My infantile eczema & allergies plan for this blog....

Well I've been writing monthly or bi monthly updates for a while now on the progress we are making with Mr. T and his conditions, which may be useful to some, but I feel I need to change the style of spreading the information I have learned and make it easier and faster for other parents out there to follow.

My plan for the next few weeks whenever I get a chance is to sit down and summarise all the steps we took in order to help our little boy turn from an irritated, angry, sore little man with hardly any healthy skin on his body to one that is now sporting baby soft skin nearly everywhere, and is slowly getting stronger and more resistant to the chemical world we live in.

Our journey in helping him started in March 2013 when I discovered two websites, while desperately searching the internet trying to find a solution. Topical steroids just weren't going to be the long term answer, and weren't addressing the real problem. I would recommend everyone dealing with eczema or asthma to have a look at these sites:  www.solveeczema.org and www.itchybaby.co.uk

Since then we have converted our whole household to help Mr. T in the most natural way possible, and I have shared these experiences on this blog. I now think however it is time to stop the possible rambling and give other helpless parents out there some ideas of what may help. Eczema and food allergies are so very specific, one thing may work for one family that doesn't work for another, but when it comes to detergent and its ill effects, I don't think there's anyone who hasn't benefited from eliminating it from their lives, especially if you suffer from these two conditions.

I would also like to mention, I am not a doctor, nor do I endorse any products. Our family doctor knows of all the steps we have taken to combat Mr. T's problems, and he is happy with the decisions we have made. Prescription drugs just weren't the answer for Mr. T, so we are solving his conditions naturally, with a lot of research, a bit of common sense and professional guidance from both western medicine practices and holistic therapies. I was once told 'Information is the key to survival' and this is true. It is what has helped us get this far.

So, as soon as I can I will compile our experiences together, into as short a post as I can, as I know that a sleep deprived desperate parent out there looking for help like I was, doesn't have time to read endless monthly updates. Please bear with me while I get this info together. There is so much I have learned it will be difficult to comprise it all, but with the help of my new wireless bluetooth keyboard I can now type on my phone anywhere so I'm hoping this will help :)

In case you are not yet convinced that the methods we have been using work, please have a look at the pictures below. Everyones journey is their own, but this has been our journey. If me sharing it can help even one baby out of their misery, or support one parent in their venture of doing the same, then it will be worthwhile :) Thank you for reading.

Here some pictures of Mr. T before eliminating detergents and allergens out of his life:

 

Now, 15 months later, we have gotten to the maintenance stage of keeping normal skin on his body as opposed to the initial stage which involved getting rid of infections, all detergents & allergens. 

Thank you to those people that have been there for us. The last 20 months have been an incredibly difficult time, physically and emotionally. Words, certainly in writing, cannot express how thankful I am to those that helped me still remain on two feet to this day, Tom and mum especially. Thank you for helping me stay strong. xxxxxx

My happiness project 2014: March -Time Management (part 2)

2016 Update: My happiness project had to be put on hold for a few years as I couldn't take it on as all my focus was on getting our son better and I also had some health issues. 

I will be resuming it in the near future as I still think it would be a great thing to do, so I'll keep ye posted :) 

As part of my happiness project 2014 my March mission was Time Management. During my research for this month I learned a lot, and made a lot of changes,....slowly....hence only writing about it in July. The first part of this process is explained here, in case you'd like to catch up. 

Well, I'm only human, so yes, I'm a few months late. Still, I am making a difference, and slowly but surely I am able to spend more quality time with the kids, be less frantic, and have more of those melt moments when you get lost in thoughts looking at your child that is oblivious to the fact that mummy is totally in love with them. 

So carrying on from the previous post, where I wrote about the first six points of action I took to get my time management to work better, here is the final part of this 'experiment'. 


7. Get storage
A lot of my stress when trying to keep the house tidy came from lots of clutter just piling up in heaps on the floor and on surfaces. Even when the big clear out was done there was still piles accumulating. Well I figured there's a reason. Storage. Lack of it! The clutter that piled up was there because practically I was in too much of a rush to sort it out there and then, but it needed to be put somewhere, and that was alright for now. Well now I've invested in boxes and baskets.
I have small baskets in nearly every room that I just put clutter into when I simply don't have time to tidy it right now. The big culprit was the hallway. A MOUNTAIN seemed to grow there whenever we came back from town or a road trip. Another mountain of stuff seemed to grow in the bathroom after baths & showers. Well I've put a box with a lid in each of these spots. Now with all the baskets and boxes I can just fling stuff in there instead of having it in a heap. I'll get to tidying it eventually, but until then, it looks neater, and like as if its supposed to be there. ha ha :)

The bathroom box

8. Priorities
I'm a fairy. A complete 'list addict, wanna be organised, fairy'. I used to be more focused, but I think having two young kids has for the moment permanently fogged my focus. I start one job and then get distracted. Or I try multi task to the point where I'm actually not getting much done. So my solution was to prioritise. On a list of course :) 
I made a list of everything I needed to do on a daily basis. 
The really urgent tasks got four stars. Torins medication and skin, jolie's playschool runs, feeding the animals, making bread and watering the garden were among the ones that came under this heading. 
Then came the three star tasks that weren't urgent, but I really wanted to do, like one on one time with the kids, Tom time, making soaps & creams and gardening. Laundry and washing eggs were some of the tasks under this heading, not that I want to do them, but I really should, though they're not urgent. 
Next came the two stars, blogging and having a bath instead of a quick shower came under these. I needed and wanted to do them, but they just needed to wait until the three star tasks were done because after all, my family and our homestead is most important.
And lastly, with one star came photography and Facebook. I have a passion for photography, and even a diploma in it, but at the moment my career is on hold, so I rarely dig out the camera unless I have a few hours where I can get creative and have peace and calm. 
Facebook is generally only something I sit at when I'm completely exhausted. For a while there I had the app on my phone and checked it several times a day....any new notifications? any new photos?....what a waste of energy. I deleted it from my phone, and I now spend those free moments thinking of something creative, or talking to people in the same room as me. Don't get me wrong, Facebook is very useful for keeping in touch with family far away, and for lots of things, but I don't make time for it anymore. It just slips in there when I really have nothing else to do, or I physically don't have the energy to do anything else. 
Finally at the end of my priorities list I wrote: 'Don't forget paperwork'. This is an ongoing task that just needs to be address when needed. 
So now, when I start daydreaming when I should be doing something useful, I snap out of it and try get focused. Priority list to the rescue. 

9. Sort out paperwork
The files and boxes of unorganised paperwork from my fiances work and just life in general were taking over the TV cabinet. I had made an attempt before with some folders to organise it all but it just didn't work. I bit the bullet and bought a filing cabinet. I sorted it out, his and hers sections, and the kids got their own folders too. I went through all the paperwork, threw half of it out, and filed the rest. Then I bought an inbox tray. A three tier one. Now Tom and I each have an inbox,and the third is for the kids. Everyone knows it's there, and as soon as a letter enters the house, if it doesn't land in the recycling, then it lands there. The trays are pretty shallow, a good idea, because it's impossible to load them up to the brim. I just HAVE to tackle the paperwork regularly because otherwise it topples over. Sorting paperwork and having it organised makes the whole idea of accounting and letters seem less daunting, and I feel more in control. Less scared I'm going to get some random fine in the post because I lost the warning notices somewhere behind the couch or the bread bin. 

10. Think and chill
Finally, the last step I took in my time management mission was to just have a little think in the evening what I'm doing the next day. As a mum who still has to get up and give my little boy three bottles every night (well Tom and I take it in turns, but either way you still wake up), the morning wake up call is usually followed by my brain trying to remember what day of the week it is, did I wake up late?, and what was I meant to do today?. Well now I just spend 10 minutes in the evening thinking, right, what AM I really going to do tomorrow. Realistically. 
Then comes the chill factor. Life isn't by the book, and if it's too planned it's all so very boring. Organised or not, mostly, my kids, the animals, and the garden decide my time schedule. There's no point in being miserable or cross if I can't get everything done. I'm trying my best, and I'm doing a hell of a lot already. If I can't get it done, or if at this moment in time I'd rather giggle with the kids or have a cuddle with Tom,then so be it. Life is too short. I want to enjoy it. :)




Books read as part of my research:

- Simplify Your Life by Mike C. Adams
- Time Management for Manic Mums by Allison Mitchell
- Time Management by Richard Walsh

Please note I am not promoting any of these books or any products. These are simply my opinions and experiences.