It happens every time.
One kid comes down with it, and you already know it's going to make it's way through the family, one by one.
But does it have to?
I'm gonna go ahead and say no.
One, cause facts.
And two, cause I've been able to stop that from happening in my family of six plenty of times!
Great news, right!?
But how?
Here's what I do when someone's got the ickies to prevent sharing.
1. Sharing isn't caring.
Don't let siblings share things! It seems to go without saying, but when you live together it's hard to even realize where we are being exposed. The ick-carrying kiddo gets their own bathroom, their own chair/couch, and preferably their own room until all better.
2. Treat everyone the same.
It took me a few years of natural living to figure this one out! The minute I realize one child needs immune system support, I give it to them...plus I give it to everyone else, too. The sooner I can boost them, the less time they will be down with "it" too.
3. Skip screens and sleep
I'm sure you already know the negative effects of "too much screen." The blue light tricks the brain into thinking it shouldn't sleep, and sleep is what a body needs to fight illness! Important immune system work is done during sleep. This tip stops spreading by speeding up recovery. The sooner the ick is gone, the better!
If you need entertainment, help them use their ears while resting their eyes!
Listen to music
Listen to a kid's podcast
Audiobooks
Let them take a detox bath
4. Purify the air
Separating the sick one helps a ton, but even so, sharing the air spreads ick, and there are other benefits to purifying air too, like making breathing pleasant, scenting the room safely and repelling bugs. We use Young Living Purification blend in the diffuser of every room of the house when someone is sick. It has Lemongrass in it, which is a powerful anti-ick plant that I use in my homemade Hand & Surface Purifier. The atmosphere it creates can't be beat-nor can the benefits!
Do these look like things you can do when one of your kids comes down with something?
What if I told you the #1 thing you can do to improve every single system in your body is absolutely FREE?
Yep!
You don’t need to buy a single thing to boost your immune system.
When I started doing this one thing, here’s what happened to me:
My skin cleared up at least 70%
Dark circles all but disappeared
I had more sustained energy all day
I ate less without trying (actually lost a few pounds accidentally)
I could think clearer & had less brain fog
Are you ready for it?
*stops to take a drink of water*
That's it!
Did you catch it?
YEP. It's water.
As it turns out, grannies advice to drink more water was absolutely correct.
See the thing is, in the morning when you wake up, you’re already dehydrated.
At just 5% dehydration, your energy is reduced by 25%!
Without adequate amounts of water, your brain chemicals and hormones can’t travel freely to flow where they need to flow so that you can GO where you need to go and do what you need to do.
Your body needs you to drink more water.
A few of the more critical functions in the body regulated by water include:
- removal of waste through the gastrointestinal and urinary systems,
- blood and lymph flow throughout the body,
- transfer of nutrients to the cells and the removal of toxins,
- regulation of body temperature,
- balance of hormones, and
- the cushioning and regulation of all organs, including the brain.
- In Water for Health, for Healing, for Life, Dr. Batmanghelidj writes that water normalizes the blood-manufacturing systems and “increases greatly the efficiency of the immune system in the bone marrow, where the immune system is formed.”
Dehydration, even subclinical dehydration-meaning you feel thirsty- is a breeding ground for your pathogens. It makes draining mucus and phlegm more difficult... making easier for you to get sick.
Are you convinced? Good.
So before you go to bed tonight, fill a glass of water and place it by your bed. In the morning, before your feet hit the floor, sip it down. Before the coffee or tea or whatever. Then, refill that glass after you brush your teeth. Before you shower. After hanging up your purse when you arrive back home.
Grab a free printable water tracker for a visual reminder and encouragement.
Start with the morning one, because starting your day by flooding your body with hydrations releases that brain fog, moves your blood and lymph and helps you get going on the right foot.
Make drinking water enjoyable so that it’s easier to incorporate to your day.
Are you excited to do this? I would love to hear your gameplan!
Enjoy being HYDRATED!
For years, I had an old, yellowed, stained recipe card in my recipe box for Crab Swiss Quiche.
It's one of those perfect, "impressive" recipes that everyone loves (assuming they like crab, of course) that I would make for guests and parties. 
I didn't know where it came from but I always used it! So much, that I know many of the stains are from my heavy use.
I finally got around to asking my mom where the recipe card came from.
"That's from the first person who knew you existed!" she replied.
As the story goes, my mom's friend Maryse was proudly French and wrote the recipe down for her.
Apparently, one day when they were together my mom mentioned she had not been feeling well, and Maryse was certain it was because my mom was pregnant. She encouraged her to go to her doctor to check.
Turns out, she was right!
My mom made the recipe many times, as did I as I got older, and it ended up in my recipe box collection.
I've changed the filling in this recipe countless ways, but the egg base is pure perfection and I wouldn't dare make a single change to the ratios. 
In addition to the original crab and quiche filling, I've made just about everything else you can think of.
Some of our favorites remain bacon-mushroom-swiss-spinach and ham-cheddar-broccoli, but you can literally use any vegetables and herbs you prefer!
I recommend that any "strong" vegetables, like onions and peppers, and leafy greens like kale, take a quick trip in a sauté pan before being mixed into the quiche, so that they are soft and creamy when eaten!
No matter what filling you choose, this quiche base will never let you down!
It's the perfect ratio of mayonnaise, milk and egg that cooks up into a creamy, stable/sliceable, purely delectable quiche that makes a statement on the table and plate.
Something excellent about this recipe is that you can confidently make ingredient brand/type substitutions, as long as your ratios stay the same.
For example, I've successfully used almond milk and cashew milk instead of cow's...although my favorite result is raw cow's.
I've used many brands of mayo, too....even homemade, but my favorite remains Primal Kitchen.
Do you hate scraping mayo out of the measuring cup like I do?
Here's a trick I've learned: Pour your milk into the measuring cup first (1/2 cup), then spoon mayonnaise into the same cup until the combined contents reach the 1 cup line.
The mayonnaise will float in the milk and never stick to the measuring cup!
Ready to make your own perfect quiche?
Based on Miss Maryse's original French recipe, here is the Perfect Quiche Base recipe, with ratios for you to add your favorite "fillings."
Perfect Quiche Base
5 large eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 milk
Whisk ingredients together until well incorporated and use to make your perfect quiche.
The Perfect Quiche
Deep dish pie crust, or "crustless" alternative (see below)
1.5 cups vegetables + herbs, chopped into 1 inch or smaller
1 cup shredded cheese
Perfect Quiche Base
Preheat oven according to crust package.
Pierce pie crust with fork a few times along bottom, then bake for 1o minutes.
Preheat oven to 350.
Evenly distribute prepared vegetables into the crust.
Sprinkle cheese evenly over vegetables.
Pour Perfect Quiche Base into the crust over the filling.
Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes, until "set."
Allow to sit 10 minutes before slicing.
In case you're wondering, the original recipe used 1 cup of shredded crab meat, 1/2 cup chopped green onions, and 1 cup of shredded swiss cheese....and it's absolutely heavenly!
Want to make your quiche "crustless?"
I've made this crustless many times!
Line an 8-9 inch pan with with greased (I use a paper towel dipped in olive oil to grease) parchment paper.
Alternatively, you can pour your quiche contents directly into a seasoned cast-iron skillet.
What is your favorite quiche filling?
If you try this recipe, please let me know how you like it!
For months she has had and worn this dress, but only today made this discovery.
When she found the pockets, her little face broke out into a mile-wide smile and she exclaimed, "Mommy! God saved these pockets to surprise me with them! I really like them! Do you? He just gave them to me."
Her perspective hit my heart deep. She wasn't disappointed that she hadn't been enjoying the pockets up until now. She wasn't so distracted as to not appreciate the discovery.
She was aware of the goodness of her Father, who had hidden this sweet thing away for her. Just recognizing His presence and attention towards her brought such depth and blessing to so simple a thing.
I don't think it would have been as special or sweet if she had known about these pockets from day one of owning the dress.
Receiving the pockets later gave it meaning- a lovely little surprise that He had set aside for today, to remind her He loves her and is thinking about her.
Sometimes, I think, we wrongly determine that because we don't yet have something we desire, that He is withholding it from us. This little lesson reminded me this is not the case.
Proverbs 25:2 says, "It is God's privilege to conceal things, and the king's privilege to discover them."
And sometimes, I think we are so concerned with other matters, we forget to recognize that He is literally with us every moment...a doting Father wanting to surprise and delight us.
Thank you for the lesson today my sweet girl! Your mommy and daddy love you, but your Father loves you even more.
When she found the pockets, her little face broke out into a mile-wide smile and she exclaimed, "Mommy! God saved these pockets to surprise me with them! I really like them! Do you? He just gave them to me." Her perspective hit my heart deep. She wasn't disappointed that she hadn't been enjoying the pockets up until now. She wasn't so distracted as to not appreciate the discovery.
She was aware of the goodness of her Father, who had hidden this sweet thing away for her. Just recognizing His presence and attention towards her brought such depth and blessing to so simple a thing.
I don't think it would have been as special or sweet if she had known about these pockets from day one of owning the dress.
Receiving the pockets later gave it meaning- a lovely little surprise that He had set aside for today, to remind her He loves her and is thinking about her.
Sometimes, I think, we wrongly determine that because we don't yet have something we desire, that He is withholding it from us. This little lesson reminded me this is not the case.
Proverbs 25:2 says, "It is God's privilege to conceal things, and the king's privilege to discover them."
And sometimes, I think we are so concerned with other matters, we forget to recognize that He is literally with us every moment...a doting Father wanting to surprise and delight us.
Thank you for the lesson today my sweet girl! Your mommy and daddy love you, but your Father loves you even more.
"Lord, thank you for hiding away the sweetest gifts for me to discover. I ask you to help me be more aware of your presence and constant interaction in my life. I want to know what you are doing, and participate in whatever way you want me to. Speak, Lord, I'm listening!"
This is what they're like in photos...
and this is what they're like, actually.🤪
When I was pregnant with Alice, a big prayer on my heart was the she and her big brother would be best friends.
One day while driving in the car with 1.5 year old Calvin in the back and Alice in my belly, I felt the presence of God rush through.
As I opened my mouth to pray to respond to it, Calvin started talking instead.
"My baby, fun. My baby love. Play baby!"
He, a baby himself, was kicking his legs and smiling as he said it.
I started to cry because the Lord showed me that He was revealing to my toddler that his sister was a gift, a blessing and an honor.
God speaks to babies!!!
Two days after she was born, the midwife was leaving the appointment room but suddenly turned around, looked straight in my eyes very authoritatively and said, "Oh and THEY (pointing to them) are going to be best friends their whole lives. I see that on them" and then just left.
God has taught me so many things through raising my children, but one thing I hope you, mama, will walk away from with this one.
I believe with all my heart that siblings are intended to be blessings to each other.
They're on purpose.
Their personalities, giftings, preferences, and desires are chosen by God to work together with each other and fit like a puzzle. Each piece alone isn't enough to create the ideal landscape: but together they bring clarity and form beauty.
And I believe my job as a mother, isn't just teaching them conflict resolution and sharing.
I believe it's to teach them to honor, appreciate and ENJOY each other.
This is a cry from my heart that I believe any mother can pray and receive.
When I learned the power of asking God to speak to me regarding my children...when I learned He always says, "Okay....." and gives insight and wisdom....it changed everything.
Print it out, write it up, read it, say it, but don't go another day, Mama, without receiving His divine help!
"God, in Jesus name I thank you for creating my family perfectly in your divine wisdom. Help me to see the unique purpose in my childrens' similarities AND differences. Reveal those things to me AND to my children. Give me wisdom in guiding their interactions so they honor you and each other. Show me what you are doing and what you are saying to my children, so that I may cooperate with you. Speak, Lord! Your servant is listening. I trust you!"
