Last week, with my revelations that I was likely reacting to polyester and spandex, my short-term sewing list expanded. I went from having a week and a half to sew a coat, tunic, and veil to also having to sew pants and shirts to replace the polyester- and spandex-laden Under Armor shirts and yoga pants […]
I’m sure I’m not the only one whose breath has been caught up short by walking through a cloud of cigarette smoke, or having smoke waft over to me on a breeze. Aside from the throat-crushing breath of smoke, we all know that cigarette smoke contains over 4000 chemicals, many of them hazardous. These include […]
Neighbours can convince you to do a lot of things without actually saying a word. I live in a c.1980s suburban neighbourhood. The subdivision is old enough to have tall trees and individualized house designs, not sub-neighbourhood labels (ex. “The Oaks”) and minuscule yards. Our demographic ranges from middle-class retiree to new family. We moved […]
In honour of my birthday, I’d like to share with you a couple of recipes that my hard-working husband and excited daughter will be whipping up today. While I once would have loved to have an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen, chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing are my cake of choice the past few […]
On Monday, I wrote about allergies to propylene glycol and their connection to polyester. Since last week’s all night blanket-making fiasco, I’ve had some results, and learned a few more things. First, along with changing to the new blanket and getting well enough to sleep in my own bed again, I’ve been trying to wear […]
Thursday night while trying to recover from a bad cold, I stayed up all night and sewed a blanket. You see, I’d been sleeping reclined on the couch for a few nights to try to stay more upright while my body fought the cold. I slept on our leather sofa, in a half-sleeve, cotton-poly blend […]
What are Parabens? Parabens are preservatives used in cosmetics, toiletries, and other personal care products to prevent bacterial growth and thus increase product longevity. The group of “paraben” chemicals are similar in that they all contain the base “paraben” molecule but each has different numbers of carbon and hydrogen atoms joined to one branch of […]
Note: Sorry for the delay in posting, I was sick yesterday and unable to get the blog posting up. There is a plethora of information online about chemical allergies and chemical allergens. When considering whether these might be a problem for you, searching out answers is difficult. Some doctors will resist patch testing and some […]
Growing plants is a constant learning curve. I’ve been growing a garden for four years now, adding garden beds and plants each year. This year I added not only two raised garden beds but also two ground-level beds, an indoor grow light for starting seedlings, and almost 40 new varieties of plants. Without fail, I […]
I went camping again this past weekend. That seems to be a very common theme lately, but this time it was with a group. This means that chores (including dish washing, cooking, and meals) are shared. In situations like this, it’s really important to communicate needs with a large group of people, which seems almost […]
When we first moved into our home, we rented a Rug Doctor carpet cleaner from the grocery store and used the Rug Doctor carpet cleaning chemicals to wash all of the carpets in our house. Fast forward to several years later. There has always been a spot in the playroom that the cat sniffs and […]
I’ve been thinking lately about hard water. Some people may think we must have a water softener if we have a water filter, but no, when we purchased the water filter, chlorine removal was on our minds, not hardness. I’ve never really had to think about hard water. Since detergents work so well in both […]
This weekend I went to a wedding, about four hours from home. It was a beautiful wedding incorporating all sorts of rituals and touches special to the bride and groom. There were family of the bride and groom, friends galore, and lots of hugging and dancing. Food was typical buffet style. That’s what you typically […]
You may remember my blog post last week about food allergies and intolerances, and how I felt I may be allergic or sensitive to nightshades like potatoes and tomatoes. I began wondering if I might be sensitive in some way when I was camping and found that the lymph node swelling that I had been experiencing […]
It’s a short post today because I’ve already talked about a related topic in the past, but I wanted to mention something that I’ve been noticing for a year or so. When I was working in an office, I had unpleasant B.O. I did everything I could to deal with it: Trying different deodorants, washing […]
I’ve been intolerant to eggs and dairy for several years now, which means that, as a dairy-lover, every time I find something remotely like dairy that I can eat I get really excited. One of the best things I’ve done in finding non-meat products is to search for things labelled vegan. I’m far from vegan, […]
A few years ago, I discovered that something I was eating wasn’t sitting well with me. I noticed that eating dairy would be followed by heavy bloating and gas and other, later less I-want-to-share-in-public-type discomforts. I went to my doctor, who told me that if this was happening, if *not* eating milk fixed the problem, […]
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 […]
← Previous Post: Gardening, Sun, and Sun Protection Two weeks ago, as mentioned on this blog, I spent way too much time outside and earned myself a nice sunburn. Not wanting to apply medication which could further thin or sensitize my skin on my tender arms, and needing to treat my burns, I immediately made […]
My daughter is gifted and sensitive. I don’t say this be be elitist, because frankly it’s usually far from a walk in the park. I think most of the world sees being gifted as doing well in school, learning quickly, and being easy to deal with. The dictionary defines “gifted” as “having exceptional talent or […]
When I visited California, I spent a great deal of time with people learning about natural dyes. One of the most interesting and challenging types of dyeing involved the use of fungus or lichens to dye fabric. Lichen is a delicate symbiosis of fungus and algae, which requires moisture, sunlight, and good air to grow. […]
Hair care has been a big thing for me recently. I haven’t used shampoo in about two years, but about two months ago I had to change things up, and discussions on Facebook have me thinking about it more. Hair is another source of chemical allergy transfer, as it “catches” allergens in the air and […]
Our daughter has allergies. Not ones like mine, where she has to be wary of anyone she touches or spends time near, but furry pets give her eczema. And we have a cat. A fuzzy, meowing, ball of allergies. Our cat is adorable. He loves people, loves attention, and even comes when he’s called. Our […]