Susiej

As if having the frogs around wasn’t enough, they came with an accompaniment. Poison Ivy.

Frogs like to live in the tall grassy weeds, and there, unbeknownst to my son, was a big bed of Poison Ivy. He had marched right though the weeds, and there was not one spot of his body that didn’t hold some welt of the inflamed itches. I mean everywhere. Even his ears.

His eyes were soon swelled (not shut) and his itching was relentless.

But yet, there is a cure, and I must feel compelled to share this — because I can’t stand to see kids suffer. I did not get this stuff for free, (I wish! The stuff is expensive.) This is not a review. Zanfel Poison Ivy Cream is a Poison Ivy, (or Poison Oak or Sumac) soap that will eliminate the posion — not just the itches. The sooner you treat it, obviously, the better. But even my son’s poison, which had been growing for about 4 days, was curable… just took several applications. This stuff is a soap, but it comes in a tube, and squeezes out like lotion… kind of weird. Would have preferred it was a bar of soap. And, this stuff is quite expensive… $30 for a tube of the stuff, but considering what a visit to the doctor would have cost, combined with potential steroid shots, we came out pretty easy.

The hardest part was figuring out how to apply the stuff… very specific instructions.

1) Get a shower and get all wet.

2) Squeeze out EXACTLY 1.5 inches of Zanfel (there is a ruler enclosed in the packaging) and rub this stuff in your hands for 3 minutes with water to create a lather.

3) Rub the soap onto the affected areas.

4) Leave soap on until the itching stops. Which, for my son, was quite complicated… because he had different stages of the poision, so when one area felt like it was “cured,” and he would jump in the shower to wash it off, he suddenly remembered there was another spot that still itched. So, we had to do this several times before we got him all settled.

Then, he was happily, again, comforatble in his own skin.

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Out of necessity, I’ve built a better mouse trap — fruit fly trap. My fruit flies are just too darn smart to fall into a simple glass of wine and drown. Mine, instead, simply walk along the edge of the glass picking up enough juice from their feet to satisfy them before flying off to mate somewhere else, and increase my population of drain flies. I had to do something. With the combination of warm weather and watermelon around here, I’ve been inundated with flying pests. Technically, I don’t actually have fruit flies — I have drain flies. These have little red eyes, and are harder to catch with a slap of your hand than the slower moving cousins, fruit flies.

My solution is cruel, but effective. I simply sprinkle Boric Acid Powder or Diatomaceous Earth around the rim of the wine bottle where the poison is picked up on the fruit fly, and eventually kills the fly. I’ll even add a slip of a banana into the bottle just to ensure the bottle has enough “odor of fruit” to attract the flies.

Like I said. Cruel.
But effective.

Here’s my post on how to get rid of fruit flies with a do-it-yourself fruit fly trap.

Get rid of fruit flies easily with this 6-step method to zap a fruit fly: Remember, to keep the fruit flies away, you’ll also need to clean the drains.

This is the fruit fly trap you’ve (I’ve) been looking for. The ultimate death trap for fruit flies. And yes, Mom was right; you can catch more flies with honey. And yes, the fruit fly is breeding, living and laying eggs in your drains. There’s no doubt that the fruit fly is smart. Most fruit flies will figure a way out of the trap we’ve set for them. But I’ve out-witted them. You really won’t have to spend a dime on this trap, as you already have the stuff in your pantry. Plus, I have some expert advice from Asapest.com.

I’ve seen fruit flies hover around the top of a wine glass, and mate, and then I have 2 million more fruit flies. They don’t drown. They have figured out a way to fly up through the tiny pin hole in saran wrap that was designed to trap them. I’ve watched them crawl around the outside the rim of a wine glass, knowing better than to fly in, because they’ll drown. The traps I set turn into breeding grounds for more fruit flies. I even sprinkled odorless Boric Acid Powder around their favorite resting spot, my bathroom mirror, and they crawl around it. Read more below for the how-to’s on this awesome fruit fly trap.

To keep them away, follow these tips from Asapest.

1. Clean the buildup from the lining and the surrounding areas of your drains. Use a long, wire drain brush – similar to a bottle- washing brush – to scrub inside the drain.
2. A bleach solution and nylon scrub brush can help eliminate the buildup around the edge of the drain.
3. One reason for shower and tub drain clogs is the hair that collects in traps (the curved portion of the drain that holds water). Try bending a thin wire hanger to pull out some of this hair. Put a hook on one end and pull out as much of the debris as possible.
4. You also can rent a snake, a device that winds through drain clogs using old-fashioned arm strength.
5. Once you’ve cleaned the drain of hair and buildup, try using a plunger to push any remaining debris through the trap and down the drain.
6. Instead of caustic cleaners, try keeping the lining of your drains clean a couple of different ways. First, I use an organic drain cleaner about three times a year to keep my sink drains and tub drains flowing smoothly. Try Bio-Clean which uses enzymes to break down the organic matter that lines and clogs drains.
7. Also, use a drain freshener of salt, baking soda and white vinegar weekly to keep scum from building up in drains. Pour a half- cup of salt, then a half-cup of baking soda followed by a cup of vinegar into the drain. Let the drain foam for as long as possible, even overnight, then flush with boiling water.

Every night I sprinkle baking soda down the kitchen sink. And, a little bit in the tray in the refrigerator underneath the ice and water dispenser.

To keep them away from bananas and tomatoes, I sprinkle baking soda on them as they sit on my counter, and wash it off right before eating.

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Filed under: Life, Make Something, Science, health, try this by SusieJ - 15 Comments →

You’ll see all the ladies carrying these glasses full of green/purple pulp, all over the elementary school drop-off. The giveaway is the napkin we carry in the other hand, to wipe off the inevitable green/purple mustache that accompanies this smoothie. We’re the moms that are a decade or two older than all the other moms, and this smoothie helps us keep up. Now, even the men are asking for the recipe, men like my husband who say, “That shake helps me bike 20 percent faster.” Before you read further, you must know that this smoothie tastes delicious. We like our smoothie.

We’re drinking kale shakes. Kale. A vegetable loaded with vitamins, with a taste that surprisingly gets erased in the presence of fruit. I promise.

Kale is considered to be a highly nutritious vegetable. Kale, as with broccoli, contains sulforaphane (particularly when chopped or minced RAW!!!), a chemical believed to have potent anti-cancer properties. It’s a powerful antioxidant. Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium.

You can certainly buy all of those powered greens at the health food store, for big bucks, or you can get fresh greens, much more cheaply, with a fresh bag of kale. Kale. You can’t taste it. I promise.

The recipe came from a friend, who has a 90-year-old grandmother who drinks this every morning. “She looks great, and she’s full of energy.”  How does she do it? She “fills the blender cup all way to the top with greens.” No skimping. There is no “recipe,” simply fill your immersion blender with whatever fruit you have on hand. Some options:

• Whole peeled orange (for juice),
• frozen or fresh berries,
• banana,
• some moms swear by mangoes,
• melon,
• nuts (For protein. We’re skipping dairy in this shake, as kale has the calcium covered.)
• Ground flax seed. Optional, buy why not?
• Kale.

You really cannot taste the kale. (Did I say that already?) After a few gulps, you’ve had your greens for the day.

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Two letters have already been sent home from school this week — “Headlice in the classroom.”  Who wants to deal with the laundry, the chemicals and incubation periods?  Not me. Some local hair salons are selling over the counter spray, full of Rosemary Essential Oil, to prevent the lice from even thinking about jumping on your head. But you can make your own cheaply. Rosemary is a great lice preventative, because headlice cannot breathe through the smell of rosemary. It’s pretty easy, and inexpensive, to make you own head lice spray. Here’s how:

Pick up a bottle of rosemary essential oil, which you can find at Whole Foods.  Just put a drop or two behind your child’s ear, the back of the neck, and around the scalp, and the smell will keep the lice away. Rosemary is supposed to be good for concentration and memory — so it’s a double whammy.

If you prefer a spray, just add 10 drops of rosemary essential oil, with 10 drops of eucalyptus essential oil (optional — the lice just happen to not be able to breath that too) to an 8-ounce bottle of water. Add a spray nozzle, and spray the entire scalp — your child’s hat — and the back of their coat.

Of course, I forgot to douse my kids this morning before they left the house… so I could be in for some laundry anyway. I’ve heard from friends that a great way to kill lice, once it’s on the head, is to cover the hair with olive oil, wrap in plastic, and a towel, and sit for a couple of hours. The olive oil smoothers the lice.

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The day I left, a letter came home from the middle school… along with the rumors: Twenty (confirmed? who knows) cases of H1N1 at the middle school. After talking with the kids doctor, I realized the only option I had was to pump up their immune system so they can fight against H1N1. The day I left, I stocked the pantry with these items:

1. Oil of Oregano: One gel capsule each day, as a preventative.
2. Cinnamon Essential Oil. (See item 3) : 10 drops in 1/4 a cup of vegetable oil.  Stir, and keep until virus strikes.  When it does, rub a bit on the tummy, and glands around the neck. Penetrates through the skin. Cinnamon oil is known for its virus-killing properties. To be used only if flu strikes.
3. Peppermint Essential Oil: Add 10 drops to number 2 above. Peppermint Oil helps to settle the stomach and penetrates through the skin. To be used only if flu strikes.
4. Astragulus: One capsule per day, as a preventative.
5. Emergen-C: One pack each morning, as a preventative.
6. Ingenium Hand Sanitizer: Portable, and safe.
7. Oscillococcinum for Flu: Homeopathic flu remedy. My pediatrician’s exact words: “I can’t scientifically tell you it works; but I use it, and it works fast.” To be used only if flu strikes.

I also added Black Elderberry Extract for that cough… and research says it minimizes flu symptoms by half.

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Where else on earth could I indulge in the rich slathering of oil-rich caviar? And, more importantly, come back to the room, and not have to deal with any one person, except myself? I felt it sort of my duty to “check-it-out” so that if anybody ever comes up to me on the street and asks me, “Does a caviar body scrub make you smell fishy?” I would have the answer. “No… it does not. So, go for it.”

Now’s the time. And my skin, is oh so grateful. On the walk there, the spa was surrounded by hundreds of lavender bushes that were passed their prime of bloom… but the fragrance from the leaves gave off a powerful scent. Very nice.

Once inside, I was invited to relax by the fire, with green tea (brewed in those silk bags) until my name was called.

The caviar was actually an oily exfoilating scrub, that was applied as a massage — a double bonus. The smell was a combination of chamomile, calendula, lemon balm and
lavender, a scent like nothing I had quite experienced before.

I made it clear, from the beginning, that I was not going to be one of those chatty talkers during my treatment; and I did not care to listen to her talk either. I was there to relax; and talking and listening takes oh so much energy, you know? So, I placed my head down on the table, and I was a bit rude. But, it was for a good cause.

The table was heated from underneath, and the blankets and towels were thick, soft cotton. Once I was throughly covered in smoothy oil, both sides, I showered off, and moved back to that luxurious heated table.

Then, my technician out-did herself, despite my rudeness, and used the heated rocks, and covered them in melted shea butter, and began massaging me all over again. It was amazing… there was a moment or too when I completely lost consciousness. This played in the background, so move over U2, this is now my favorite song. I cannot get this out of my head… and I’m fine with that. (Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? I really like it. The actual “chant” doesn’t start until minute 1:30, so give it some time.)

Every once in awhile, I would open my eyes, and all I could see was the glow of the ceiling light above the table — it was an amber disc, barely lit, and for a second I was sure it was the planet Mars beaming down from above. Earth, back to Susie.

Once I was done, she suggested I spend some time in the steam room to let the oils sink into my skin. I opened the door, and the smell of eucalyptus and the warmth of the steam hit me, and I had only one question for myself: “How am I ever going summon the willpower to leave this luxurious room?”

I’ll tell you exactly what got me out of that steam room….

Tapioca pudding covered in toasted coconut

followed by a green tea raspberry tart.

Om Shanti… it’s my new life motto.

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