Gardening, Sun, and Sun Protection

Yesterday I put the plants I started indoors outside. Considering I had a jungle indoors, the process of moving all of that outdoors and starting all the seeds I should have started a few weeks ago took most of the day. I started around 10:30 a.m. when my husband went outside to do some work […]


Allergy Symptom Check-In

It’s been a year now since I first noticing weirder allergy symptoms, and since I started pushing harder to get a new doctor. It’s been one year since I found a doctor who would listen to me and take me seriously, and actually help me look for answers. My old doctor is still putting on […]


Struggling for Missing Allergy Answers

I went camping again this past weekend. Preferring not to set up a tent or to stay in someone’s house, I took a mattress and slept in the back of my van. I took all the stuff I needed to stay well, spent the majority of my time outside, tried to stay away from scented […]


Happy Victoria Day

Have a happy Victoria Day, we will be back on Wednesday.


The Struggle to Find Homemade Dishwasher Detergent that Works

Dishwasher detergent can be a tough thing to make yourself. So little is used throughout the cycle, various water qualities, hardnesses and particulates make for varying qualities of clean, and detergents are pretty near impossible to make at home. The best cleaning of organic matter (food) happens at basic pHs, while many people advocate adding […]


Reconciling Activities and Allergies

Since finding out about my allergies, there are a lot of things I’ve avoided doing because I know it would cause a flare-up. For people around me, they would never consider these things a problem, but I’m always thinking about how to avoid rashes. Go figure. My husband and I recently celebrated an anniversary. When […]


Having House Guests Who Don’t Have Allergies, Part 2

← Having House Guests Who Don’t Have Allergies, Part 1 My husband’s parents have now arrived and we’re about halfway through their visit. Although things were a bit uncertain at first, they seem now to understand the adjustments that need to be made to their regular routine. I’m sure it hasn’t been easy for them, […]


Plane Nerves, Part 2

← See Part One here I returned this week from a fantastic week of camping in California. For two weekends and a week, I revelled in glorious outdoor splendour 2000 miles from home (so the plane’s map system told me), while watching the people around me sniffle and sneeze from outdoor allergies. Before leaving, I was […]


Going to a Large Gathering with Allergies

Large masses of people. *shiver* They used to not bother me at all. Now I fear being a part of a crowd, especially indoors. The combination of cleaning chemicals used in commercial establishments, fragranced body care products, and laundry detergents and shampoos wafting through the air makes me fear for the next several days. Itchy, […]


Having House Guests Who Don’t Have Allergies, Part 1

My in-laws arrive this week from halfway across the country. They know about my allergies, but I don’t think they realize yet how much little things affect me. Nonetheless, they really are trying to make as little impact on my health as possible, a fact I wholeheartedly appreciate. Having guests in our house has been […]


It’s All About How You Smell

I’d like to talk today about environmental allergies such as allergies to fragrances. Those annoying signs are everywhere now: Scent Free Workplace/Office/Hospital/etc. I used to wear low-fragrance products, and think I was doing the right thing. After all, if they can’t smell it, it can’t hurt, right? All that changed the moment my body started […]


Essential Oils 102

← Continued from Essential Oils 101 What Can Essential Oils Do? Despite my cautions above, essential oils can be used safely by most people, if used correctly, in highly diluted form. Depending on the specific oil, properly used essential oils can kill bacteria and fungus, soothe, reduce appetite, aid breathing, reduce coughing, and more. Each essential […]


Essential Oils 101

Essential oils are some of the go-to scent and disinfecting agents in the homemade and natural product sector. People buy them and use them all the time, with little regard for exactly what they are. They’re natural, right? So they must be safe? This is not entirely true. To understand how we can safely use […]