Once upon a time, before I knew I had chemical allergies, I had a strict packing plan when I went on trips. Clothes, shoes, hair stuff, face stuff, body stuff, medications, tooth stuff…all into the bag. I’ve been through a few different variations since then, but nowadays my travel bag is barely recognizable, and it’s […]
When we travelled out West in April, we went for a serious reason, but we knew we had to make it a family vacation, too, because we didn’t know if we would have any more travel time this year. Most of our time was spent in British Columbia, with a little bit in Alberta, due […]
Many of you read about two months ago when I was frantically searching for a trailer or motorhome in which to head out west to visit my grandfather before he died. Today’s post is an update to that one. Not a lot of allergy info here, just a crazy story. In the week I had […]
In part one, I reviewed health food stores from Ontario to Alberta, based mainly on my recent cross-country trip. I visited over 25 different shops, and it is my hope that my own experiences about what you might find in each will help others. Today I discuss some of the gems and not-so-wonderful natural food […]
In April, I took a trip halfway across Canada and back – from Ontario to BC’s west coast. Not only did I need to find snacks and other foods along the way, but I also wanted to explore the diversity of products offered in different places. I decided to review the places I stopped so […]
I’ve written previously about staying in hotels with chemical allergies, but there are times when staying in a hotel just doesn’t work. One time my husband forgot to leave the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door and housekeeping cleaned the room unsafely after the first day, right before I came to join him. Sometimes hotels […]
My daughter and I travelled with my husband for his work this week. I wasn’t sure it would be possible after the house contamination last week, but it worked out. We spent three days in a hotel that is willing to cater to my chemical contact allergy needs. It turned out we were in a […]
A little while ago, I was scanning Facebook and came across an article claiming that coffee grounds make a good bug repellent. That is, spreading them around outside or lighting them on fire would effectively remove mosquitoes from your vicinity. Not that you should rub them on yourself. Though that wouldn’t smell half bad… Not […]
← 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, […]
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 […]
I have had he occasion to stay at friends’ homes a few times since finding out about my allergies. It always makes me at least a little bit nervous, but I’ve come to develop a bit of a routine and packing list, which helps a lot. Plus choosing to stay with friends who are aware […]