You Smell Like a Koala

I'm sick. I caught one of those massive, all consuming chest colds. The kind where you feel like there's a car on your chest and someone has plugged your nostrils with wool. The kind where, no matter how much you sleep you are still tired, no matter how much tea you drink, you are still cold. Luckily, my hubby had some sick days to use and took them, allowing me to 1) rest my muscles after my 60 mile trek and 2) try to shake this awful illness.

Though his presence was appreciated and needed, he had to head back today and I have been thrown head first back into my daily responsibilities full  of phlegm and lacking energy. Mothering is hard. Sick mothering is harder. Though it would be easy to load up on cold medicines, a floaty head and an empty wallet is not what I need. I need to feel better, and not just for 4 hours at a time. There's a reason that I have an entire shelf in my bookcase filled with books about natural medicine and herbal remedies. I broke them out last night before bed and formulated a plan to help me get through my day feeling somewhat human. Here's the plan of attack:


1)Hydrate. This seems simple enough but most people (me included) don't drink nearly enough. Being hydrated when you are ill is especially important. I found numerous recipes for "cold teas" but I don't have many of the herbs they called for so I'll be sticking with green tea and hot water with lemon and honey.

 2)Rub Down. Growing up, I was a HUGE fan of mentholated chest rubs. I looked for an alternative to the petroleum based rubs available and found several. Again, I lacked ingredients for the natural recipes but mixed a teaspoon of almond oil with a few drops of eucalyptus oil and presto! I'm breathing easy. I smell like a koala but hey, at least I can inhale!

3)Rest. This is easier said than done. The dishes are piling up, the laundry is mildewed in the washer, there is an inch of dust on the bookshelves and there is crap EVERYWHERE. But when my kids lay down for their nap, I must fight my instinct to launch into "get it done before they wake up" mode and lay down too.

4)Honey. In addition to adding it to my hot water and lemon, honey does wonders to soothe itchy throats and coughs. When afflicted with an attack of coughing, a spoonful of honey coats the throat and stops it in it's tracks.

And there you have it. A drug-less, chemical free plan to make it through my day. There will be hot soup for dinner and after the kids are asleep for the night, a long bath with Epsom salts, lavender oil and fuzzy pajamas. What are your favorite natural cold remedies?