The past few days I have been battling a pretty rotten head cold - nice timing! Anyhow, I have taken everything over the past few days - Advil, Tylenol Sinus, Nyquil, and Vicks. Nothing really seemed to be doing much. I called my Mom - something I should have done from the start. She reminded me of one of her tried and true, simple wisdom tricks. Salt.

Yep, salt. She had me mix 1/4 cup of warm water, 1/4 tsp. of salt and 1/4 tsp. of baking soda. I dissolved them together and “inhaled” the water. Okay, I felt like I was drowning and it did sting a bit, but two “applications” and 4 hours later, I feel better now than I have in days. And when you get a sore throat - gargle with the mixture. It does wonders for killing germs in your mouth and throat.

I need to start using some of her other tricks, too. She uses a mixture of baking soda and vinegar to clean her bathrooms, or baking soda and salt mixed to a paste if you need some abrasive action. She uses vinegar and water to clean her windows.

According to my Mom, baking soda dissolved in water works well as an antacid, it works as an anti-itch solution, and deodorant. if you go to the Arm & Hammer web site, you will see many of these tricks featured. Who knew? I did, but I continue to get caught up in the marketing schemes of companies trying to get me to purchase their chemicals.

I think it is time to start looking to the past for solutions to our daily challenges - and Keep It Super Simple. It will be better for our families, our health and our environment.