Wild Rose's Garden

Natural Help for Acid Reflux and Similar Digestive Ailments

2012-01-16T22:54:00.000-05:00

Q. I am looking for something to help with stomach ailments, severe acid reflux, no apatite. we've tried everything through regular doctors (nexium, zantac ect...). have any suggestions or products that might help?

A. Without knowing specifics of your life, health, body, etc. I'm going to offer a gamut of information about acid reflux and digestion. If you'd like more information about anything I discuss here, please comment below.

Disclaimer: Nothing herein is to be taken as medical advice to treat or diagnose an ailment nor should it replace the care and expertise of a medical professional. This is for information purposes only. Acid reflux and other digestive ailments can be signs of serious illness or result in serious illness such as cancer if left untreated.

Weight and Acid Reflux
Weight can play a huge factor in acid reflux/heartburn situations. Excess weight can put presure on your organs especially when lieing down. Obviously the normal recommendation of diet and exercise apply if this is part of your problem.

Stress and Digestion Ailments
Stress is a destructive force that can impact just about every bodily function and effects every individual differently. Stress can cause stomache upset, nausea, vomiting, acid reflux, vitamin deficiency, poor absorbtion of nutrients, diarrhea, and constipation. And that is only focus on digestive related effects of stress.

If stress is a factor, then examine your life to determine the stressors and make changes where ever possible. Removing the source of stress should be a number one priority where ever and when ever possible. A few really common examples might be: looking for a new job, relationship counseling, play dates for the kids, and doing a thorough clean up/throw out/organization of the house.

While removing stressors altogether is best, sometimes that can't be done. Stress management would be next on the list. For stress management, I recommend exercise in general but most specifically yoga and pilates. I also recommend meditation. If you are the type of person who struggles with sitting still and quieting your mind, yoga and meditiation can be combined in a type of "meditation in motion" that sometimes offers meditation success.

Stress can negatively influence the absorption and use of vitamins and nutrients. Vitamin B is especially effected but it is not the only one. A thorough evaluation of your nutritional status might be well advised.

Diet
This may seem obvious but....Look at what you are eating. Allergies can cause a whole range of digestive problems. Food allergies do not just cause an immediate reaction of swelling throat or hives like you see on TV. Acidic and spicy foods can also cause heartburn and aggravate existing conditions. A diet full of oily and fatty foods can slow down digestion and cause a buildup in the system of difficult to digest materials.

Herbal Digestive Aids
There are a variety of herbs that can aid various digestive ailments. Peppermint and Ginger are two of the most common and are safe for a broad portion of the public. They are both good for nausea, motion sickness, heartburn and general digestive function. There are also some great functioning and tasting pre-packaged blends on the market. Yogi Tea and Traditional Medicinals are two of my favorite brands.

Apple Cider Vinegar and Baking Soda are also purported to have amazing results. For more information about how to do this and tons of comments from those who have tried it, go to the Earth Clinic.

Drinking apple juice, pomegranate juice, or grape juice right after eating a very oily food can help to thin the oils and improve digestion.

Make a tea from 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of fennugreek seeds in a tea ball strainer in one cup of boiling water. Let seep for 10 minutes and sip. If a sweetener is needed try a little honey or sugar

Lots more information about acid reflux and other digestive issues from Earth Clinic

Harvesting Rose Hips

2011-06-21T09:47:00.000-04:00

Did you know that rose bushes produce berries that are not only edible but delicious and highly nutritious? A rose bush berry is called a rosehip. Rosehips are one of the most nutrient rich foods in the world containing more vitamin C than oranges in addition to bioflavonoid, calcium, beta carotene, iron malates, citric acid, citrates, malic acid, niacin, phosphorus, and vitamins A, B1, B2, E, and K. Use rosehips to add flavor to jam or tea, boost your immune system, and fight off a cold!

Harvesting rosehips carries the same safety warnings as rose petals. Never harvest from a plant which has been treated with chemical pesticides, fertilizer or systemic rose food. These are toxic and render the plant inedible for at least a year. You also want to avoid any plants along roadsides as these have been exposed to exhaust fumes.

Rosehips are a fleshy berry surrounding a mass of seeds and hairy fibers. Hips begin green and ripen to a vibrant red, orange or purple depending on the variety of rose. The intensity of the color will tell you when they are ripe. A ripe rosehip will be soft but not mushy. If the stems right under the hip are yellow, definitely pick them because they are ready to fall off the bush.

The best time to harvest rosehips is after the first frost. The frost helps to sweeten the hips. However, the woodland creatures and birds may force you to adjust your harvest time, so keep an eye on them. To ensure a good harvest, stop harvesting your rose petals and pruning your bushes in late summer. This allows enough time for the final blooms to pollinate, fruit, and ripen before the frost. If you are not harvesting rose petals, then you can let all of the blooms wither on the bush and may get as many as two or three rose hips harvests per season. In this situation, it is perfectly ok to harvest before a frost. Leaving them on the bush too long will shrivel them and lead to fungal problems.

The ripened rosehips should come off the bush easily. Twist them between your finger and thumb until they fall off. Alternately you came snip them from the bush and remove the remaining stem during processing.

Harvesting rosehips from hybrid plants could pose a problem. Some hybrids have been cultivated to produce especially small hips and others do not produce hips at all. If you do not think your bush is producing hips this could be the reason. Alternate, if you are heading out to purchase bushes with the intent of harvesting rosehips, then pay special attention to the type of plant. Purchase only a species rose, not a hybrid.

Silky Sleepy

2010-11-20T16:14:00.001-05:00

Sleeping soundly on a hot summer day with a beloved mini blanket. These little blankets, sometimes known as lovies or cuddlies, are much more comfortable on a hot summer day, fit nicely inside a baby carrier or sling, don't get caught in the wheels of a stroller, and don't trip toddlers trying to walk around with them.

They are also the perfect size to cover a newborn in a car seat or swing and tuck in a dollie at bed time.

Snug as a Bug

2010-11-16T16:12:00.002-05:00

Exactly one month old and Snug as a Bug in a Rug in her designer Wild Rose baby blanket.

Choices

2010-11-10T16:01:00.003-05:00

There was a young girl who liked Winnie-the-Pooh
She had so many blankets; she didn't know what to do
So she gathered them up and hugged them all tight
Then took them to bed and slept through the night

Photograph Curtesy of Wild Rose Designs:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/WildRose313

Bobbin Dilemma

2010-11-05T15:23:00.000-04:00

I've offically killed my sewing machine.

Mid-stitch my very first sewing machine stopped its usual whirr and started with a click, click, click. One look at the back of the fabric shows a mess of thread; the problem seems to be somewhere in the bobbin casing. I try a new bobbin and different fabric. Nope, not the bobbin, the machine is broken.

It was a good starter machine but probably not the best tool for the work I'm doing. I decide to trade it in and get something bigger and better from the store in a town 20 minutes away.

Back home, I bypass learning about all the bells and whistles on the new machine; I have a blanket deadline to meet. Dropping my bobbin in the new machine, I get a little shock. It wiggles around. My bobbin is too small. All of my 25+ bobbins, wound in every color under the sun, are too small. Who knew bobbins come in different sizes? Fortunately the new machine came with 4. It's no where near enough, but I only have one blanket with a deadline.

Tomorrow, I'll go back to the store.

A Very Eco-Friendly Movie Halloween

2010-11-03T14:58:00.000-04:00

For an added twist to Halloween this year, we decided to recreate a scene from a movie and dress up as the characters. Our neighbors took on the challenge too. Part of the challenge was to do this with much reused, repurposed, and recycled materials as possible to avoid waste and cost. My family chose to re-create the Mad Hatter's Tea Party
I was the Mad Hatter. I happend to have the velvet jacket and skirt in my closet, along with the red and black shirt. My hats, yes, Mad as Hatter, I bought two, for $5 each at Walmart.

My youngest daughter, just a year old, is little Alice in her white summer dress with a blue long sleve shirt underneath and white leggings. The shirt and leggings are new, but they are part of my purchase for fall clothing so there is no waste. She'll wear them all fall and winter.

The tea settings came from a local flea market and even got a second use in the form of a Princess Tea Party birthday party for my 4 year old.

All in all, we had a great time, didn't spend much money, and delighted the neighborhood tricker-treaters too!

Pettiskirts

2010-11-02T21:58:00.002-04:00

Pettiskirtstyle.com is my find of the day! I've fallen in love with every skirt on their site. I could barely decide which photo to put up here. In fact, I haven't. Here are a few more!

Not only are these skirts elegant and beautiful, but they are made in North Carolina, USA. Even better, they use high quality fabric to produce not only a piece of art, but something soft and comfortable to wear. No itchy tutu material. Most skirts are in stock for quick shipment and you get a free storage bag too.

Apple Lanterns

2010-11-02T14:54:00.001-04:00

Apple Lanterns were the extra special finishing touch to our Halloween Mad Hatter's Tea Party. The perfect size to fit on a tea saucer, they lit up our dark table and made it smell delicious. Apple Lanterns are a great alternative to pumpkins for small spaces such as a dinner party setting, apartment, or store check out counter. They can be lit from within with a tea lite candle or their battery operated cousin. When using a real candle, the heat will slowly cook the Apple Lantern from the inside putting off the wonderful aroma of apple pie. Because of their small size, it is important to use an abundance of caution. Make sure you place your Apple Lantern on a tip safe, fire safe surface.

Making an Apple Lantern:
Apple Lantern's are made in much the same way at Jack-O-Lanterns.

Materials:
Butter Knife
Pairing Knife
Cutting Board
Trash Can
Other small carving tools (optional)
Bowl filled with one part apple cider vinegar and one part water

Step 1: Cut away the top of the apple. This is best done at a slight angle to create a ledge for the lid to sit on at the end.

Step 2: Use the butter knife to hollow out the inside of the apple. You need to carve out enough space to fix the candle inside and to make the wall thin enough to carve the face. Be gentle - apples are delicate!

Step 3: Place a candle inside to double check that you carved out enough space. When your content with the fit, remove the candle and move on to Step 4.

Step 4: Carve any crazy face or picture you like just like you would with a Jack-o-Lantern.

Step 5: Dip your apple in the bowl of apple cider vinegar. Roll it around and make sure the vinegar coates the entire apple inside and out. This will help your Apple Lantern last longer and rot less. (Although, unlike Jack-o-Lanterns, as the apple rots your Lantern will actually start to look better and scarier! Think shrunken head.)

Step 6: Insert the candle. Light it. Replace the lid.

Voila! Your first Apple Lantern.

Boo Who?

2010-10-30T15:50:00.002-04:00

Halloween is fast approaching and the kids are excited. Today they tossed blankets over their heads and bounced off the walls and into each other. Mean old Mom wouldn't let them cut eye holes in the blankets!

Photograph Curtesy of Wild Rose Designs:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/WildRose313

Shedding Light on Firearm Safety in your Home

2010-10-29T23:08:00.001-04:00

The motto of Police Officers is "To Serve and Protect". Consider that for a moment, serve and protect. Protect but not defend. It would be impossible for police to be in the right place at the right time to defend any and all citizens from crime. If they could, we would never have another victim again. The fact of the matter, is police are often called after a crime is in the making or even over. If someone tries to harm you or your family, a personal firearm may be your best defense.

Of course, the safe use and storage of such a firearm is of utmost importance, especially if there are children in your home. Below you will find a few tips.

Unload the firearm. A firearm without ammunition is not any more dangerous than a paperweight.
Double check that a firearm is unloaded before handling or cleaning it. Do not assume a mechanical safety latch is enough.
Remove the curiosity factor. Curiosity killed the cat. It can also kill children. Whether you have a firearm in the house or not, take the time to explain to your children the dangers of firearms and proper actions to take if they ever come across one - "Don't touch. Tell an adult." If you do have a firearm in the house, make sure it is unloaded and then show it to them. Answer their questions and give them no reason to "sneak a peak" when you are not looking. Offer to show them again, any time they are interested.
Prevent Peer Pressure. Now that your child has seen your firearm during safe supervision, they might mention it to a friend. Remove any chance of peer pressure dangers. Explain to your child that if they are never to show your firearms to friends. If a friend is interested, you would be happy to show them safely after you speak with their parents.
Locks. Guns should be locked in proper cabinets or drawers. Trigger locks are also available, often for free, from your local or state police.
Ammunition should also be locked away, preferably in a separate location from the firearm.
Ammunition Type is also an important home safety choice. If your firearm is kept exclusively in the house for home defense, research your ammunition carefully. There are special cartridges that have been created specifically for home defense. Some are designed so that they can not accidentally pass through your target and through a wall injuring someone in another room.

This list is not meant to be all inclusive or complete. But it is a start. Remember not to take anything for granted and shed a light on proper safety at every opportunity for yourself and your children.

Blog Photo Courtesy of Etsy Artist: Ryan Weigner

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ceramicryan?ref=pr_shop_more

Peek a Boo

2010-10-29T15:40:00.001-04:00

Blankets are not just for warmth and comfort. They make Peek-a-Boo fun and colorful!

Photograph Curtesy of Wild Rose Designs:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/WildRose313

A Day in the Life of a Work at Home Mom

2010-10-28T14:10:00.004-04:00

Working from home, truly working, while caring for small children is no walk in the park. It's the end of yet another long, long day.

The baby still wakes up, or at least wakes me up, a couple times a night. Then I got my son up for school at 7am. I crawled back in bed to attempt to steal an extra couple of minutes of sleep before the baby woke. By 8:30am the girls and I are up, dressed and groomed and the computer is booting. With my old computer, booting was a couple of minutes, this new soild state hard drive boots in matter of seconds! In my life, every minute counts.

I try to get some work done while fielding calls from my mother and mother-in-law, both of whom have hired me to do some freelance work for their company's so I can't just ignore the calls.

11:00am - wake hubby for second shift job. Oh, that's right, he was up early today - ignore hubby goofing around with children while I try to work.

12:20pm - see hubby off to work

12:30pm - friend arrives with her daughter for our weekly playdate. I spent the afternoon trying to work while every toy my children own was dumped on the floor. Ah well, clean up is less time consuming then bored children.

4:00pm - son arrives home from school. Homework help is added to the mix while playdate child is picked up. I break for a few minutes to chat with my friend and son as they are coming and going.

4:45pm - pack all the children into the car. Take son to see his father. Pick up some essentials at the store. Sign 4 year old up for gymnastics class. I certainly can't send her off to kindergarten next year without any classroom-ish sort of experience! On the way home I called my mother-in-law to plead for some child shuffling help for the next two Mondays. My son's after school program runs for two more sessions, overlapping the new gymnastics class, in two different towns with pick up time for one being just 15 minutes off from the drop off time of the other. Thank goodness for family!

6:00pm - make dinner, clean up toys, clean up kitchen.

7:30pm - get girls ready for bed

7:45pm - pile the girls into the car, pjs and all, to pick up son.

8:15pm - get girls into and have a long heart to heart with son.

9:30pm - back to work

10:00pm - work while talking with hubby during his drive home from work

11:00pm - fall into bed exhausted, only to be roused from the edges of sleep at 11:20pm to feed the baby.
*Sigh*

To think I'll take this anyday, oh yeah, I do take this everyday, rather than put my darlings in daycare. Life may not be easy, but it's good and anything worth having is worth working for.

Photographing Children

2010-10-27T16:41:00.002-04:00

The experts say, "Try to show your product being used by a person. It helps to show scale and helps people envision themselves using it."

I'm sure that's probably true. But have you ever tried to get an active one year old to sit still for a photo, let alone pose them? My daughter decided playing Queen of the Blanket Hill was much more fun!

It all Started with a Mei Tie

2010-10-27T16:13:00.003-04:00

I took a home economics class in high school which included sewing. For my final project, I made a large fluffy black dog. When it was done, I took it home and my little sisters named it Roadkill. I'll admit, it was a little lopsided.

Ten years later, my first daughter was born. I hated trying to carry a baby in those heavy infant seats. The Mei Tie's I saw advertised online were really pretty, compact, and simple, oh yeah, and expensive!

With dogged determination, I set out to make my own Mei Tie despite the fact that I had not touched a sewing machine since Roadkill was born. I tromped off to the fabric store to find something strong enough to carry a baby safely. It was then and there that I fell in love with brocade silk. In fact, I loved the silk so much, I could not decide on just one for my carrier and went home with an arm load.

Armed with a dusty old sewing machine, unreasonable optimistism, and overflowing with creativity, I managed to make the baby carrier you see pictured here. I assume I did far better than my first young try at sewing; the carrier has held up through 2 1/2 years of heavy use with my first daughter and I'm starting on my second year of use with my second daughter. It is a strong and safe as ever and still garners attention and praise from passers-by.

The rest of that brocade silk became a drawer full of blankets for my baby.