Mother Intuition and tackling colds

Avery started coming down with a cold mid week. We cancelled our play visit for Wednesday afternoon. Then on Thursday we stayed home from a special Imbolc celebration that our home-school cooperative organized. That was a pretty big disappointment, especially for Noah who was not sick. Then today the kids were invited to spend the night at their Grandma and Grandpas with their cousins and mom and dad were going to have date night. So we are all disappointed that we’ve cancelled that as well. I told the kids today that their is an invisible cord that links me to them that allows me insight into what is best for them. I told them that while their umbilical cord is severed at birth, there is still a connection, and if I listen very carefully I can hear and see what each of them need. I told them this invisible cord is called Mama’s Intuition. After this they asked if I could hear their thoughts and of course I didn’t really want them to think that I could always hear their thoughts. But I did tell them that sometimes this connection allowed me a pretty good idea of what they were thinking. Then they each wanted me to say what they were thinking and how they were thinking and from the expressions on their faces, they were pretty impressed with my accuracy. Of course it wasn’t difficult because we’d just been weighing the pros and cons of leaving the house to spend the night elsewhere while having a cold, and I knew how they each felt about it. Avery was disappointed because she was really looking forward to socializing with family. Noah was relieved because he’d rather spend the night in his own bed, especially if he is sick.

This has been one of our best winters as far as not being sick very often and when we do get a cold it is very short in duration. We’ve had a couple colds that we started to feel better by the second day and felt back to normal by the third, never having symptoms stronger than light headedness and a mild sore throat. We managed to make it through cold season without any colds and I thought it was because we were taking so much Colloidal Silver and Echinacea at the start of any sign of cold. We’ve been out of both for quite a while now. I decided that since I’d made my own Spilanthes tincture and glycerine that I’d try and use that instead of buying Echinacea tincture and glycerine. So I have been and it seems to work just as well which I’m excited about. This was our first January that I can remember where none of us had a cold.  I’ve started thinking that the reason we have not had any big colds is because we are all taking such high doses of High vitamin butter oil and fermented cod liver oil which has high really high amounts of the best source of fat soluble vitamin D and A.

My mothering intuition is strong and when I listen and follow through accordingly I am almost always thankful.  Sometimes I second guess myself, but I’m learning to trust myself more. Staying home and babying ourselves at the first sign of sickness really helps our colds not turn into monster colds, and we also recover quicker. Neither the kids or I have had any sinus infections or chest colds in at least a year or more like two. Not only that, but I was thinking how uncommon it is for children their age to never have had antibiotics for anything. Neither Avery nor Noah have never had a cold that was bad enough that I took them to the doctors and were prescribed antibiotics. Now I’ll confess that part of this is my mistrust of western doctors and a stubbornness that if a cold is properly taken care of there should be no need for a doctor’s interference.

When we feel a cold coming on we take immune supporting tinctures or glycerines of Echinacea or Spilanthes. We take extra vitamins and garlic supplements which prevents colds from going to our chests. We juice carrots and other vegetables, and drink herbal teas. We eat light meals, lots of bone broth, vegetable or miso soups. We limit sweets, dairy and grains even more than usual. We have easy, lazy days spent reading on the couch, but still get out for fresh air and movement, and we go to bed early. I use the netti pot multiple times a day if I feel off. I also drink fresh ginger root tea all throughout the day and eat spicy kimchi which helps with any congestion.

 If anyone has some more cold care tips leave a comment. Since we’ve had a battling cold sort of week, I realized that I’ve never written about what we do. I know that people get colds for a reason. There are theories about them helping our bodies detox or for those who never rest without encouragement, they force rest. I really hate being sick. Mostly it’s because I don’t get to take a break when I’m sick. Sometimes I do fantasize about being sick and getting to bury myself in my bed for a day or two without interruption. But farm chores, and two kids and wood stoves and meals and being sick all combined at the same time? No thanks. So, we’ll keep looking for the most efficient and effective ways to battle our colds…while making the most of our forced home weeks.