Corrie and I also mastered the ‘double foot lock’ on the silks! This is used when you’re up in the air…gets you in a good, locked position for doing tricks. We have to get one foot locked in from standing, but then we’re able to get the second locked in while hovering a couple of feet off the ground. Looks easy, but I swear it’s not! The first picture is me, and the second is Corrie. We were pretty proud of our little feat.

 

If you were anything like me as a child, you remember how easy it was to swing around on the monkey bars, do flips, and hang from your knees. Well, at 28 years old, it’s not quite so easy anymore. For me, at least. At my first aerial class, when our teacher showed us that we were going to work on ‘tucks’ with the trapeze – swinging our legs up so our feet touch the bar — I thought ‘oh that looks easy peasy’ in my head. I did that all the time as a kid.

Not so much. Not only was it NOT easy, but I wasn’t able to do it at all! Talk about discouraging. Some of the other first time students whipped their legs up to the bar like it was nothing. Well, this weekend I did it. And I even went into a straddle! It seriously felt amazing and my smile was beaming from ear to ear. Check out Corrie and I hitting the inverted straddle on the low-flying trapeze. You can see the teacher’s arms out as she’s saying ‘see, you just did it!’

I am realizing; however, that I really need to work on my body. Not only do I still have 7 pounds to lose to hit my pre-pregnancy weight, but I also have a personal goal of losing 10 more on top of that. Aerial is also showing me that I have zero upper body strength. It’s already gotten better, but I have a long way to go. I’m starting to do daily push-ups, and the husband and I are starting a yoga routine together. (Any podcast recs?)

I’ve got one more week of aerial classes in this series, and then I start a new 7 week series at a new studio the following week! Part of me feels like I’m cheating on the original studio, but this new place is a bit closer to home, and when you’ve got a small baby patiently waiting for you to return – the shorter the drive, the better.

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I see a naturopathic doctor as my primary care physician and when I was in her office last, she gave me a small mason jar filled with some dried elderberries. I hadn’t heard of the stuff, but she went on to tell me about how the berries work as a great natural immune booster – especially during cold and flu season.

Elderberries are rich in both vitamins A and C – both of which are essential for keeping your immune system nice and strong. Elderberries also contain bioflavonoids. [Bio-what?] Bioflavonoids give pigment to fruits, veggies, flowers, and herbs. They have anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-allergic, and maybe even anti-cancer properties! So, the combination of this bioflavonoid goodness and vitamins A and C, makes elderberries an amazing all natural immune booster.

Elderberry syrup is made from dried elderberries, water, and honey. Be careful though – you don’t want to eat them dry or they may cause you to get nauseous.  You can buy elderberry syrup at your local health food store, or you can make it on your own! Googling will get you a variety of recipes. This is the one I chose to follow, and it turned out great.

What you need:

+ 1/2 cup dried elderberries – or one cup fresh (my naturopath recommended purchasing them here)

+ 2 cups water

+ 1 cup organic raw honey

+ fine mesh strainer

+ mason jar or other glass container for storing

What to do:

+ Mix elderberries and water in a sauce pot.

+ Bring the mixture to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered.

+ Pour juice through a mesh strainer into the container you want to use for storage. Use a spoon to press on the elderberries to get out as much juice as you can.

+ Add the honey and stir thoroughly.

+ Store your syrup in a glass container in the fridge.

That’s it! Honey is a natural preservative, so it will last in the fridge for at least a month. This recipe will probably last you a little over a month. I had a pretty nasty cold (so I was taking it 3-4 times/day for a couple of days) and it lasted me one month. I’ve actually got to make some more as we’re out of my original batch.

Ideally, you should take it regularly (one tablespoon/day) during the cold and flu season and should help keep any nasty viruses at bay. Children over the age of one may take one teaspoon daily. If you do end up getting a bug – take one tablespoon four times daily to help reduce symptoms and *hopefully* keep the virus from getting worse. Unfortunately, I didn’t know about this syrup until I already had a cold, so I don’t yet have experience using it as a cold and flu preventative…but I will say that it reduced my cold symptoms during the height of my cold — especially at night. Plus, it tastes amazing. Seriously. I can already see Monkey when he’s old enough to take it (no honey for babies!) – begging me for more. It’s really that good.

Oh! And if you don’t want to take it straight (although it’s so yummy,  I don’t see why you wouldn’t) – I’ve read that it’s great added to juice, water, or even a glass of wine! You could also mix it into your oatmeal, cream of wheat, or pour it on pancakes.

Do you have any other natural cold and flu prevention tips? I’d love to hear them!

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, so please before making this or any other recipe recommended on this blog, seek the advice of your primary care physician first.

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We weren’t really going to get each other anything, so for my gift I tried to think up something cheap, but clever. I landed on the idea of making some rainbow rice crispy treats in the shape of a heart. I have seen so many rainbow food yums floating around on Pinterest and they always look so good; almost like works of art. I thought my idea was clever, and I knew Brian liked rice crispy treats, so how could I go wrong?

My finished product:

I was feeling pretty good about myself! Looked decent enough. It was very colorful…and the few bites I taste tested were rather satisfying if I do say so myself. But then I received the masterpiece that Brian had been slaving over out in the garage.

Wow. My jaw literally dropped! It was amazing. Now, I’ve also seen lots of crayon art floating around on Pinterest…but I hadn’t ever come across this particular design. It looks SO good. I love love love the couple under the umbrella, especially since we currently live in an area that gets way too much rain for my liking. This gift WAY out-did my dumb rice crispy treats, wouldn’t you say? Ironic, too, that we both chose to make something so colorful. I absolutely love it! Impressive, right? I’m so lucky to be married to such a wonderful guy.

And just because it’s too cute not to share, I snapped this picture of Monkey while he was napping in the Ergo carrier tonight. The Ergo has become our go-to carrier these days now that Monkey’s a bit bigger. Speaking of being big…today at music class (yes, I’m taking a music class with my 4 1/2 month old…more on that later) – trying to make small talk, the mom sitting next to us casually asked how old Monkey was. When I told her 4 1/2 months, she almost didn’t know what to say…but landed on ‘Wow, he’s a little on the big side then, huh’. Her baby is just about the same size as the Monkey, maybe a bit smaller even, and she is 8 1/2 months old. Yikes. Guess mama’s milk is doin’ the body good, huh?

All in all, it was a great Valentine’s Day. I sure do love my boys. How was yours?

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What do you think?

Interested in hiring Sarah to makeover your blog? Check out her webpage for contact information, or take a look at her Etsy for some pre-made designs.

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Huh? We did a double take, too. Well, the doc went on to explain that the ‘warming sock treatment’ is something that’s been used for years and years, and seems to help clear up colds and bring down fevers.

What you need:

+ 1 pair of white cotton socks

+ 1 pair of thick wool socks (must be wool…could probably use a blend, but the majority must be wool)

+ Towel

+ Warm bath or warm foot soak

What to do:

+ Soak the cotton socks thoroughly in COLD water. Must be cold. Ring them out as much as possible so they do not drip.

+ Warm your feet. Do this by either taking a warm bath, or soaking them in warm water for a few minutes. Try to soak them for at least 5 minutes. Keep in mind your feet must be warm for this to work, otherwise the treatment won’t be as effective and may even be harmful.

+ Dry feet off with a towel.

+ Immediately put cold, wet socks over feet. Follow by putting wool socks over the wet socks.

+ Go straight to bed, cover up, and try to avoid getting chilled.

+ Leave the socks on overnight and they should be dry/warm in the morning!

Sounds crazy, I know. But, I figured it was worth a shot! Supposedly, the treatment helps to increase circulation and decrease congestion in the upper respiratory passages, head, and throat. It also helps you to sleep better. I was told that it’s most effective if used 3 days in a row. Last night was night two, and Monkey does seem to be feeling better! (But who knows if it’s the socks, or just the cold running it’s course.)

But won’t it be incredibly uncomfortable to sleep in wet socks? Well, Monkey didn’t seem to mind. But, he’s 4 months old…he can’t really tell me what he’s thinking. So, I decided to try the treatment on myself as well. I’m still a bit congested myself, so it couldn’t hurt right? I’ll admit, it was a bit annoying at first, but after a few minutes, you don’t even realize that your feet are wet and come morning…your feet are dry and warm.

And, what does Monkey think of his homeopathic remedy? He’s  not the biggest fan. Check out this video:

Disclaimer: I am not a physician, so please…if you are sick, speak with your physician before trying the warming sock treatment.

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