Homemade Vapo Rub

I did it.  Yes, I made homemade vapo rub but I also assumed I would never need to make this:(  After a fabulous family vacation last week, it would appear that my little Ms picked up a cold/virus en route home.

Well, it's actually a toss up between the health hazards of traveling and a visit to Chick-fil-A that occurred within the next 24 hrs.  Since I'm still doing laundry from yesterday as a result of Jonah emptying his stomach twice after hacking his little lungs to pieces, and I'm rather sleep deprived from multiple nights of being up every hour and emotionally drained from seeing my little champion suffer, I would like to digress for just a moment to make a very heartfelt appeal:

Please don't take your sick child out!!!  And if you absolutely have to, don't take them to a Chick-fil-A play area!!!

I work hard to keep my little Ms home while ill, avoiding other germs as well as endeavoring to keep others from an unwanted transferal...so when I go out with them, I've foolishly been expecting other parents to be just as responsible/conscientious.  Obviously, to no avail.

On the flight home, I heard a toddler hacking directly behind us- I understand things happen while away, so ok.  However, while in Chick-fil-A the next day, I heard a 2 y/o girl hacking horribly and then her Dad brought her into the play area!  I had one of those "Mom" moments where you want to run in & save your kid but I opted to be polite and allowed Livy to play with the little girl for a few measly minutes, then whisked her out and swabbed her hands with sanitizer...  The sick child's father informed me that they had just been to swim class!  Really?  Come on, people!  I understand that living in South Texas is the allergy capital of the U.S. but having some experience as a Respiratory Therapist, I could tell this kiddo was sick.  Ergo, stay home!

So, ALL of that (thanks for letting me vent for a moment...or two) to say that I made homemade vapo rub...and love it!  I originally saw the recipe here and took her advice to be conservative in the addition of essential oils- I then went back and added a bit more.

Homemade Vapo Rub Recipe:
3 Tbsp Coconut Oil, melted
3-5 drops Tea Tree Oil
6-10 drops Rosemary oil

Result:  Livy slept better, coughing less and the rub seemed to act as an expectorant for Jonah, resulting in a vast improvement in his cough.  I placed the rub on Jonah's feet with socks too.  And the kids didn't mind having this warm liquid slathered on their chests/feet= bonus!





So, while I pray you don't need to make this, if you do, this is way better & way cheaper than the commercial stuff!  Now back to cuddling my little Ms and sorting more laundry:)

Tiffany

Silky Peppermint Toothpaste

Today I'm sharing another update on our homemade toothpaste.  Here at "623 East 68th St." we've been faithfully using this crunchy toothpaste recipe for almost 7 months and have no complaints, however, I opted to include some in my Christmas hampers and thus wanted to spruce it up a bit (and of course I didn't snap a pic of these in my mad dash to finish before Santa arrived!!!).

I had just read about whipping coconut oil, so I promptly emptied my jar into the food processor and whipped away- it was lovely, silky & soft despite the fact that the house was cool enough to keep the coconut oil in a solid, block form.  I proceeded to make up the toothpaste as usual but also adding several drops of peppermint oil- I was very conservative since this was my first attempt, however next time I will add a bit more as 'Ricky' really likes it!

So why are we sold on this homemade concoction?

• Coconut oil is anti-fungal, antibacterial and helps towards fighting tooth decay.

• Xylitol works against plaque buildup and aids with re-mineralization.

• Peppermint essential oil is antiseptic & antibacterial

I also just had my teeth cleaned (it had been well over 1 1/2 yrs...cringe...) and was told my teeth looked great!  Since my dental hygiene routine has suffered drastically since Jonah's birth, the toothpaste must really be helping!

Happy brushing:)
Tiffany