mintz Chaos and Mayhem. But I know that we have to walk through this first. I’m just really ready to be done. I find myself getting impatient and anxious at the same time. I run the money numbers over and over making sure that it’s actually going to work. We ‘ve been trying to move for over 7 years, but for many reasons it just hasn’t worked. Now it’s actually happening… it’s exciting and makes me nervous all at the same time.

But why be nervous or worried? God has definitely written this story. There are so many parts of it that couldn’t have been thought up. Like the home we are buying is owned by the parents of a friend of Brian’s. And that they would accept a contingency offer when no one is doing that these days. That our home had two contracts on it when it had been listed for less than 48 hours. And is selling for more than we asked! As stressful as it’s been, it’s obvious that God has this under control. It just continues to proceed forward at a steady pace and things continue to fall into place over and over again.

And yet I still can’t let go, rest and trust. I want to control and manage when I don’t need too… nor am I even able to do that! It’s just insane that I think I can! Anyway… all this to say. Life is crazy and will be for the next month, so I will still probably be MIA for a while. I’m going to post a few photos here of our house that we are saying goodbye to and once we move I will post some of our new place!

These photos I posted on Instagram a few weeks ago, but I still love them… and it is still so true…

I’m not sad yet, but I think the day that we lock the front door for the last time and hand the keys over to a new family, I might shed a few tears. So many memories here. So many good times and hard times. But all times I want to remember. It’s all part of our journey!

Lately our lives have really seemed to be turned upside down. Life is crazy with five kids in a 1000 sq foot townhouse. We have been wanting to move for the last 2 years and have been working in that direction although at a snail’s pace. I’ve felt half moved, half packed, half here and half somewhere else. Not settled. Not home. It’s caused me to feel anxious, not at peace, and a sense of urgency to get to where we are supposed to be.

But… God often wants us to find peace in Him no matter where we are. Even if we are in a tent for 2 years with ALL of our things packed. And, honestly, life is really the inbetween… not really home… home is coming. So there should be an unsettleness to life. But God says peace can be found.

Contentment in the now.

The stress of re-painting a small house while young children still live here.. Means new finger marks and scuffs on newly painted walls. It has caused me to embarrassingly lash out at my children. “I’ve worked hard to get this done and now I have to do it again.” I’ve been impatient with my husband. He has tools EVERYWHERE as he works on fixing up the house (definitely not at the pace I demand of him). All of this causes me to be anxious, overwhelmed, angry…. But it shouldn’t.

I can’t base my happiness and contentment on my house. It can’t be in where I live. It can’t be with what things I find around me. Does it all need to be stripped away for me to get the point? All I need is Christ. Yes, we have so much more, and so many rich and abundant blessings from the Lord and yet I am demanding more… I claim I can’t be at peace when my home is a wreck, I can’t give grace when my kids are being thoughtless.

I can… and I’m asked to. I’m asked to give more than I have…. Because it doesn’t come from me. I need my cup filled daily from the Lord. He only can see me through these days. I cannot do it on my own and that is VERY evident in the way that I treat my family. Sin certainly abounds, and I’m not proud of it.

God has shown me grace – being that He hasn’t given me what I deserve. So if I have received this great gift, how can I claim it as my own and not give grace freely to others. Who am I if that is true? I’m the ungrateful servant who is forgiven a great debt from his master only to go and demand pennies owed from his neighbor. I do the same.

Moving and getting ready to move is life changing. I have allowed it to change me into an impatient and angry, demanding mother and wife. That is not the changing that it should and can produce. Thank you Lord for stopping me in my tracks. Thank you for showing me the log in my eye. Thank you for having faith in me that I’m not completely lost. There is hope for redemption in me. You haven’t given up on me. I’m humbled.

When I’m tempted to get anxious and frustrated at the mess and the slow progress around me, I want to change… I want to look up and see much grace that was lavished on me and then turn and offer that same grace to my family. I have a long road ahead of me. But that’s what sanctification is… slow progress in the right direction of becoming holy like our Heavenly Father is holy.

We do hope to finally have our house on the market on Thursday! An end does seem to be coming! So I will post again with photos to share! Pray that we all survive the process and that there is MUCH grace and sanctification each step of the way.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ~2 Corinthians 12:9

We are excited to do as many as we can, but even as I type this I’m starting to get a bit nervous for school next year. I’ve thought a lot about what we are going to do, I’ve planned, I’ve researched and I’ve listened to advice, but in the end I have to decide what I think is best for our family and what we feel God calling us to. There are SO many options that it can all be so overwhelming.

I’ve settled for pretty much our usual, Math-U-See for all the kids, Handwriting without Tears, Explode the Code, and a few other things. They will also have history, science and art at Co-op with books for those classes as well. Aisling and Xanthie will have choir and Tonchi and Koa, sign language.

I’m trying really hard not to plan too much. I will want us to have free time to sit and read a book together, to study God’s Word together, look at fun things and try new interests. I’ve allowed an hour at the start of school for these things, and I hope it helps us start our day with more peace, and expectation, and joy in learning. There are still the dreaded subjects, but for the most part they don’t complain about their co-op homework.

We spend a lot of time reading together and I definitely don’t want to lose that. We really enjoy it and we’ve made our way through quite an impressive list of books. I’m going to include that list hopefully later this week.

One of my goals for the summer was for each of the kids to find a new handiwork projects. I wanted to be able to help them with it while we had no real schedule until school. Then I was hoping they would be able to quietly do their projects while I’m reading to them. We are kinda running out of time for that, but hopefully we can get something set up soon.

We have all kinds of crafting supplies and books, but since we have been trying to move for the last year, most of that stuff has been packed up. I’m not one to go out and purchase a duplicate when I know we have it! So, some of that might just have to wait until we move.

And lastly for our plans, I usually try to use a spreadsheet to plan out what each day is going to look like. It helps me not try to push the kids into getting too much done each day and also to help them realize there is plenty of time to finish. I like to have a plan, not that we have to use it, but it helps me outline the day. I also wanted to figure out Monday’s in particular when each of them have to use the same computer to watch their Math video. And I like to watch it with them to make sure they understand the lesson for the week. That’s really hard when there are four lessons to watch as well as other subjects to accomplish!

Below I’ve included our schedule. Maybe it will help you!

So these are our plans… they are pretty roughly thrown together, but I want to be free to change it up if we need to. In years past I have written out assignments for the whole year at a time, but this year I’m just going to do it Sunday night for the week. It’s less stressful and I won’t get upset if we fall behind or get ahead!

So there you have it. Not sure if it’s really helpful, but I can say it’s helped me feel like I do have a bit of a plan! I’m hoping I can continue my growth in being laid back about it, but still accomplishing much!

As I work all this out, I’m keenly aware of my need for Jesus and His strength and encouragement to make it through another year.  It’s hard work, and I’m not feeling up to the task.  But that is a good place to be!  I’m not up for it, but God will meet me in that place and give me exactly what I need for that moment!  Of that I’m sure!

Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.  Psalm 55:22

Do you know any kids who have never had an earache or infection? This seems to be a rite of passage for young kids. Unfortunately it is assumed that we need to rush our kids to the Dr as soon as possible so that we can get that antibiotic that is necessary to rid the infection. We fear that our child might have permanent hearing loss or a ruptured eardrum if we don’t act quickly enough.

I have some good news! There is so much you can do at home to help and you don’t need to rush to the pediatrician right away! Often the cause of most ear infections is from upper respiratory infections (URI). The eustachian tube drains fluid off the ear and down into the throat. This tube is much smaller in children than adults and is easily clogged with congestion when fighting an URI. I know there is much speculation that maybe too many vaccines, bottle feeding as opposed to breastfeeding, second hand smoke and more might contribute to the increased incidence of ear infections. Whether this is true or not, most ear aches resolve on their own within 72 hours.

Also, to note, earache and ear infection are two different things. An earache is often caused when there is fluid backed up in the ear. It could be from swimming, getting water in the ear or from an URI that has caused back from the clogged eustachian tube. Just because there is pain does NOT mean there is an infection. However, if the fluid sits there long enough without draining, it WILL get infected. So get the fluid to drain and you can ward off the infection.

Also the traditional treatment is to prescribe antibiotics, but more than half of ear infections are NOT bacterial and therefore an antibiotic would have no effect whatsoever. OR, you can clear the infection, but that doesn’t cause the fluid to drain, so if it still sits there and continues not to drain it will just become infected again and will need a repeat course of antibiotics. The best thing you can do is treat the symptoms with some of the remedies below and offer lots of hugs and kisses and comfort. Some of these options are a little more holistic and natural than others. So read through them, contemplate it and do what you think is best for your child. I also don’t want to undermine the parental intuition. If you are worried about your child and think he needs to be evaluated by a health professional then by all means do so. You know your child best.

If you want to gives some of these options a try. Give it a go and let me know how it goes for you and dear loved little one!

Pseudoephedrine: I don’t really prefer conventional medications, but this has been extremely helpful for us. I usually give about a ½ dose once a day while my kids have a URI to help lessen the chance of them getting an infection. We were advised to do this by our midwife and it has really worked. Only once have I had the start of an ear infection with any of my three kids and it was the one time we hadn’t used the pseudoephedrine. (I don’t do this anymore, I only use holistic options unless absolutely necessary. Bur for those that prefer more traditional medicine, this is a great first choice. I probably haven’t used pseudoephedrine since I wrote this post!)

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or Ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil): Again, I try not to use these medications due to the amount of chemicals, sugar, artificial coloring and flavorings. Also, fever reducers aren’t NEEDED for fevers. A fever is a good thing; it means the immune system is functioning and trying to fight off some sort of infection. If you feel like you are unable to help the fever or ear pain with using other treatments, then by all means use it. Again, whatever you decide to use.

Warm compress: There are a couple of different ways to do this. You can wrap some rice in a cheesecloth and heat it in the microwave, washcloth under hot water, or a heating pad. Just be careful that the rice or the wash cloth isn’t too hot that it could burn the skin. Hold the compress to the ear and it will help lessen the pain. It can also melt ear wax that might be pressing on the eardrum and causing increased pain. And the heat can help clear the eustachian tube as well.

Broiled Onion: Bake an onion at 350 degrees until soft. Place in a glass jar and put the opening of the jar over the ear. The warmth will help the pain and something about the onion has been said to help as well. If the onion is somewhat cooled you can wrap it in a cheese cloth and place it over the ear as well. Personally I’ve never tried this, but I’ve heard it really works.

Breast milk: A few drops of breast milk in the affected ear 3-4 times a day will help to resolve the infection in 24-48 hours. I have used this, but I’ve also used the garlic oil and I feel the oil has worked better, but I’ve done both.

Sucking: Sucking also helps to unclog the eustachian tube. This would include a pacifier, nursing or bottle feeding for infants, or try using a straw or sippy cup for an older child, or sucking on an occluded straw. It is the same concept as trying to unclog your ears in the airplane.

Garlic Oil Ear drops: Here are instructions on how to make this at home, but it can also be purchased. I personally like the Herbs for Kids brand best when I need it in a pinch. We have used this and it worked very well. It was very soothing and my son actually liked having it put in his ears. I would then have him lay on my lap and I would read him a few books so that it would sit in and not drain out. I now keep this on hand at all times. I’ve never had it go bad.

Also be sure to heat the oil slightly before placing it in the ear. It should be a little warmer than room temperature. Heat a cup of water and then place the bottle in the water to let it warm slightly. If you don’t do this then it can cause increased pain, dizziness, nausea and sometimes vomiting if the liquid is cold.

Hydrogen peroxide: This is good to help clean out the ear canal before putting a homeopathic/herbal medication in the ear. Make a 50/50 mixture of warm distilled water and hydrogen peroxide. Using a bulb syringe rinse the ear out with the solution. Be sure the solution is warm (not hot) so that it doesn’t cause pain, dizziness or nausea. Be forewarned that if there is an open wound or scratch in the ear or swimmers ear, then it could cause some stinging. Although uncomfortable it is not dangerous.

Apple cider vinegar: This is more for preventing ear infections especially after swimming. Make a 50/50 mixture of apple cider vinegar and distilled water and place one drop in each ear after swimming.

Goldenseal and Echinacea: This can pretty easily be found as a combo herbal medication. Treat it like an antibiotic and only take it for 7-10 days and then stop taking it. We use this a lot and feel like it helps with any type of sickness.

Remove Diary: Dairy encourages mucus production. Removing diary will help to decrease the mucus production and help to thin the congestion.

Remove Sugar: Bacteria and yeast proliferate and feed off of sugar. By removing that from the diet it will starve the infection. Also sugar decreases the immune response, so removing it will have a twofold effect.

Melaleuca/Tea Tree Oil: This is one of my favorites! It has antibacterial and antifungal properties to it! Mix a few drops of tea tree oil in equal amounts of olive oil and put two to three drops in the infected ear. Please do not use this neat (without diluting). It is too strong and will probably produce a burning sensation. It this does occur, add more olive or coconut oil into the ear and it will help soothe the sensation.

Hopefully some of these ideas help relieve the pain and help cure the infection. From personal experience we have used all of these remedies (except one) and it has always been sufficient for us to get through the issue. None of my kids have ever been on an antibiotic yet. Please let me know what worked for you. Also, if you have other ideas, I’d love to hear them!

Medical Disclaimer: This information is meant to inform and not diagnose or treat illness or disease. Before trying any of the ideas posted please research for yourself in order to make an educated decision. Also, consult your doctor if trying to treat medical conditions.

Holistic RN Advice for Common Ailments

I’ve had this in mind for a long time, but have been slow on getting it put together. So even though it isn’t completed, I’ve started it and am making it live so that it can be used even in part! Now it will be much easier for returning peeps to be able to find the medical advice post they were looking for… or for you to refer others to the site for advice!

There are quite a few topics that aren’t completed, but I’m continuing to work on them one at a time. If there is one or two or five that you’d like to see ahead of others, please let me know! I don’t have a specific order… or actually… I do! I’d love to go in the order of what my readers would like to see first! So check it out and let me know!

The following are the most common concerns I’ve found people asking about thus far. But I’m happy to add more! So those requests are welcome as well!

• Blocked Duct/Mastitis (coming soon)
• Diaper Rash
• Constipation
• Ear Ache (coming soon)
• Eczema
• Fever
• Flu (coming soon)
• Gout
• Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease
• Hemorrhoids (coming soon)
• Nurse Maid’s Elbow (coming soon)
• Paronychia – Finger infection
• Rash, Skin (coming soon)
• Root Canal
• Sinus Infection
• Sore Throat (coming soon)
• Stomach Ache
• Stomach Bug (coming soon)
• Strains and Sprains (coming soon)
• Teething

Not much else to say about it! But check it out and I’d love any and all feedback!

He LOVES to read and this year I feel like we have done a good job finding books that he wants to read and enjoys as opposed to classics that I want him to read. So sometimes it’s my choice and sometimes his, but I’m so glad it’s not all graphic novels which is his preference. He has read his fair share of those as well, but I didn’t add them to the list!

The Girl Who Drank the Moon – Kelly Barnhill – “Story about dragons, mystical creatures, witches, magicians, volcanos and lots and lots of magic”

Time Spies – Bones in the Badlands – Candice Ransom

Time Spies – Gold in the Hills – Candice Ransom

Time Spies – Horses in the Wind – Candice Ransom

Hostage on the Nighthawk – William Penn – Dave and Neta Jackson – “Story of pirates, kidnappers, and treasure.”

Mask of the Wolfboy – Jonathan and Rosalind Goforth – Dave and Neta Jackson – “The Wolf Boy was beaten and attacked by wolves and he tries to save Christians during the time of the Boxer Rebellion”

Trial by Poison – Mary Slessor – Dave and Neta Jackson – “A 14- year old girl’s mother in Africa is going to have to eat a poison pill because she is falsely accused, but Mary saves her.”

I survived series – Lauren Tarshis – Lots of books about surviving disaster, bad guys, forest escapes, and intrigue”

The Explorer – Katherine Rundell – “About a few kids in an airplane that crashes in Brazil and they have to survive.”

The Wolf Wilder – Katherine Rundell – “11 year old girl has to survive in cold dark Russia with a boy and her wolves.”

Rooftoppers – Katherine Rundell – “Trying to find her mother after a shipwreck at sea.”

The Doll People – Ann M. Martin – “A lot of dolls come to life and make lots of rules about how to make sure people don’t find them. But then new dolls arrive…and it gets wild!”

Spy for the Night Riders – Martin Luther – Dave and Neta Jackson – “An apprentice finds a spy, but when trying to find hr she disappears! There is sabotage and theft!”

The Queen’s Smuggler – William Tyndale – Dave and Neta Jackson – “ A 15 year old girl is smuggling letter for one of the wives of Kin Henry the VIII.”

To the Edge of the World – Michele Tory – “I can’t really remember”

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street – Karina Yan Glaser – “ABout a family who has been living in their neighborhood for years and years, but their landlord says they have to go… no ones wants to leave.”

The Voyage to Magical North – Claire Fayers – “Seaborn was left in a rowboat with a piece of magical seashell. She runs off to sea with pirates…”

Journey to Dragon Island – Claire Fayers – “Brine travels with the pirates and two friends to a dragon island where she finds her long lost father and… more…”

The Hardy Boys – originals

Nancy Drew – books, but LOVES them!

Some of these book recommendations I’ve gotten from World Magazine in their book review section and others are from friends or 5th grade recommended reading lists! Coming soon will be a list of read-alouds that we have also done.

I’m more picky with our read-alouds, especially since I’m the one reading or listening with them!

I’d love to know what your 5th graders and 6th graders have been reading!!! We need a new list for next year!

I thought we were still actively battling it, but after being reminded of that photo I realized she has come a LONG way! Last summer she had a few bright patches behind her knees and in the creases of her elbows, but with time we were able to get them somewhat improved. Going into this summer I’m so excited to say she doesn’t have any current spots! It feels amazing to say that!

I will tell some of her story and that may help you too! She has been dealing with eczema since she was about 4 months old. We started noticing it on her legs. Aisling had had some eczema on her legs that we were quickly able to identify as an egg allergy and once we pulled them out of my diet (since I was breastfeeding) and out of hers, the rash quickly went away. With Xanthie our homeopathic MD said she thought it was dairy, so I took diary out of my diet and we definitely noticed improvement, but it didn’t completely go away.

I was discouraged even though I know it can take up to 3 months for dairy to work it’s way out of your body even after not eating it. We tried quite a few things and nothing was really working. We tried removing other foods like eggs, soy and gluten with no real change. I tried soaks and oils, lotions and creams. Some of those things gave relief, but with time the eczema always seemed to come back.

I think for Xanthie stress seems to be a big trigger, but I think dairy is the other cause as well. We did notice that the chlorine or pool water did seem to aggravate her rash in summer, but it was tolerable if she rinsed and we didn’t have to completely swear off the pool. We could relatively simply remove the dairy from her diet (she has never really eaten a full piece of cheese), but stress is a whole other thing. She is number 4 of (at the time) 4 kids; that alone is stressful. So much noise, people in your face, a mom doesn’t respond to your needs immediately, and just the adjustment to life.

I think that is why we saw a worsening last summer was because I was gone out of state for a month for Aspen’s adoption and I think it was stressful for her. Life wasn’t the same. She knew I would be back and she talked to me on the phone, but it wasn’t the same.

So… I’m not sure how helpful our story is, or her story, really. But it’s what we have been through with her in her 5 years of life! The following are some remedies that we have used that have seemed helpful. I can’t say one of them in particular was revolutionary, but I think they combination truly helped.

Treatments

1. Detox bath (2 cups Epsom salts, ⅓ cup sea salt, 1 cup baking soda, essential oils like lavender to help with pain and inflammation). I would give her a warm bath and try to get her to soak as long as possible. When she was acutely inflamed sometimes she would say the bath would sting, but most of the time she liked it.
2. Bone broth/stock is VERY effective in helping strengthen the body’s immune system. It’s GREAT for helping skin to heal and rebuild new cells because it contains collagen, glutamine, glycine and proline. It also helps reduce inflammation. I frequently make my own and usually have a quart we are working on in the fridge. When kids are sick or have skin rash issues we will often do a mug of broth in the morning, more if I can get them to drink it!
3. Coconut oil we frequently tried. Xanthie would often complain it would hurt when I put it on her if the rash was raw and red. There was only one thing I could put on it in that stage (next item on the list) and it wasn’t coconut oil. I would often give her 2 tsp orally daily just to help moisturize her skin and then would apply it topically during the later healing stages when she said it didn’t hurt so much.
4. Calendula in Olive Oil (similar to this) – This was an moisturizing oil that a friend gave me because they were moving and she was cleaning out her bathroom cabinet and said she never used it. It was the ONE thing that Xanthie would let me put on her eczema when it was bright red, raw and painful. We LOVED this oil!
5. Essential oils: Lavender is soothing and calms the burning and itching. Frankincense is good for any skin ailment and helps with healing. Helichrysum is also great for healing and decreasing inflammation. It’s more on the pricey side, but we have found it very helpful! Also, Roman Chamomile is like lavender in the way it soothes and calms the angry patches. Peppermint is also helpful with itching and is a pain reliever. However, if the skin is super sensitive, then the peppermint will only irritate it. If it’s a more mild reaction the peppermint can help with the itching and pain. It has a tingly sensation which can be helpful for some people. Always dilute any of the oils first to see how your skin will respond. Lavender is the only oil I would ever recommend applying neat (directly to the skin with no dilution)
6. I’ve heard wonderful things about Shea Moisture Eczema cream, although I’ve never purchased it. It is on my list of next things to try if/when we need it. I LOVE their other hair and skin products, so I’m not worried about this one either!
7. I did recently purchase this Eczema Cream by All Terrain which Xanthie does like, but we haven’t had any severe outbreaks that she would need it (I can’t believe I’m actually saying that!!!) But we have it on hand to try if we do!

I also think time and her body growing and maturing and developing has helped. I think her gut had some healing to do and having her on a whole foods diet with minimal grains and no dairy helped her significantly. I’m so grateful for where we are today with her eczema and I only hope it gets better.

I know there are many others out there with kids struggling with this. What have you done? I know my list isn’t comprehensive! Please share! I’d love to hear!