We have the season latest.

No it's not the latest fashions (we wish).............We have that yucky three letter word. The FLU! 

For the last two weeks we have all had something happen. I went grocery shopping and came home with strep throat. Olivia came home with a fever of 105 and her first ever ER visit! Just as things started to perk up and we picked up Madalyn and Julia we also picked up an unwanted hitchhiker (just to clarify not real person)!

Have you noticed the backgrounds of our selfies are all the same? Well it's because we haven't moved off the couch since the night we pulled into town. For the last two days I've told myself we just have a cold, down played the symptoms to the kids and fed them the magical of Motrin/tylonl cocktail to keep fevers down along with Gatorade and the same movie over and over!  

Today Madalyn started to say she was dizzy. I saw her get up and walk and she looked like she had a late night. My super hero mom powers kicked in and said, ear infection. Just great!!!! For those of you who have ever relocated you know it's almost impossible to get in as a new patient to see a Doctor much less four new patients! Well thank goodness for my church.....There was a doctor who took all of us in at the same time. Excuse me for a second, happy dance 💃💃!!! 

On to why I'm blogging all this.... 

In light of the fact that we are having a terrible flu season and two years ago the flu nearly killed me I take it very seriously and have really done my homework on the best ways to treat the monster! 

Here's what a we do in cases such as ours to help treat our symptoms and be comfortable. 

First off prayer, that's right, prayer. We were all given a priesthood blessing yesterday. I don't expect God to heal us immediately but for myself I needed an extra dose or umph if you will of mom power and patience. I'm sick and taking care of three sick kids. SIDE NOTE, this is not ment to offend anyone so please skip over this step if your not religious. 

Second, I refused Tamiflu for our whole family. To me the side effects are not worth taking a day or two off the virus. I instead selected a more natural method of fighting the virus and went with Elderberry. Studies show it has anti-viral properties and help treat the flu. 

Now, I am still using fever reducers to control their fevers. I line them up every couple hours for fever checks and alternate the two meds. They like it. Even baby O lines up and waits her turn or forces her self in to be first in line. She is a mini-bully! They like to know what the big number is. 103.6 has been out highest and the winner so far has been Madalyn! Poor kiddo. 

I learned from my past experience that medical cough suppressants and decongestants helped me catch pneumonia and because of my now medical history a Dr. will not prescribe them to me or recommend I use them. I choose this same option for my kids. Let them cough it out. Just teach them how to catch their germs. Totally gross but let the gunk breakup and move on out of there........

Obviously this means we need remedies to help relax, breath and sooth their throats. It was recently recommended to me to use lavender on their chests by a NICU Doctor here at our local hospital. It works! They can breath, they are soothed and relaxed. Bonus, it's anti bacterial and can be used on hands instead of alcohol based sanitizers. As a mommy of a teething 17-month old I prefer not to have her stick her hands in her mouth with the alcohol on them!!! Even better, turns out direct application helps fight the flu.... Yay for mommies everywhere! One more reason lavendar should worshiped is if you boil it and let the steam into your home it helps fight of the airborne virus. Win, win if you ask me! 

On to throat care, HONEY. Not the processed junk you get at your local grocery store. You have to use all natural honey. I prefer honey in it's honey comb. It's a super food packed with everything amazing. I also happen to be stocked with it through Restoration Designs. Honey is the best and it, "has proved to be a better cough reliever in children than the leading cough syrup according to a 2007 Penn State College of Medicine Study. Honey provided better relief from nighttime cough and sleeplessness than cough syrup with the cough suppressant dextromethorphan (DM)." Because of honey Madalyn can talk again. I must admit the silence was nice but not her suffering! ;)

And last but never least, LOVE and lots of it. 

Sources:

http://www.raw-food-diet-magazine.com/benefits-of-eating-honey.html#sthash.msaEBiQS.dp