Summer is almost here!

Good Morning Everyone!

Good news, Pollen count is going down! 

How does this affect your eczema?

Personally, I'm hoping that everything starts to calm down! My last flare subsided slowly, but now I am waking up in the morning with a red and slightly swollen face! Not fun at all. 

Curious to find out if anyone else gets splits in the skin around their eyes? I have them at the moment and it is quite painful. 

Anyhow, the pollen count going down is an awesome thing. I no longer have to be afraid of going outside or it being windy! Living in Australia means that we have lots of pollen filled trees like Wattle, Jacaranda and many more. This means that for those with hayfever or environmental allergies, spring can be the worst time of the year. 

But that time of year is coming to an end, and Christmas is almost here! 

Let me know how you are going with your eczema! Have a great day everyone!

Recipe Saturday!

Good Morning All!

For Today's recipe I thought I would share my cake in a mug! Making Cupcakes is always fun, but sometimes you only want one! This is where this recipe comes in very handy.

Sorry for the lack of a photo at the end, I am at work today!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup SR Flour
2 tbsp Custard Powder/Cocoa/Carob Powder
1/4 Cup Caster Sugar
Pinch of Salt
2 tbsp Oil
1/4 Cup Water
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

Mix Well in a mug

Microwave for approximately one minute, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.


ENJOY!

Positive Things About Eczema - Young ones with eczema

I wasn't sure what to post today, so I sat down with my mother and had a chat. I know everyone thinks their mother is amazing, but truly, I admire my mother and her persistence with me over the years. So today's post is inspired by my mother's stories and Friday's will now be dedicated to Positive Things about Eczema and Allergies

Everyone gets frustrated when they flare, the person with the eczema does, and so do the people around them. When I flare now, I get extremely frustrated and emotional, because I cannot seem to control the eczema. It seems that when I was younger, I was exactly the same.

When I was little, I used to flare more constantly. What I didnt know, is how my mum dealt with me when I flared.

Most of you will know what I am talking about when I say flare, but for those who don't let me give you a rundown. Red, itchy skin generally all over your body, which can crack and hurt. And no matter what you do, it can be hard to get rid of it, and stop it from coming back. When kids are younger, its harder for them to understand what is happening, so it can be very frustrating.

When my skin got to the point where it made me frustrated, she would simply put me in a bath (QV or Oat, see previous post). She said it was a good feeling to just watch the redness and heat leave my skin.

She used it as bonding time, chatting to me about anything and everything, and despite me knowing, I ended up doing the same! Spending time just chatting was great, but it also made my skin feel better, which was the golden bonus.

Some wise words from a mother who has raised a child for 18 years with chronic eczema and allergies: It's easy to get frustrated, but the calmer you stay, the calmer they will stay. Use it as a sort of bonding time, you might end up enjoying it!

I can tell you that my mum and I are very close, and I know that it is because of what we have been through! So today, if its a flare day or just one of those eczema days; instead of getting frustrated and angry with yourself, try and turn it into a positive! Maybe its a you day, one you can stay at home and catch up on that TV show, or book! Maybe it means you can spend some quality time with your little one!

Flare updates!

Hello everyone!

Welcome back! My university exams are finally over for the year which means less stress!

Luckily my flare has subsided and my skin is looking a lot better! I thought I would let you know the steps I took to stop the flare up!

1. Flare up/oat baths: I used the QV flare up bath liquid or my oat bath (see post on alternative methods)

2. Zinc/apple cider vinegar: I had my zinc and apple cider vinegar every day, despite the disgusting taste (see alternative methods post)

3. Steroid cream: there came a point in my flare that I realized that without using steroids I was not going to clear up, so I used celestone once or twice a day in the bad areas

4. MOISTURISER! I'm sure you all know the importance of moisture on the skin,  but I was using a good quality moisturizer on my skin 3-4 times a day! (I will do a post on my fave types of moisturizer soon)

5. Patience: it can be so hard to be paitent waiting for your skin to clear up but it will happen!  Being kind to your skin and being paitent will get you there in time!

Let me know how your skin is doing! Have a great day everyone!  :)

Post content?

Hi everyone! 

So today is the last day of my exams, so posts everyday from now on! I apologise for the hiatus!

I was wondering if there was anything in particular you all wanted me to address in future posts? Let me know in the comments below or through the Facebook page (link is on the left). Dont forget to like the fb page, goal is 100 likes!

Have a great day :)

Allergies

Good Morning Everyone!

Curious to see how many of my readers have both allergies and eczema, so I thought today I would shed some light on allergies.


As it stands, I have allergies to Dairy, Egg, Seafood and Nuts. Which can be extremely hard when eating out, but that is another post alltogether!

When I was younger, I had a lot more allergies that I was diagnosed with. In fact, for a period of time, all I ate was pasta with white sauce and pears!

I can tell you, it was a boring life with food during that time.... Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner were very similar and boring! After a while, my mum thought this was a bit ridiculous! Before the test which said I had all these allergens, I had been eating meat and other foods without any problems (except for the main allergies I have today as they have been with me since I was 18 months old, so I was not fed these), so mum decided to add them back into my diet and freed me from the blah!

After other numerous allergy tests, it was concluded that I had serious allergies to Dairy, Egg, Seafood and Nuts and would have to carry an epipen around with me at all times.

All my friends know that I carry an epipen and how to use one if the time comes. I am extremely grateful to have such caring and understanding friends around me.

So do you deal with allergies in your house as well as eczema? What allergies are they? How were they discovered? And have you grown out of any?

See you tomorrow lovely readers!

Recipe Saturday!

Today brings another installment of recipe saturday!

Summer days call for cool, easy to make and delicious snacks and meals! So today I will be giving you the recipe for my easy guacamole dip!

What you will need:

2 Avacados
1 clove garlic
Pinch of the following herbs: Basil, Chilli, Cumin, Paprika, Parsley,Oregano, Thyme
Pinch of salt and pepper (to taste)
1 tsp of Lemon Juice

Method:

Mash avacado's to desired consistency (chunky, smooth)
Once mashed, add the herbs, salt, pepper and lemon juice
Mix until well combined
Finely chop garlic and add to mixture
Mix well


NOTE: Taste test your guacamole and see if you need to add more lemon juice/salt/pepper. It is all up to your taste!

Serve with crackers, on sandwiches or however you like!