Why we love everything coconut

Coconut is a staple in our home, we love it "in" and "on" our bodies.  Hope this inspires you to include this wholesome superfood in your lives too.

Homemade Eczema and Winter Salve

With winter around the corner I thought it would be nice to share a recipe for this Homemade Salve we make to help H with her dry skin/eczema she gets here in Tabuk's dry weather. The best part is you ONLY need three  ingredients!! H has been using it for 3 years now. One badge lasts us a bit over 6 months, because its applied to her whole body almost.

This time we added one more ingredient to it and found even better results. After consulting with my homeopathic doctor and sharing with her H's positive experience with the homeopathic calendula ointment, I added  Calendula Mother-tincture too the salve to the original recipe.

MashaAllah!! In less then three days her skin got smooth again. The only place she's having an issue with is her little bum, every time she uses the toilet, the water makes it dry. Its not at all as bad as it was before we made the salve.

So, what is this recipe you all must be wondering?? Well, here  it is, its shared Sonoma Garden Blog,. We have tried a lot of her wonderful easy and simple homemade recipes she shares, from food to personal care products. The Lip balm is really nice too and works great with my and AR's dry lips.

Our two week adventure!!

Packing for a long journey across the planet is not that easy with little ones, if its not planned well. How you plan your journey can really define what type of memories you will have (fond ones or ones you want to forget). Previously I had posted about somethings to keep with you on a road trip to keep the children occupied. However when traveling by plane you cannot do the same (can't carry too much luggage). Alhumdullillah, I am starting to get use to traveling and on every trip learn new things to do in order to have a smooth journey.

InshaAllah in this post I will be sharing with you my travel kit secrets. You can pack the material I will be mentioning for any short or long, road, air or track trips. These are some essentials that I have to have when travelling with my family.

Secret #1 

• Always travel with a Diaper-Backpack. Reason for that is:
• it gives you two free hands to handle your kids
• lots space for baby stuff.
• weight is appropriately divided on 2 shoulders
• its not like diaper bags which keep falling off your shoulder! or hit people in their face with it!
• look for a backpack with side pockets or baby bottles and sippers 
• One thing to remember with backpacks is that NEVER keep any important belongings in the front pockets! They can be easily stolen! 

Secret #2 

  Homeopathy Travel kit

• I always pack first-aid remedy kit in small zip-locks with labels. The reason why I prefer zip-locks when traveling is because they are light weight and don't take much space. 

    Essential Remedies

1. Aconite 30
2. Chamomile 30
3. Ferrrum Phosphorus 6x
4. Gelsimium 30
5. Nux Vomica 30
6. Carbo Vegetabilis 30
7. Arnica Montana 30
8. Kali Mur 6x
9. Aloe 30
10. Calendula tincture ointment
11. Rhus Tox 30
12. Lycopodium 30

Aromatherapy -->Essential oils kit

• Since we can no longer carry liquid in hand carrys. I pack most of them in the luggage. I have  taken two essential oil in a ziplock and the airport officials were fine with it. One other thing I did was, I soaked a cotton ball with the essential oil and zipped it! This way I had the oil and it didn't bother the aiport immigration.

   Essential oils

1. Lavender oil
• Known for its relaxing properties (works great for jet lag), protects from flu and cold, its also antiseptic so you can apply to small cuts and wounds. I also keep a small bag with dried lavender flowers in the backpack.
2. Tea tree oil 
• Very powerful antiseptic and immune stimulator. Its known to be great for cough, cold sores, infected wounds, cuts, and insect
3. Lemon grass oil
• Great refresher and air purifier, also great for headaches.
4. Eucalyptus oil
• Useful for muscular pains, insect bites and  insect repellent.
5. Sandalwood oil
• Good for sore throats, earaches and cough with mucus.

Secret #3

Suprises

• Kids love suprises! I wrapped some small toys for them to keep them busy. 

These were some small toys, that I had packed. The kids loved opening them! The new toy kept them busy for a while through out the trip. 

This was one thing we got that AR simply loved, because he really likes animals (its also a great learning tool for toddlers and preschoolers)

Few things I learned from this trip:

• Stroller review! We have this 'sit and stand' stroller which we simply LOVE, however it's not a travel friendly stroller with 2 little ones. It serves us great for local use, but not for touring. 
• We were thinking AR was old enough for not having a blanket to travel with but, a lot of times he was really cold and asked for an blanket!

Alhumdulillah the last few weeks of traveling have been very adventures and fun! We got to stay in Riyad and meet the new addition of our family and then we head off to London, England, where we met up with my in-laws. We all had a great time, it was a fun family reunioun. Although our stay in London was short but we still had loads of fun! (I will be posting about our London adventures). One thing I absoutly hated was the subway rides and the fact that there was almost no wheelchair/stroller accessibility!! Which meant carrying the stroller up and down the stairs with 2 kids.

Once we got to Canada we also got to attend the Journey of Faith conference, which was a very much needed spirit revivier. It was also nice because we got to meet most of our friends. Although I have to say the jet lag and the over tired kids were a bit of a challenge but it was still worth it. After the 2 weeks of on going action we took the whole Monday off to relax!

MashaAllah! I have to applaud my kiddies for their patience throughout the long trip. They did get irritable at points but mostly the stood strong though the trip, Alhumdulillah!

She got Burnt!

SubhanAllah! I miss blogging!! We have been very busy with HSing, home, beach, packing for vacation, and learning from experience!

We have just been on a rolloaster of test from Allah swt, which ofcourse happens to teach us a lesson and make us a stronger believer! Be'eznillah hu tala

Well, a few weeks ago our little princess got burned with boiling water! (I can imagine all your OMGs!!) Alhumdulillah Allah swt is MOST KIND! He protected her face and chest. The water fell on her left shoulder and back. As a mother! first few minutes I panicked, but then I said to myself if I don't calm down I can't help her! So..Mama took a deeeeep breath and gentle took her shirt off, and did what she thought was required.

What was it that I thought was required you ask??

1.   I applied Aloe vera gel by Forever Living (great products, do check them out). I had to however stop applying this gel on the third day because, as soon as I applied it she was very restless and seemed like in pain. Maybe it was causing some sort of burning sensation on her burn. I immediately washed it off. After that only used the fresh Aloe vera.

2.  Pulled out my "Encyclopedia of homeopathy" and "Prescriptions of Natures cures" to see what I   could give her right away for pain relief, and start her treatment.

•  Homeopathic remedies

• Arnica 30 (always a GREAT pain reliever) 
• Cantharis 30 every 15 minutes for 1 hour, then twice in 4 hours till next day and then cut it to 4 times a day. Now she is taking it once a day. (I have to add that she also had 6 teeth come out at once and 4 of those were molars! MashaAllah, she was/is so brave and patient about it all. May Allah swt increase her more in it. Ameen!)

3.   Made my own aloe vera gel at home with Aloe vera (from home) and honey. You can also use this recipe to make a better one but we couldn't find Vitamin C powder sadly.

4.  Gave her a HIGH dose of vitamin C and E to help her heal for over a week. I ONLY gave her FOODS that were high in Vitamin C and E, no supplements

5.  Applied Calendula Tincture ointment 3 times a day for the first week after cleaning her burn gently while she was played in the bath tub. Still applying once daily.

6.  Also applied Memo a herbal antiseptic for the first 4 night.

7.  Started applying a vitamin E essential oil once the wound was completely healed.

8.  We decided not to do a dressing on the burn because she was getting irritated by it. We also found that it was healing faster without any dressing, as long as the burn and her environment was clean to protect from infections

9.  Applied honey directly but she hated it! only used it with the aloe blend.

10.  Washed the burn with Zamam and Calendula soap 3 times a day for until the burn was completely healed and once a for 2 weeks. 

11.  Applied a Propolis cream 

13.  Gave her lost of fluids and water.

How she got burned you ask?

Well, I recently swtiched to using water insted of oil when frying an egg. Alhumdulillah it was water not oil! It all happened in seconds...she tumbled and fell on the stove, the stove shock and the water fell on her. I usually use the back stove tops, but this time they were out in the lving room playing and in a second ended up in the kitchen!...It was just something that was wrtten. It was Qadr! with wisdom beyond our perception to encompass, unless Allah swt shows us the wisdom.

What one should do when one gets burned (things I didn't do, due to not knowing and lack of resource)

1. Wash burn immediately with moderately cold water for about 15 minutes. This will stop the tissues from farther burning and provide pain relief.  This is only for first degree and second degree burns DO NOT do this to a third degree burn!
2. Dip and clean gauze in a diluted mixture of Catharsis mother tincture and water. Apply the wet gauze on the burn for 15 minutes do this repeatedly until completely healed.
3. Essential oils such as  lavender oil, tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil with very powerful antiseptic and immune stimulator. They are known to help heal burns, cuts and wounds

Things to keep in mind if you are planing to treat a first or second degree burn at home.

1. Always keep the burnt area clean to aviod infections.
2. You need to know what degree of burn it is, you can easily google it and read about it! You have to be sure of what degree burn it is in order to start the treatment.
3. Watch out for symptoms of infection, such as pus, yellow or green discharge, bad smell coming from the burn or blood. Immediately consult a doctor! 
4. If you are not confident enough to take the charge of  healing the burn at home then its better you do not! (In my case despite the fact that I had a LOT of pressure to take her to the hospital, I chose not to, and Alhumdulillah Allah swt granted her shifa! Alhumdullilah my husband was supportive of my decision as well, although inside at first he wanted me to take her to the hospital, and also mentioned it a few times. BUT, when he saw her healing he was satisfied and supportive of helping our daughter heal safely at home.)
5. My brother and father in-law mentioned a stove guard that you can put in front of the stove, I will be investing in getting one inshaAllah. 

I have shared all this information with you all in order to help you to be able to help a burned victim (Na'uzubillah) with home remedies rather then rushing to the hospital. In case of a third degree burn (where the burn has reached the third layer of the skin) rush the victim to the hospital for medical care. Also, if you are unsure of how to go about the procedure of home treatment of a burn, you will be better of seeking professional care. Before you do something you have to believe in it!!

Last, but not the least, I would like to say we should ALWAYS remember that shifa comes from Allah swt ONLY! If He wills He can put shifa in plain water! so its very important to remember Him a lot and ask for His Divine Protection and Healing.

NOTE: I have a Pdf version of the book "Encyclopedia of Homeopathy", if you are interested in a copy, mail me at rawdahs@gmail.com. I would be more then happy to share it with you, it's an amazing reference book to have. :)

Side Effects of Fluoride

Did you know your toothpaste can be toxic for you anf your children? I remember when my son AR started teething and got his first tooth at around 14 months (I know... you must be thinking thats late! Pediatrition and children's dentists say its nothing to worry about. Its normal for children to not have teeth till about 17 months, after that, is when you need to get it checked out). I began to ask more experienced mom's what's the best toothpaste for children, I thought those who have more children would have more experience about what's right and what's not. Most of them recommended Stage 1 of Oral-B, we went and bought it. Although, most of his body products were either homemade, natural and plant based.

Alhumdulillah, a few weeks ago I found out that the fluoride in the toothpaste (or water) is extremely harmful. How did I find out? Well, my mom was diagnosed with 'Hypothyroidism' underactive thyroid gland, when I found out about it I did some research on what are somethings she can do to help her body heal. Of course, change of diet is one of things that can even help a cancer patient get better (bi'edhnillah). One of the things I came across was fluoride levels in our drinking water, which is really harmful for the thyroid gland and other things. (Alhumdulillah she was able to switch to distilled water.) All of sudden it clicked to me that  our toothpastes have fluoride in them, we immediately switched to fluoride free toothpaste. Alhumdulillah, I was able to find one at Nature Source.

When we moved to KSA, I brought one with me but then it finished...I was lost again. But, Alhumdulillah, Allah is Most Kind once again, we found a better one, called 'Aloe dent' made in UK. We all use the 'Aloe dent' now. I prefer UK products over North American products, even if they are natural and organic based. Allah knows best.

As for the water, Alhumdulillah we try to drink zamzam most of the time but sometimes, we mix the zamzam with the other water making dua to Allah swt to waste ALL the harmful things in the water for us.

I would just like to share with you some shocking information about fluoride and its side effects. I have some links at the bottom please take time and read and switch to a fluoride free toothpaste. May Allah swt protect us and our families from the harmful things in this Duniya and the Aakhirah. Ameen.

Infant Exposure

Brain

Immune system

Teeth fluorosis

Kidney

Thyroid Gland