Nothing Much, Just Grateful

I am grateful for the sunshine outside today. Grateful for my husband and children and our home. Grateful for boys who are wiggly and brave and goofy and make their mom smile. Grateful for a little girl, Zuzu, who likes to help wash clothes. She can't reach the washing machine, so she washes in the toilet. Then grins at you when you see how good a job she has done. Never mind the grossed out thoughts that are running through your head, just smile. She is learning. Of course, no one else will retrieve the wet articles of clothing she has packed in the toilet. Moms - they are brave and determined. :) I am grateful for children who see something that they want to learn to do and they pick it up and go for it. Like Lydia with embroidery, or Alex with building "things", or John with the multitude of rocks and frogs and such. Stephen helping peel potatoes and carrots, baking biscuits, ... Sara, venturing off in the electronics world.

Why Your Nose Runs and Your Eyes Water When It Is Cold Outside

Have you ever wondered why your eyes water and your nose runs when it is cold outside? I have, quite often. Well, I believe that it is because the body goes in to a protection mode. The lining of the nose and of your eyes are very fragile. To protect them from drying out in the cold weather the body responds by sending out the protective army of tears and mucous.

To confirm this thought I did some research on the Internet, couldn't find specifically what I was looking for. Well, at Christmas this year, my husband received a set of Popular Mechanics Encyclopedias, 1968 edition. Within one of those tomes I was reading about relative humidity and it expounded upon what I was thinking. They indicated that air is like a sponge that absorbs water. Cold air acts like a small sponge that is capable of holding only a little water. The moisture is in a frozen state on the ground. But, when you heat the air, it is like a huge sponge that pulls moisture from everything it contacts. Outside it hangs in the air. Just think of Houston, Texas. How does all that "air stuff" affect our bodies, especially the nose and eyes?

The lining of the nose, when it is dry, provides a breeding ground for bacteria. Our body was designed with a protective "cleaning" system to remove this foreign matter by the mucous in the sinus passages. Sounds a bit gross, but that sticky stuff traps it and washes it down your throat or to be blown out your nose or washed from your eyes and is then eliminated from your body. Back to my original question, why does your eyes water and your nose run in the cold air of winter. The cold dry air wicks the moisture from our nose and eyes. Our body responds by sending extra amounts of fluid to replace the "sponged out" moisture.

To help prevent the drying out of the nose and eyes when we are inside, it is recommended that our homes have a relative humidity of 30%-40% with a temperature of 70 degrees. With this amount of relative humidity in our homes it will provide needed moisture for our bodies, plus, we can even lower the room temperature, thereby lowering our heating bill as well. This could lead on to another tangent. Keeping hydrated.

During the winter (and all year) it is VERY important to keep hydrated. Drink plenty of water. WATER. Coffee may warm you up, but won't help in rehydrating you as well as water. Soda pop/carbonated beverages provide way too much sugar. Sugar draws water from your cells. So, just drink more water. Hydration will provide the necessary body fluids to keep the eyes and nose in good condition. Will it keep you from getting a cold...? There are a lot of other factors in that arena. See page five of this article about what some doctors have to say about proper humidity. All that just to talk about watery eyes and runny noses during the winter when you are playing outside. :)

BTW - these are my personal opinions, thoughts, etc. You chose to read what I wrote or am rambling on about. If you decide to act on anything I say or suggest, you are a thinking person. I did not coerce or twist your arm to make you believe or trust what is written. So I am only responsible for what I do to my own body, you take care of yours. :)