Mud's not all bad

   "Daddy!" cried my five-year-old son as he came running around the side of the house. Tears streaming down his face and gasping in hysterics, he collapsed in my arms trying to tell me what was wrong.  We had been weeding the garden together and my favorite little helper had taken some of the weeds to the garbage can and had returned with four stings from a hornet that had built its home there. "It hurts, Daddy!" He looked up at me with complete faith in his eyes that I could make the pain go away.
   I took some clay from the earth we had been turning together and made it a bit wetter with some water we had set aside for us.  I took the clay and put it on his stings.  The cool mud began to soothe him right away.  It's a trick I learned from my Dad on a similar summer day 25 years earlier.  The clay would draw some of the hornet venom out as it dried and is even better for a localized sting than Benedryl cream.
   This is what my kids call "Daddy Magic."  I've got four and they are all brilliant, dynamic, incredible little balls of energy.  My oldest, "Critter," is 6 years old and just started the first grade.  She reads beautifully, is already an aspiring actress and has a morbid fascination with blood.  She'll either be a doctor when she grows up or star in horror movies. My five-year-old son, "Dude," is an energetic problem solver with am empathetic heart. "Lil' Red" is my three-year-old ginger haired daddy's girl.  She is accident prone but also my toughest kid so far. "Big Red", is number four, and although currently the smallest is definitely my biggest baby.  He's eight months old, a little stoic, and likes to move.
   My kids often rely on Daddy Magic to get them through all the little ailments life sends their way.  Often this comes in the form of the proverbial "kiss it better" routine, but also frequently includes other things like daddy's "feel better" tea, magic lotion, or half a dozen other home remedies I've collected over the years. It's the desire to help my kids and others that really got me started studying herbal and holistic remedies. In today's economy, who can afford to go to the doctor every time you catch a sniffle.
   I've started my own little herb garden, which was a disaster really, and not quick enough to do what I wanted to with it.  It takes years to grow some medicinal herbs in sufficient quantities to be useful.  And then I discovered doTerra essential oils. They are ready, pure, and safe for my kids.
   So, this blog will be about my kids, home remedies, and doTerra.  I think there's power in people connecting and sharing information.  Connect with me.  Let's share.