HEY - Last day of the year !

Good morning - afternon - evening to you all.
It has been quite a year as well as quite a moring already. Scooter dumped her food and water - The rest of the herd stormed the kitchen and decided it was Ok to trip up mom as she got her coffee at 5:30 AM. Little bad kits!!
It is cold out there today. Scampi has come for breakfast and chomped up all her food and warmed up kitty milk. Goldie is taking a morning off, I think. The dog is ansty to get outside. Gotta go mom! And then it is off to work.......

Debra, looks like you have a full house I get to think about how many animals we actually keep when I feed everyone in the morning. First I need to fill up the indoors food bowls (God forbid if they are empty - Gezer will be sure to let us know...), then feed the outside cat (impossible to forget, as he sits on the window ledge and lets everyone in the neighborhood know he needs his breakfast) and then there's Bambi the dog.

After everyone has their breakfast I can finally go and get my morning coffee (decaf) and start the day

I've been away from the forums these past couple of days. A bit of a cold - not nice when you're pregnant I can tell you. It's hard enough finding the right position to sleep in at night, but when I also can't breath through my nose and I cough all night long, I can hardly get any sleep (of course by the time I manage to fall asleep, I wake up 30 minutes later to go to the bathroom ) So I spent yesterday napping all day long in bed, drinking tea and watching TV. Now I have tons of things to do...

By the way, I'd love to hear about any home remedies for cough. I don't want to take any pills or syrups because of the baby (they usually have something in them to make you sleepy and I don't think it can be too good for the baby). I also need to avoid sugar, so I can't take any anti-cough sweets

Morning all! Sorry, but no home remedies here - I use the horrible tasting, but effective Buckley's Mixture. I have to work right to 4:30 today. I guess that is what happens when the government says that your job is an essential service. I will probably not be home until 6, because the buses are on reduced schedule all day. I hope everyone has a safe New Year's Eve and a joyful & peaceful New Year.

My day actually started off good. Sleeping in is very rare for me. I got to sleep until 8. I havn't decided what we will do today yet. My first task is to get the house picked up and all the litter boxes clean. Normally on New Years eve we would make meatballs, dips, and sandwiches, but I think we are still full from Christmas. Maybe we will start a new tradition this year. The sun is out, but it is freezing out there. Everyone is home today, so maybe it's a good sign for the new year!!
Anne, the only natural remedy for coughs that I know of is licorice root tea. I am not sure of what you have available there. My mom used to make me hot tea with lemon and honey and it did help a sore throat.

Anne

According to my mother and others in her generation, the old fashioned mustard plasters were very effective in relieving chest congestion due to colds. Maybe this is why you are coughing???

I have never actually tried using a mustard plaster myself, but my mother said they used to use them all the time, and they really worked. I have some directions she gave me a few years ago for making one:

Mix one part powdered mustard with four parts flour.
Add warm water to form a paste.
Spread over a cloth and cover with a second cloth, place directly on chest.

Also, according to my mother, you need to be careful so your skin won't get burned.

When I was pregnant with my son I came down with a horrible cough. I asked my pharamcist what I could use that was safe (and believe me I was paranoid, I wouldn't even drink anything with caffeine in it) and he recommended Buckley's cough medicine. he said it contains all natural ingredients and wouldn't harm the baby. It works wonders, although it tastes beyond horrible

one cup of honey and 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar, place in a jar and mix well. Take one tablespoon before bedtime, can take up to 4 tablespoons a night just not all at once. This works.

You can order a product over the Internet called GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract) in liquid form. Drop 3 drops of the liquid into a glass of water and drink this 3 times a day. It will effectively kill all bad bacteria in your body. I used it on my horse one year, and it was so effective I started researching it completely. I started taking it every winter myself, my cats get it in their drinking water and we haven't had colds since. It really is amazing stuff! Bitter tasting but not harmful. I swear by it.

I knew the GSE would make it on here somehow!

Hissy, I annoint you head medicine woman.

I use good old fashioned Vicks Vapo-Rub. I rub it on my chest and under my nose. It's also good to add a good dollop of it to a small pot of boiling water and inhale the steam. That usually does me more good than any medicines for head and chest congestion. I hope you feel better.

I second the hot-tea remedy. It always works wonders for all of my cold symptoms. Hope you feel better soon!

I forgot - I do have one remedy. Get some eucalyptis (sp) oil and 1) apply to chest & under nose, 2) simmer on stove (can sub in the leaves) - take off the stoff and put your head over it with a towel over your head. It works wonders!

Since we've switched the topic from the new year to cold remedies, what about vaporizers? When I was a kid, such things were par for the course when colds or coughing became manifest. A make-shift "tent" was constructed out of an umbrella and a sheet; and the patient (oftentimes myself) would sit inside whilst this fascinating gadget hissed and sputtered, emitting a cloud of something-or-other. The work "Vicks" comes to mind.

Now, such paraphernalia are make of plastics and aren't nearly as interesting to watch; but maybe they work better.



=^..^=