The only other thing I can note is that the flu made us lose our appetites for a few days.  I lost a little weight, but kept eating as much as I could for the baby’s sake.  It also zaps your energy, and it took me probably a full two weeks to get back to normalcy and begin to get the energy back.  Perhaps if I had gotten a higher fever I would have gotten over it quicker.  But for the baby’s sake, it is a good thing that it stayed low-grade, I think.  I am thankful to the LORD for delivering us out of the flu, and for not having to take the vaccine.  I was offered the vaccine several times at my OB’s office, but I told them that I already had it!  (the flu, that is).   There is some question of the safety and efficacy of the the swine flu vaccine, specifically that which contains the element squalene.  I have not done research myself on it, but have read and heard that this is a substance banned ordinarily in the U.S. and Europe, but because of the “emergency” of the H1N1 flu, it was allowed to be used in the making of it.  Apparently it can cause long-term damage and chronic illness.  I know that the insert in the vaccine package states that the safety of the vaccine has not been determined for pregnant or nursing moms ( this was read aloud by Don Imus’ wife on the Sean Hannity show).  Whereas I might have taken Tamiflu if I had it to do over again, I would not have taken the vaccine.  And really, probably our own regimen served just as well as the Tamiflu, from what I have heard since.  But every family has to decide what is best for themselves.  I would not judge anyone else for what course of treatment he or she decides to take.  But I do think that it does help to be proactive day in and day out and eat wholesome foods, take things like a high-quality cod liver oil, a quality supplement and then find out what herbal concoctions work for you.  The Trilight Herbs work for us quite well.  I highly recommend the Lungs Plus.  Another blend they sell is called Scout Out, which is anti-viral and anti-bacterial and a good first herbal  when dealing with colds or flu.  Lympha Rub is another product we use routinely when the lymph system is fighting off a bug – or if a child gets an insect bite on the scalp and it causes the lymph glands to enlarge.  It is good for rubbing on the sinus area as well.  It really helps.

The other thing we did was eat the horseradish-ginger mixture I blogged about last year.   The ingredients are horseradish root, ginger root, garlic, jalapeno peppers (or chili peppers), onions and raw apple cider vinegar.  I generally mix this all up in a blender, and have posted the recipe which I think my daughter transferred to this new blog for me, and keep a jar of it in the refrigerator.  Taking a teaspoon or two a day helps the body fight off flu, colds, sinus infections, etc.  It is more like a condiment, but it is quite a strong one!

I have heard people say that the swine flu is much ado about nothing.  I wouldn’t say that.  For those who have frequent problems with their lungs or breathing, it could be serious.  I would say that if you are diligent about trying to stay ahead of illness by using good nutrition and you have some good, effective herbals and over the counter meds like Motrin or Tylenol and Benedryl, then you can probably fight the flu with good results.   Resting and getting adequate sleep is also key.  Don’t forget to pray over your children and and yourself (or have the others in the family pray over you as well).  Our Heavenly Father is the first One to which we must run for help and healing and wisdom.

“Bless the LORD, oh my soul,  And all that is within me, bless His holy Name. Bless the LORD, oh my soul, And forget none of His benefits, Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases.” ~Psalm 103:1-3

Now that it is February 1st, I managed to miss writing anything at all during the month of January. Actually, I started two posts and just didn’t get them finished. Both were on the subject of “What is your vision?” I find that in the winter months I like to take stock of what we are doing as a family in homeschooling and homesteading, as well as in homemaking. It is a time to focus on what we have in our hands, and on doing the best we can with what we have. It is also a time to draw near to the LORD and lift up to Him all hopes and dreams and heart’s desires and exchange it all for the sheer delight of seeking and knowing Him. Sometimes I think we get distracted with our own wants and goals and forget that the first ambition of our hearts and minds should be to delight ourselves in Him. What does HE want for us? How can we be faithful to Him to do His will with where we are and what He has given us? Do we desire HIM, or do we desire what HE can do for us? Of course we desire and need His provision, but what we really need is His fellowship and to sit at His feet. We need to wait upon Him. We need to wait in the way that we wait for Him to move on our behalf. We also need to wait upon Him in the way a servant waits on his Master – to be ready to do whatever He asks us to do – at any moment. This is the first priority as I ponder everything on my lists of duties and responsibilities. If we seek Him first, seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness – then everything will be added as needed and in due time according to His will. This is not just rhetoric, this is undeniable truth.

As this nation faces a new President and a lot of difficult things, many look increasingly to the politicians, the scientists, the doctors, the government, the teachers, the experts – for help, for answers, for money, for rationale or recourse. Everybody thinks they have a better idea for how things should be run, what needs to happen, what shouldn’t have happened, or who’s fault it is that we are in “this mess.” Today when we were having our Bible study, we read Psalm 146. It proclaims just whom it really is we need to put our trust in:

“Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD, O my soul!
I will praise the LORD while I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
Do not trust in princes,
In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.
His spirit departs, he returns to the earth;
In that very day his thoughts perish.
How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose hope is in the LORD his God,
Who made heaven and earth,
The sea and all that is in them;
Who keeps faith forever;
Who executes justice for the oppressed;
Who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free.

The LORD opens the eyes of the blind;
The LORD raises up those who are bowed down;
The LORD loves the righteous;
The LORD protects the strangers;
He supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He thwarts the way of the wicked.
The LORD will reign forever,
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the LORD!”
~Psalm 146~

So as we continuously lay before the LORD our plans and concerns, we are trying to be diligent. All the children in our household that are school age (and Amanda who is in college) are working on diligence with regard to school lessons and chores. I am working on trying to finish revising my e-book Nurturing The Generations. This is a diligence test for me because even though I love to write and spend time interacting with people, I find that being a wife and mom takes up most all of my time. I look with admiration at women who homeschool, have a home-business, write and speak and keep blogs and Facebooks and Twitters and travel to conferences and then do all sorts of creative things in their spare time. I truly admire these women, because they have managed to do a lot more than I can with the same number of hours in their day as I have. I have decided that at this point in my life, I will endeavor to finish revising my e-book and it will be available. Then if anyone has questions, they can e-mail me. I am always available for questions, especially about nutrition or health concerns, but also on homeschooling or home-managing. If I don’t know the answer, I will research it or find someone who does. This is what I do. All day. Every day. My job is to love and support and keep happy my husband, love, clothe, educate and train my children, and keep house so that everything stays in fairly decent order, there are elements of beauty all around, the meals are nutritious and good-tasting, and there is a lot of laughter and happy voices for the most part (and some beautiful music!). If you wonder why I don’t blog more often, it really is because all the things I just listed take up most of my waking hours. And I truly love my job! And on that note, I need to close now and get on with my job.

Blessings to all,

Chris

I want to mention here a very important book I have read
and re-read. It is called A Natural Guide to Pregnancy
and Postpartum Health by Dr. Dean Raffelock and Robert
Rountree, M.D. This is “the first book by doctors that
really addresses pregnancy recovery.” If you have ever
had a baby, you will want to read this book. Even if you
had your last baby 10 years ago, you might be surprised
to learn that perhaps you have never recovered
completely. There are many physical, mental, and
emotional complaints that can be traced back to
hormonal imbalance, nutrient deficiencies or adrenal
exhaustion that stem from not fully recovering from
giving birth and nourishing a baby.

In this day and age, we deal with constant bombardments
of stress in many different forms that did not exist even
100 years ago. Moms are expected to run households on
a shoestring, teach multiple children, bring in an
income, host various functions, keep a neat and orderly
home, prepare delicious meals, keep a happy
countenance and still set aside time to exercise and get
enough sleep. In short, many of us expect that we are to
be everything to everyone simply because that is our job
description. Of course, no one can be wonder woman
and we should not put stress on ourselves that ought not
be there. But that is easier said than done, right?

I mention all of this really to bring into focus how
important it is that we get the nutrients our bodies need
in order to function properly as God intended. The more
stress we deal with, the more important it is that we are
properly nourished and properly rested. My definition of
stress is “more demands than you have resources.” I
firmly believe that God’s grace is sufficient, don’t get me
wrong. But just like the plaque I used to see in a friend’s
kitchen that said, “God blesses this kitchen but He doesn’
t clean it,” there are practical realities in this life that
lend itself to being particularly stressful at times, even
when we are bountifully blessed!

In this section I will include some articles by Dr.
Raffelock so you can see and understand the tremendous
importance of replenishing your body after having a baby,
and also the importance of establishing good nutritional
habits before you have a baby, as well as while you are
raising up the next generation of child-bearers. In times
past, I believe there was generally more wisdom passed
on from grandmother to mother to daughter about things
such as traditional food preparation. Also, I think there
was more support for the new mother and more
household help, allowing her longer periods of time to
rest and recuperate after giving birth. It seems that was a
luxury of yester-year that I would like to bring back!

In addition to Dr. Raffelock’s articles, I want to mention
the supplements that he created called After Baby
Boost and Before Baby Boost. After Baby Boost is the
only supplement I know of that has nutrients in it that
specifically target deficiencies women are known to have
after giving birth. There are plenty of examples of women
who had not had a baby in years that were suffering from
ailments that cleared up when the nutrient deficiencies
were addressed. I personally take these vitamins and
have found them to help me, and I highly recommend
them.

After Baby Boost is safe and good for nursing mothers
and is even recommended to take for 2 years postpartum,
though many women continue taking it beyond that.
Before Baby Boost is a new pre-natal vitamin that will
also help to build up nutrient reserves in preparation for
birth, so that the new mom is better prepared for the rigors
of childbirth and the postpartum period, and to make sure
the developing baby has plenty of nutrients to grow
strong and healthy.

Another common problem postpartum women face many
times is a hormonal imbalance, and usually it is
predominantly a progesterone deficiency. The pregnant
woman’s body makes a huge amount of progesterone to
sustain a developing baby. After birth, that amount
plummets down to zero. In the succeeding months
afterward, the levels may remain way down, leaving the
woman vulnerable to a variety of complaints, not the least
of which is postpartum depression or emotional
problems. When a woman’s hormones are imbalanced,
stress or illness will magnify that and the resulting effect
will either be turned inward (self) or outward (towards
others).

Many women have found relief using progesterone
cream. The absolute best progesterone cream I know of is
Oasis Serene Progesterone Cream. It is an all-natural
bio identical 100% USP Progesterone and does not
contain any dangerous chemicals or preservatives or any
herbs that might cause disruption in a nursing mother
such as Black Cohosh. This is another product that I use
personally and highly recommend to anyone needing a
good, clean, effective progesterone cream that is
reasonably priced.

Progesterone cream, I might add, has been shown to help
women who were susceptible to miscarriage, and also
actually prevent postpartum depression, when used
throughout pregnancy and then started again several
days after birth.

To purchase After Baby Boost,
Before Baby Boost, or an
autographed copy of A Natural
Guide To Pregnancy and
Postpartum Health, go to
www.pregancyrecovery.com.