Homemade Elderberry Syrup

Confession: I plan more projects than any 2 people could accomplish in one lifetime!

One such project was making elderberry syrup before Abigail was due to arrive...

which didn't happen, obviously!

And now since all 3 little Ms are battling a cold and

 I'm on the tail end of "Larynyitis", I finally got this project completed...

hopefully better late than never:/

What is elderberry syrup?  

This is a great post about elderberry & it's many attributes- 

key benefits: fights multiple strains of flu and builds immunity support- yes, please!

Elderberry syrup can be purchased but it's pricey, hence why I opted to make it:)

I started with organic dried elderberries (Amazon)...

...measured out 1/2 cup of the dried elderberries 

and added to 3 cups of boiling water in a saucepan...

...after simmering for 30-40 mins, there should be approx 1 1/2 cups of elderberry juice- 

allow this to cool and strain...

...and then add 1/2 cup honey.

TIP: Raw honey is recommended but local works too!

Ta da!  Now your elderberry syrup is ready to use- store in the fridge for 2-3 months.

Dosage:

Preventative: 1 Tbsp/daily for adults & 1 tsp/daily for children over 1 year

Illness: 1 Tbsp/2-3 hrs for adults & 1 tsp/2-3 hrs for children over 1 year.

How does my homemade version compare in price?  

About a tenth of the pre-made price tag!  Well worth the few minutes to make:)

Coincidentally, the kids love this as it's so sweet:)

Get well soon,

Tiffany

Reusable Kleenex

With lots of noses being blown & wiped this past week, the Ricardo's wholesale supply of tissues were depleted...and since I didn't fancy a trip to Costco for more potential bugs, I hatched an alternative.

While cleaning out clothes and organizing our closet one evening I found multiple white T-shirts & tank tops of mine that had seen better days & contemplated ditching them but hesitated...surely there was something I could do with them...more cleaning cloths?  Have plenty...and then I remembered seeing something about fabric tissues being gentler on skin vs paper!

So I promptly laid out the clean T-shirts on my cutting mat & with my handy dandy rotary cutter, cut squarish shapes with very little precision- wasn't trying to win any awards here...just clean boogies:)

We've been using these handy dandy reusable tissues for 3 days now & plan to make more!  I so wish I had done this sooner!  When the Ricardos are back to complete health I'll continue to use them to wipe little mouths after eating:)


Thanks for looking,
Tiffany

Homemade Cinnamon Cough Syrup

Yes, my little Ms are still battling virus...stuff...and now 'Ricky' & I are too:(

So, here's another crunchy remedy that we've tried this go around: Cinnamon Honey cough syrup- full of antioxidants, anti- bacterial, anti- viral, boosting the immune system...yes, please:)

Simply combine 1 part Cinnamon to 4 parts honey (preferably raw), mix and swallow- do this twice daily for 3 days and you should see results!

If the whole family is under the weather, mix 1/4 cup Cinnamon & 1 cup honey for easy dosing.  For my trial run I made 3 doses (3/4 tsp Cinnamon & 3 tsp honey)- I got almost a whole tsp into Livy and approx 1/2 into Jonah...it's definitely a therapeutic amount of Cinnamon:)

We're currently on day 1 but still have high hopes to hear less coughing from my little Ms tonight!

Note: Honey should not be given to tots under 1 year!

Thanks for looking,
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

Natural All Purpose Cleaner

A while back I posted about some natural cleaning options to transforming a chemical laden pantry of cleaners into safe, natural & cheap alternatives.  Well, I've been trying to finish out my 'fumey' cleaners so I could try out a natural version- while I totally support using green cleaners, I couldn't justify dumping what I had paid down the drain, hence why I've been trying to use them up!  So, I took a little of this & a little of that from other recipes on all purpose cleaners and finally made up my own version today!

 I used a 1:1 ratio of distilled white vinegar to water + 30 drops of essential oils (15 eucalyptus & 15 tea tree) and housed in a large spray bottle.  Easy!  *Note: I chose the vinegar + water base since it can be used for windows, hardwood floors, bathtubs, sinks, counters and everything!

Variations:
1.  You can use straight vinegar (with or without essential oils) vs vinegar + water as an all purpose cleaner. We're blessed to have reverse osmosis water on tap which I used...if you don't, I would suggest using a purified water.

2. Essential oils for cleaning: lemon, orange, rosemary, pink grapefruit, peppermint & lavender as well as eucalyptus & tea tree.  I would not suggest using more than 3 oils in any one batch of solution and no more than 50 drops total.

So, do you make your own all purpose cleaner and if so, what is your recipe?

I've already tried this out on the rubbish bin, counters, glass on the back door and on the kitchen floor to spot clean- thumbs up!  There is a vinegar odor with a subtle scent from the essential oils when being applied and once the surface dries completely, no scent at all!

 My newly made batch of homemade all purpose cleaner cost just pennies to make (even with the essential oils added) and is non toxic making it safe for the kids- lovin' it!  Bye bye Comet.  Bye bye 409.  Hello Squeaky Clean & Green:)

Tiffany