20 Uses For Vicks VapoRub

So I found a website today with 20 uses of Vicks VapoRub and tried to post it on Pinterest, but they said the site was too full of spam. Since I want to keep these ideas (in case they work), I have copied them to paste on my blog. I plan to try some of these ideas and will update the blog to let you know if they work.

20 USES FOR VICKS VAPORUB

1. Defer Mosquitoes. Apply a small amount of Vaseline on your clothing and skin. It will keep the mosquitoes away from you.
2. Sinus Headaches. Vicks VapoRub is a good home remedy for treating sinus headaches. Apply Vicks under your nose. Breathe deeply. The menthol present in it will calm the headache.
3. Alleviate Acne. It might sound a little crazy, but Vicks VapoRub helps in clearing your skin. Apply it on acne several times a day. This will soothe and dry out acne.
4. Stage Tears. Need to shed tears on cue for a photo shoot or stage performance? Just pat a small amount of Vicks VapoRub under your eyes. (Note- Don't apply it into your eyes or on your eyelids)
5. Natural Insect Repellant. Rub Vicks VapoRub on your neck, inner knees, elbows, and behind your ears. It will keep insects away from you. To ward off flies, open the bottle of Vicks on the picnic table. Isn't it the best eco friendly trick to apply with insects?
6. Dissolve Bruises. Mix a pinch of salt in Vicks VapoRub. Apply it on a fresh bruise. It will break up the bruise quickly.
7. Mitigate Sore Muscles. Gently rub Vicks VapoRub on sore muscles. Then, cover the affected area with a warm and dry towel. Lie down or slightly lift the paining limb til soreness reduces. Practice it three times per day.
8. Skin Moisturizer. Vicks VapoRub is an excellent moisturizer for dry skin. Rub it on your skin and feel the magic.
9. Tennis Elbow. Are you suffering from tennis elbow? Rub Vicks VapoRub and get rid of the pain. Menthol and camphor present in it will heal the aching elbow.
10. Heal Cracked Heels. Spread a thick layer of Vicks VapoRub on your heels and feet. Then don the cotton socks. Wash your feet in the morning with warm waters. Use pumice stone to exfoliate the softened skin. Employ it every night for maintaining the healthy smooth heels.
11. Fingernail or toenail fungus. Rub Vicks VapoRub on the infected toenail or fingernail, two times a day. Cover your feet with cotton socks, at bedtime. Frequently trim the nails, till infected part is entirely removed.
12. Chest Decongestant. Apply Vicks VapoRub on your throat and chest, to get relief from congestion symptoms and cough.
13. Prevent Your Cat from Scratching. To prevent your mischievous Miss Kitty from tarnishing windows, walls and doors, rub a small quantity of Vicks VapoRub to these areas.
14. Heal Splinters or Cuts. For speeding up the healing time and preventing infection, apply Vicks on any splinter or cut.
15. Reek-free Racehorses. On the race day, professional racers rub Vicks VapoRub below the nostrils of racehorses. It deters the horses from the fascinating stench of the female pony, thereby keeping them focused on the race.
16. Stretch Marks. Apply Vicks VapoRub on the stretch marks. You will notice the result within two weeks of regular application.
17. Deter Pet Pee-Pee. If you want to prevent your pet from wetting the rug or any area of the house, put an open bottle of Vicks VapoRub in those areas.
18. Get Rid of Eczema. Apply Vicks VapoRub on the eczema affected skin. It will lessen the inflammation and itchiness.
19. Ear Pain Reliever. Apply Vicks VapoRub on a cotton ball. Put it in aching ear. It will provide you instant relief.
20. Athletes Feet. To heal athlete’s feet, apply Vicks VapoRub two times a day.

Yerba Mate

 

In college I was first introduced to this South American "tea". When I spent a season in Argentina, it was winter there and Yerba Mate was a warm, comforting way to start the day or spend a cozy afternoon in the mountains with friends.

So, what is mate (pronounced ma-tay)? Mate is similar to an herb tea but it's not really tea. It grows on a bush. It was first brewed by the Guaranies Indians as a pick me up when they were hungry. Research into the components of mate is controversial with South Americans claiming it does not contain caffeine, but what the folks in Argentina call "matine" instead. Some scientists claim that this is just another way to say caffeine or another type of caffeine different than that found in coffee.

How do you drink it? A gourd (some of these are incredibly beautiful) is packed with dried green leaves. My American friends always tell me these leaves resemble marijuana. Once the gourd is packed, a pretty silver "straw" called a bombilla is placed inside.

A thermos or pitcher of boiling water is then passed around among the friends. Germaphobes beware... you SHARE mate. Everyone drinks from the same bombilla and gourd. You pour in your water, sip your mate, then pass it to the next person who pours in water, sips, then passes on.

Traditionally, mate is consumed without sugar or any other additives, but you can definitely add sugar. I have even added peppermint and other flavorings like zest of orange or lemon, but most of the time, I just drink it as is. In America, you can buy it now in tea bags and I have done this, but it just doesn't feel right and this may be psychological, but it doesn't seem to have the same energy boost from a tea bag.

There are many great benefits to drinking yerba mate. From increased energy to sharper mental focus, yerba mate is a very healthy drink. Check out this site for more on health benefits: Be Brain Fit. It is important to note... some registered dietitians have suggested that mate is filled with antioxidants and vitamins B1, B2 and C, and iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium and that it is good for digestion. However, over consumption (drinking more than 4 cups per day) can cause harm, including increased risk of head and neck cancers. Remember, moderation is essential for everything you consume!

Where can you buy Yerba Mate? If you want to order a gourd, bombilla and leaves online, there are many sites. Here is one I like: Go Yerba Mate. In the Houston area, you can buy it at Fiesta groceries and Whole Foods.

The Pope enjoying Yerba Mate

Friends enjoying Mate

Running Happy

My happy Brooks running compression socks

My running buddy for a few minutes, a goofy duck

My run Saturday morning was not all happiness. I have been under a lot of stress lately and it's worn me out physically. Add to that the horrible heat and lack of nutrition, well, it was not my best run. But I did have a few moments of great joy on that run.

It started with the socks. Yes, wearing fun socks or a cute outfit just cheers a girl up on a long run. Bill gave me these adorable Brooks compression socks and I really felt a lot more cheerful because of them.

If you are open to it, many fun and happy things can happen on a run. I noticed the small hills on the route. I enjoyed the sound of the birds and the rustling of the leaves as a light wind blew through the trails. Lots of folks were out running or walking their dogs or slowly cycling along and it was nice seeing their smiling faces.

I think my favorite part of the run was the brief time I spent at the very end of Cochrans Crossing. This hilarious duck seemed to be lost, far away from the big pond. As I ran, he ran too. Along the trail he ran and I thought maybe we were racing, but as I got closer, he got a little scared and left the trail for the golf course.

Thankfully my husband brought me a sports drink when I needed it at mile 5 and I was able to finish my 9.5 miler feeling strong. You know you've had a happy run when you come back after enduring hardships only able to remember the happy parts of the run.

Cupcake Sliders

My mom and I are heading to a bake sale at Texas Children's Hospital tomorrow morning to raise funds for childhood neuroblastoma research. We are participating in honor of a great young man named Matthew who is a 17-year-old high school senior battling this horrible disease.

We both made some great baked goods but I'm most impressed with Morgan's contribution. She made these adorable cupcakes that look like little burgers. So cute! They are made with white cake batter to resemble the buns, a brownie in the shape of the burger, coconut dyed green to resemble lettuce and red frosting for the ketchup. The "fries" are apple slices.

So thankful to have a creative daughter :-)

Breakfast for Dinner

Just one of those nights here at Casa Crews. Long and exhausting day and Bill & I are happily having chili. But Dylan doesn't like chili. So I thought I would make his favorite meal- pancakes and bacon. And not just any ole pancakes either- chocolate chip pancakes! And that bacon is what he refers to as "real bacon" because I didn't buy the turkey bacon (or even worse, veggie bacon).

Ah, dinner time on a cold Thursday night. Yum!

The Family That PLAYS Together

How I love my swimming family! All four of us have been (or currently are) competitive swimmers. The only swim coach who could say that he coached all four of us at one time or another was the late Dick Bower. We sure miss him.

This past Sunday, I hired a photographer to shoot Dylan underwater. He got some amazing shots of my boy swimming. I really wanted those this year because this is the year that he lettered in high school swimming.

While there, we also had a family photo taken. This has to be one of the most fabulous family photos ever taken! Us doing what we love all together. Made my heart happy.

Hope Deferred

"HOPE DEFERRED MAKES THE HEART SICK"

Several weeks ago I wrote a blog post about losing. I had to go back and re-read it today. If you're interested, here it is: Comfort Us So We Can Comfort Others

Last night was a crushing blow to our 15-year-old son. He was hit this semester with some physical troubles that affected his swim season, both for USA and UIL. Sadly, he developed an ear infection that left fluid behind his eardrum. This resulted in some serious damage to his eardrum and partial hearing loss. It meant he had to miss some important swim meets.

Thankfully, his treatments worked and he was able to swim again. In fact, his only setback in UIL was that he was at risk for not advancing to the Varsity team. But at the JV District meet, he swam so well that he broke a team record. And he advanced to Varsity. He has been swimming on the Varsity team, but his high school isn't like a lot of other high schools. And for the boys, the competition is twice as difficult as it is for the girls.

So, he has had to push himself through sickness and his dad and I have watched him work til he is too tired to eat. He has literally fallen asleep on his dinner plate. He leaves the house at 5:00 in the morning for swim practice, goes to school all day (he's in advanced, difficult classes), goes back to swim practice, returns at 6:00 p.m. (13 hours after he left the house), works on homework, gets very little sleep, and then back to the lunacy of his schedule.

Last night was his final chance to qualify for the Varsity District Meet. And because of his ranking, he had a shot. He swam his heart out only for the coach to tell him, "you missed it by 0.1 seconds". POINT ONE! That's right. Swimming is cut throat. This is a matter of reaching out and touching the wall with a fingertip slower than someone else. A fingertip!

Dylan works harder than anyone in our family. And he never complains. I have never once in all 15 of his years heard that boy complain about anything or feel sorry for himself. My first reaction (keeping it real here) was "Ah, shit man. That sucks".

Then we drove silently home and when I pulled into the garage I said, "Win or lose, you thank God. When you win, you thank God and celebrate and when you lose, you thank God for the body to swim and then you go to bed and get up the next day and move forward."

When you are hopeful and you lose, you gotta thank God. God gives and God takes away. We will bless His name.

For Dylan, Bill & I wonder if he will ever know how truly proud of him we are. We have watched him win many swim meets and we have watched him miss a goal by a fingertip. It's a testament to his character that he never complains or feels sorry for himself. May he always be humble when he wins and may he always be a good sport when he doesn't win.

We love you Dylan!