Natural Remedies for Cold and Flu

If you're needing some natural remedies for cold and flu, look no further!

(I hope you don't need them, but if you do happen to be sick, these should help you get feeling better in a jiffy!)

Kara from Home With Purpose uses Hydrogen Peroxide for cold and flu.

Shannon from Simply Smiles uses this Winter Wellness Elixir when she feels any kind of sickness coming on.

Whitney from Beauty in the Mess shares 10 different remedies for cold and flu, including her favorite essential oils.

This Homemade Decongestant from the Titus 2 Homemaker includes radishes, red onion and cloves.

Whole New Mom shows how she makes her own saline nose wash and homemade vapor rub.

The Homesteading Hippy made her own Elderberry Syrup as well as a different version of decongestant rub.

Jennifer from The Entwife's Journal came up with a different variation of homemade Elderberry Syrup.

Grassfed Mama's favorite ways to treat a cold include various essential oils, herbs, and a few other things.

Modern Wellness has a post on fighting the flu with essential oils.

Crunchy Savings shares her recipe for garlic cough syrup.

Better than natural cold and flu remedies, though, is prevention!  Visit Faith Filled Food for Moms to find 10 Ways to Naturally Boost Your Immune System.

What are your favorite natural cold and flu remedies?

One Easy Way to Get More Facebook and Pinterest Followers

What is happening to your posts?

Are people sharing them on Facebook or pinning them? Many times – not always – but many times the way a post is shared goes strongly in favor of one or the other.

(And if you don't have sharing tools on your blog – get some ASAP.)

Go analyze several of your top posts and see if they're a “Facebook post” or a “Pinterest post”. Many times you think you know what a post is going to do but your readers will ultimately tell you.

In other words, if people are mainly sharing it on Facebook, and it's not doing much on Pinterest, it's a “Facebook post”. So now it's time to optimize it for Facebook. If most of your traffic is coming from Facebook users, you don't want to try to direct them to Pinterest. They're already in Facebook mode. So what do you do? You embed a Facebook like box in your post and give them a clear call-to-action. “Follow on Facebook for more mom-to-mom encouragement.”

If your post is a “Pinterest post”, you can embed your Pinterest board into your post and ask them to follow you on Pinterest.
Start with your highest trafficked posts and embed the appropriate call-to-action. Over time, you will gain relevant followers who are interested in your content.

It's wonderful to gain Facebook and Pinterest followers on the actual platform, but we might as well gain them from every source we can! Can you think of other ways to gain social media followers directly from your blog?

How to Make a Stainless Steel Pan Non-Stick

I haven't fully done the research myself, but I've always been of the understanding that non-stick pans contain harmful chemicals that emit toxic fumes when you cook and that can leach into your food.

For that reason, I try to avoid cooking with non-stick pans.  But it can definitely be a pain to scrape  eggs or other meals off a stainless steel pan.

I set out to find out how to make a stainless steel pan non-stick, and I can't believe it was so easy!

1. Heat your pan over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes.

2. Add a glob of coconut oil and heat until it smokes.  Make sure to spread it around the entire surface of the pan.

3. Make sure you can see your reflection in the pan.  (You can see my hand taking the picture in the right hand side of the picture below.)

4. Allow the pan to cool completely, then wipe out the coconut oil residue with a paper towel.

5. You can now cook on your pan without using any butter or oil!

The picture below shows the pan after I cooked eggs in it without using any butter or oil.  All that is left in the pan are loose crumbs.  (There was a tiny bit stuck to the pan that scraped right off with the spatula.  That is what the crumbs are from.)

Don't heat your pan too hot or it is possible that your eggs will still stick somewhat.  I cooked mine on medium-high on an electric stove.

I don't know how long the pan will remain non-stick — I plan to update the post after a while and let you know how it's holding up.  But even if it has to be re-treated every once in a while it wouldn't be a big deal.

Have you ever turned your stainless steel pans into non-stick pans?  How did it hold up for you?

25 Stay-At-Home Date Night Ideas

For many of you, paying a babysitter is not in the budget, so you skip out on dating your spouse.  But you don't have to!  Here are 25 stay-at-home date night ideas that hardly cost anything and will give you and your spouse the opportunity to communicate and strengthen your bond.

Plan ahead for which night you want to have your date, feed the kids an early supper and put them to bed early.  Then you can do one of the following:

1. Light a fire in the fireplace or light a bunch of candles.  Have an indoor picnic by the fire.

2. Make cookies together and eat them warm right out of the oven.

3. Snuggle on the couch and watch a movie.  Treat yourself to your favorite snacks while you watch.

Below are some fantastic suggestions for good movies to watch as a couple:

4. Play board games together.

Don't have any 2 player games? Check the widget below for some suggestions!

5. Read a book aloud to each other.

6. Eat a candlelit dinner.

7. Work on a home improvement project together.

8. Work out together.

9. Play video games together and enjoy the competition.

10. Watch a sports game.

11. Set up a pair of chairs in the backyard and stick your feet in the kiddie pool.

12. Make breakfast for dinner and have breakfast in bed.

13. Take a walk around the backyard.

14. Watch your wedding video.

15. Look at old pictures.

16. Watch home movies of the kids.

17. Read your love notes from when you were dating.

18. Dream and make plans for the future.

19. Do a puzzle together.

20. Have a spa night.  Pamper each other with massages or pedicures.

21. Do brain teasers together.  See who can solve them the fastest.

22. Read the Bible and pray together.

23. Sit outside and look at the stars.

24. Make a fire in the backyard and roast marshmallows.

25. Take an online class together.

Do you have any other great ideas for stay-at-home dates?

Free Printable Scripture Verse Valentines

Are you looking for some printable Scripture verse valentines for your kids to give out this year?

I've created these for you to print and use!

The valentine verses for kids included on these cards are:

• I John 4:19
• Jude 1:21
• I John 3:1
• Romans 8:35
• John 3:16
• I John 5:1

All scriptures are from the King James Version.

These would be great for your kids to use at school or church!  Use the form below to download.

For more Christian valentine ideas, you can consider some of the below:

Thanks for being the “write” kind of friend Valentine – this Valentine is an adorable pencil holder!

God's love is like a Circle Valentine-this Valentine features the poem “God's Love is Like a Circle” and goes on top a bag that holds super balls.  Perfect for a non-candy valentine!

Countdown to Valentine's Day  –Use this printable to show your children how much you love them with a 14 day countdown to Valentine's day.  Such a simple, yet meaningful way to strengthen your relationship with your children.

You may also like:

Tears in a Bottle

Guest post by Laura Carnes

Psalm 56:8 –  Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

When I was in college, my roommates and I use to joke that if God put all our tears in a bottle He would have to a have a mighty big closet to keep them all in. Tears in a bottle could have been the title to our college memoirs. Women have a reputation for crying a lot.  Not sure that is really accurate, but in my case, it definitely seems as if I cry more and more each year.

I have been reflecting over this past year and looking forward to 2014. I think that this time of year is pretty good for that. Most people prefer to look back at the happy memories of the past, as do I. I love to think back at all the wonderful memories of 2013, but the Lord keeps bringing me back to this verse.  I have thought to myself this question: If God were to label my bottles of tears for this past year, for what would my tears be shed? One’s character is very clearly seen by what brings them to tears.

 This year I have shed many happy tears- tears of joy!! I have shed tears as I watched my son follow the Lord in baptism, wept as I watched teens follow the Lord in their choices, cried as I saw my kids playing and just realized God’s goodness and mercy upon my family.  I guess I have dried my eyes just a few more times than I can remember at the sheer joy of knowing that I have a God who loves me and cares about every part of me.

Unfortunately, I admit that I also have cried about selfish, petty, prideful things.  You know, when things did not go my way, or just being so consumed with my own problems or disappointments that I could not see my blessings.  Tears would flow, but that again is usually what happens when you follow your own way. After all, it is a biblical principle.  Prov. 16:25 – There is a way that seemeth right unto man but the end thereof are the ways of death.  I cannot really expect to do my own thing apart from God and it turn out to my better. Oh, that I would have the mind of Christ and realize even in everyday things that God works all things for my good.

There have been tears of sadness as well. Tears when I moved away from friends and family, tears when my friends are terminally ill and going through so much miles away.   There have been tears over the hardness of hearts against the loving leading of Christ. Tears at the realization of my own inadequacies. Even more, I have cried at the conviction of the Holy Spirit over sin in my life. Thankfully, those always lead me to tears of joy at the Lord’s forgiveness. Proverbs 28:13 he that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. God is so good to us. I believe we learn the most about ourselves through our hard times.  Times of a broken heart lead us to the one and only Healer of hearts. Though I have to say, though there were sad tears, there were surely more tears of joy than of sorrow.

If God were to take inventory of my tears, there is one type in which I would be lacking I know. Those tears that I truly hope I cry more of in 2014… tears for lost souls.  I have struggled too much with not having a tender heart toward those around me, so caught up with my own little world that I fail to see God’s world full of lost souls bound for hell.       Psalm 126:5-6 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Tears can be good if they are shed for the right reasons. They can truly be a tool to demonstrate our love and appreciation to God and others for the blessings in our lives. My goal this year is to cry more- cry more for what matters.  More tears of love and joy, but also for souls. When you cry for godly reasons it ultimately brings smiles. My daughter informed me that she likes my face better smiling…and with makeup on it.  Guess I need to work on smiling more…and wearing make-up more often, not just on Sundays.

My friend, what tears did you shed this year?  Were they pleasing to God or just a reflection of self?  God says in His Word  that in heaven “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes..”  Until then, I will keep racking up an inventory in God’s bottle of tears. I pray that they will be tears of growth, my gain, and God’s glory.

What made you cry today?