Just Call me Mother Owl

I've recently had a new fascination with owl decorations. I don't know what brought this about! When I was in college, there was a circumstance that made me not so fond of owls for a very long time after, but I guess enough time has passed that my distaste for owls has gone away.

Anyways, I feel like a mother hen or owl or whatever mommy animal prepares for long winters. Last year's cold months were just difficult ones for all of us as we adjusted to a new baby in the family, dealt with seemingly constant sicknesses, and I went through a depression of sorts for a while.

So recently I've been feeling a real need to "batten down the hatches" and gear up for the long winter. At first I was working more on the mental side of things - trying to think of things that will help me (and hence, all of us!) emotionally and mentally when we're cooped up at home for days on end and/or battling sickness. That was mainly just a mental list for me personally. One of the things on that list is to post scripture verses up all over our house, so I've been working and making plans to do more. I met with a friend here and bounced some decorating ideas off of her, and she and I are both going to be working on doing this in our homes. I don't want it to look too homemade, but I also don't want to spend a whole lot of money on it. I was happy to buy a cheap welcome-mat type striped rug the other day, and then I'll sew some cloth on it and paint/write verses on it. If it turns out nice, I'll try to remember to post a picture of it.

But I've also come up with a list to help us all physically so that we won't be so susceptible to sickness. I thought I'd share that list with you. I trust the Lord will be gentle on us all this coming year because last year was sort of rough.

--Exercise regularly
--Get good sleep
--Drink herbal teas (not my cup of tea - ha!)
--Eat probiotics like yogurt
--Wash hands often
--Use neti pot (that's mainly for my hubby because just the idea of it makes me feel like gagging!)
--Wipe doorknobs, faucets, handles, phones, light switches, toys, etc. often
--Take vitamins/supplements like echinacea, fish oil, vitamin c (if needed)
--Drink lots of water
--Use humidifiers
--Try to keep sugar intake down to minimum (probably won't try too hard on that one)
--Get good fiber
--Take hot baths
--Eat lots of fruits and veggies
--Get right amount of vitamin C
--Use hand sanitizer when out and about (I hate those things - always feel like I'm wiping my hands with a stringent chemical!)
--Take other cold-stay-away type supplements like colloidal silver, or others. (not sure of the names of them
--Get fresh air if possible
----------------------------------------

And here's a Vitamin C chart for the ages of our family:

1-3 years old - 15mg
4-8 years old - 25mg
adult woman - 75mg
adult man - 90mg

And some foods containing vitamin C - papaya(60mg), strawberries(60), oranges(50), cauliflower(40), spinach(30)

The website I found this vitamin C information didn't specify if those measurements were per 1 piece of fruit or what....maybe it's 1 cup of fruit.