Little Herbalists and Healthy Families
Little Herbalists and Healthy Families
Here is our second round of cinnamon 'n' spice ornaments! We had so much fun coming up with ways to decorate using botanicals. Check out my other post Cinnamon 'n' Spice Ornaments Craft Stylefor full instruction on how to make this aromatically stimulating craft. Trust me these are easy, stimulate a lot of imagination in kids and smell amazing! You won't be disappointed.
Read MoreCombine a lot of cinnamon with some applesauce and what do you get? A delicious smelling dough for crafting! Add some ginger, cloves and orange essential oil and the dough becomes incredibly fragrant, almost enchanting in its olfactory expression. Oh my...
Read MoreHave you heard of Rosemary Gladstar? Read any of her books? She is an absolutely amazing herbalist, simply inspiring in a nourishing love filled kinda way. Her books are infused with a plethora of knowledge that is easy to understand and relate too. Her beautiful book, Family Herbal, A Guide to Living Life With Energy, Health and Vitality is no exception. Filled with lovely pictures, stories and herbal tips this book is a great introduction to the world of herbs while also being a valuable resource for those more experienced with plant medicine. Broken down into chapters for every member of the family this book has wonderful ideas for addressing everyone's needs. There are also sections brimming with ideas for healthy eating, help with stress, body care recipes and remedies for times when we need a bit of herbal help such as during a cold or flu.
Rosemary also includes a materia medica section complete with many favorite and useful plants as well as a section on making herbal medicines. Through out the book you will find beloved wonderful recipes from Rosemary to try in your own home like:
Her recipes are easy to follow and produce wonderful medicines. She often provides the reader with special little tips for medicine making success.
This is truly one of my favorite books. Full of inspiration and wisdom, it is a delight to read and use.
Amanda from Natural Living Mamma
Katie from Mexican Wild Flower
Angela from Mama Rosemary.
Congratulations on being featured! These amazing posts (and a few others) will be tweeted, shared on my Facebook page and pinned on my Pintrest boards! From this week forward the list is in random order! I am hoping this will get the late linkers more views! Here are the rules: Your blog article must fit these categories: sustainable living, homesteading, DIY, herbs, home-made body and skin care, real food (no processed ingredients, Weston A. Price Foundation guidelines are a good place to start to define “real food”), and all things “natural“. Link back to this week’s blog hop post so that everyone can see the other amazing posts. It is just basic common courtesy. Show some love! Go check out and see what others have posted. Share the hop and the posts you love! Not required but I would love it if you would grab the button and share share share!
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Good Monday Morning! Are you looking for gifts for a special child in your life to give during the upcoming holiday season? Something homemade that inspires the imagination? Something that gives kids hands on experience with herbs?
Play dough, need I say more? 
Maybe it is just me and my obsession with the stuff. I do seem to talk about it a lot and make it often. But in my opinion, play dough is really one of the best homemade gifts for little kids. By adding herbs and essential oils to play dough kids get to experience herbs in an up close and personal way. I find that they absolutely love it! I smile every year when I make up a big batch of Christmas play dough to send off in the mail to all the sweet young ones in my life and of course I always make extra for my own kids to play with, though this year they seem less interested. So sad, I guess they are growing up!
Last night we made up a special batch to send off. We used lots of fun things to make it smell and sparkle like the Holidays.
Once it was all cooked up and had cooled off we portioned it into plastic bags to keep it fresh and then wrapped it with sparkly tissue paper. This will make a fun addition to gifts we send off in the mail! Check out my post on Herbal Play Dough for the recipe to make your own play dough.
The following links have great variations on play dough...
Rose At Preschool for Valentine's Day
A Happy First Day of Preschool With Calming Aromatherapy
Amanda from Natural Living Mamma
Katie from Mexican Wild Flower
Angela from Mama Rosemary.
Ditch the disposables: How to stop using paper towels by Green Idea Reviews
Cuddle Babies Too Much by Slightly Steady
Herbal Medicine Chest #1 by The Woodwife's Journal
Congratulations on being featured! These amazing posts (and a few others) will be tweeted, shared on my Facebook page and pinned on my Pintrest boards!
From this week forward the list is in random order! I am hoping this will get the late linkers more views!
Here are the rules: Your blog article must fit these categories: sustainable living, homesteading, DIY, herbs, home-made body and skin care, real food (no processed ingredients, Weston A. Price Foundation guidelines are a good place to start to define “real food”), and all things “natural“.
Link back to this week’s blog hop post so that everyone can see the other amazing posts. It is just basic common courtesy.
Show some love! Go check out and see what others have posted. Share the hop and the posts you love!
Not required but I would love it if you would grab the button and share share share!
Powered by Linky Tools
At the coffee shop one recent Fall morning I struck up a conversation with the spunky sweet woman behind the counter. We got to talking about the coconut caramel for sale near the register. I asked her if she thought I could use them to make caramel apples for my kids who are desperate for a gooey creamy apple. Our conversation drifted to how amazing apples are which is when I noticed the apples earrings she had doing a dangly dance from her ear lobes. Before I knew it this wonderful woman handed me a brown paper bag full of delicious red-green apples from her neighbor's tree. A kindly gift indeed....
The very next day, I was blessed to receive another gift. And this was huge for me, in fact the drama queen in me would say it changed my life, or at least my October. My daughter wanted to be "Trixie the Halloween Fairy" from the Rainbow Magic Books. I knew a little girl who had worn that very costume a few years before. I asked her mother if she still had it and could I buy it from her? Not only did she still have it but just she gave it to me. A full costume, complete with resplendent fairy wings. Now, I don't sew unless it is a simple repair job like re-attaching a button. And before I was gifted with this costume, I was looking at hours of potentially trying sewing or trying to figure out how to make the costume without sewing. It was a huge relief to know that I had nothing to do, the costume was done and I was free to focus on having fun with my kids. Another kindly gift...
How could I thank these lovely ladies and let them know how much their gestures meant to me? I pondered a bit before I remembered a favorite "thank you" that I love to give, an aromatherapy spritzer!
Most people love spritzers and delight in receiving them. Spritzers are so easy to make user friendly and bring a bit of plant magic into life. When I make a spritzer for someone who's preferences I don't know, I almost always use lavender essential oil. Most people love lavender and it is one of the safest essential oils. In fact only lavender and tea tree essential oils are okay to put straight on the skin with out dilution (this is called a neat application ~ neat right?).
Fill the bottle almost to the top with water but leave enough room for the sprayer tube to insert into the bottle. You may have to trim the tube a little bit to make it the right length. Then just add you essential oils. You will want to put a safe amount of oils into the bottle. Here is a good guideline for recommended dilutions:
So basically if you have a 4 ounce bottle for your spritzer you would use 20 to 24 drops of essential oil to make a 1% dilution or 40 to 48 drops for a 2% dilution. Information on proper dilutions taken from the oh so excellent Mindy Green & Kathy Keville's Aromatherapy, A Complete Guide to the Healing Art.
Then just give it a good shake. Add a ribbon and a label to make it pretty. That is it! So simple. What a great way to give thanks and tell someone you appreciate having them in your life.
Tiny enchanting little baby rosebuds laden with fragrance are perfect for adorning a sweet little ones head or a lovely lady. This project is perfect for providing a beautiful gift for a little fairy, accessory for Halloween, a dress up party or a festival.
Read MoreThe first snow is magical. We were blessed with that special magic just over a week ago. Just a light dusting, it was beautiful. The snow brought huge smiles to my girls' faces in anticipation of winter fun. Preparation for the storm included a trip the garden for one last harvest. My little one followed along side me and helped me bring in our veggies and herbs. As we rambled through the yard we found our way to the fairy garden we planted a couple of months ago during the heat of summer. We found a large amount of thyme and lemon balm all ready to come inside and join us for the winter. We decided to make a little treat for getting us through the long winter ahead ~ herbal infused honey, yummy!
Pack the herb into the bottom of a jar.
Pour honey over the top. Use a chop stick or a knife to stir the herbs into the honey because the honey will sit on top of the herbs and need a bit of help making its way to the bottom of the jar.
Some fun gooey bubbles will come up and insight potential giggles from little onlookers.
After stirring you will see the honey level go down and will need to add some more to top it off. Perhaps the fairies took a little sip?
Then comes the hardest part, waiting. Waiting for the honey to be done. If you can, try to wait at least a week before you start eating your honey. Truth be told we have already "tasted" the honeys many times and even had some on pancakes. Ah well...
Make sure to label your honey and stir it every day. Or you can simply turn the jar over a couple of times a day. This great tip and a wonderful video tutorial from Mountain Rose Herbs on making herbal honeys can be found HERE. After a week or so has passed either strain the herbs out of your honey or just eat them along with the honey.
Please Note: When infusing fresh herbs in honey you want to be sure to keep the herbs covered in honey so they don't rot. The water content in the herbs is what makes this happen. By keeping the herbs covered the honey preserves them and prevents spoilage. It is really hard to keep the herbs covered which is why turning the jar over a couple of times a day is just brilliant Because the flipping of the jar doesn't keep the herbs submersed in honey, but it does keep the herbs coated and that does the trick!
Well this is the easy part!
A tasty spoonful here and there... Spread on biscuits and toast... A big dollop in a cup of tea...
It gets even better though because the HONEY is infused with the medicinal properties of the plants, it becomes delicious little immune system boost during the winter. Along with the amazing healing benefits of honey, LEMON BALM is a wonderful antiviral which eases tension in the nervous system and lifts the spirits. Thyme, rich in essential oils, is an antiseptic that is amazing for spasmodic coughs and fighting off infection. The thyme combined with soothing honey should be wonderfully soothing for respiratory issues.
Does it get any better than this?
Shared on: Natural Living Monday, The Woodwife's Journal, Kid's Co-op
This time of year we are always busy preparing something for those loveliest of people... Mommies.
This May we are making foot soaks for pampering hard-working feet and to go with it? The cutest footprint butterflies!
Read MoreOver the years our family has been truly blessed by all the wonderful teachers that have taught our children. Amazing souls that have nourished and cared for our children, striving to do their best with each interaction. Having guided and taught my kids with love, insight and a firm hand; every single one of these people has not only passed on the required material but have also imparted their own unique wisdom and gifts to my children. This is a most precious gift.
Read MoreHerbs for kids and families! Crafting, learning and projects for children, parents and teachers including herbal crafts. Also natural living ideas for healthy families.
