The Eczema Company Review and Giveaway

I was recently contacted by the wonderful store owner at The Eczema Company and thought that their great products would be very helpful to moms who struggle with keeping eczema at bay with their children. The owners are a family with a child who suffers from eczema and they started the business as a way to help other parents that struggle with the same challenges of childhood eczema. 

My four year old daughter has very sensitive skin, though she has never had recurring eczema, thankfully. About a month ago she was complaining about itching on the back of her legs, this was before the warm weather hit and she was wearing pants. At bedtime when she was changing into her pajamas and complaining about the itching I saw the dry, red, crusty patches on the back of her thighs, knees, and calves. I've never dealt with anything like that, so I was surprised. She has had rashes before from foods she ate (mostly sweets with additives), but nothing like this. After some reading and looking at photos I was convinced it's classic eczema. I still don't know what triggered it, but I'm sure it was something she ate when we visit grandparents and I couldn't pinpoint one thing since while there she has consumed everything from GMOs to food coloring, preservatives, and the usual allergens (nuts, eggs, wheat, dairy, soy, etc). 

The Eczema Company sent us some wonderful items to review that I cannot praise enough! First, the amazing Calendulis Natural Eczema Cream from Homeopathie Quebec, it is nothing short of incredible. Until it arrived, I was applying a natural balm that we had on hand for soothing dry skin/irritation and it didn't seem to do much for my daughter. The eczema on her legs didn't budge and I really hoped the Caledulis Cream would work better. When it arrived we applied it right away, a thin coat in the evening with merino wool pajamas she wears to sleep. She finally slept well and the itching didn't bother her, in the morning the dry, red patches were significantly clearer and in two days all the inflammation was gone with twice daily application! Don't just take my word for it, read all the other awesome Calendulis Cream reviews from parents whose children had major eczema flare ups. At $18.75 for just over an ounce, it's not cheap, but as others will agree, it's a price worth paying for clearing up eczema and minimizing the need for driving to doctor's visits and getting prescriptions for chemical based creams that don't always work. It also comes in a large tub of 4.2 ounces for $46.75. 

For a child with sensitive skin or sensory issues, finding clothing that they do not complain about wearing can be a challenge. Baby E has a slight problem with tags and seams on some clothing. She prefers everything that's soft and super comfy to wear, so she was really excited about the Dundies Elastic Free Underwear ($10.89, below). We got the size 4/5 and they are perfect on 4 year old Baby E - though she is small for her age and still wears a lot of size 3T clothing. I would say you can size up for these undies if your child is average or bigger than average for his/her age. They shrink just a tiny bit in the wash.

For Baby T we received the small (3-5 years old) Soft Seamless Unisex Boxer Brief ($10.89, above). Since he is potty learning this summer, I thought that would be great for him. I love that they are organic cotton, with just a little nylon and spandex to make them stretchy. They are also perfect for children on the autism spectrum. Baby T is 18 months but wears a lot of 2T clothing and these briefs actually fit him well but Baby E stole them from him and wears them for now! They fit her like little bike shorts and they are actually a perfect solution for little girls who like to wear dresses to the playground and need something under the dress for modesty. They are soooooo stretchy! I'm pretty sure they would fit me if I tried to pull them on! ツ 

If you are a parent of a child with allergies and/or eczema, you may find a lot of helpful information on the It's an Itchy Little World blog. The family that owns this small business has tried many eczema friendly products with their son who has eczema and it is these tried and true products that are available in their store. You will find wet wraps, natural laundry products, clothing, and skin care products, among other things. Shipping is always free for orders of $75 or more in U.S. and Canada.

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Mushroom Liver Pate with Carrots and Onions

I never liked liver when I was little. Where we lived, the whole animal was used in food prep, nothing wasted. Nevertheless I attempt to make it palatable for my kids, it's so healthy! So this is yet another try which my husband and I absolutely loved and my kids wanted nothing to do with. Okay, so at least Baby T gets some of the vitamins and minerals through breast milk. Baby E though - who really needs it for remineralizing teeth, can't even smell it! It was worth a try though.

This is relatively easy to make, especially because you save time by not taking the film off the liver the way you would need to if you were just sauteing it. You will need a food processor, high powered blender, or meat grinder. I borrow my moms Ninja because yes, my friends, my real foods kitchen does not have a food processor, yet [gasp!]. It worked okay, but I had to stop it several times to scrape the sides and mix the contents because the top wasn't getting ground up. Though an easy recipe, it is a little time consuming, so plan for a solid hour to make it, it is best made a day ahead and eaten cold out of the fridge.

There are many ways to eat the pate: as is, as a 'meat' for dinner with a side and salad, on top of toast, with some homemade crackers, in your lunch sandwich, whatever you can imagine. We love it on some sprouted bread.   

This recipe serves 6-8 people as part of a dinner, or more if used as a toast topping or part of an appetizer

Ingredients:

1 lb grassfed beef liver (optionally soaked in milk overnight)
1/4 cup grassfed butter or ghee, softened
1 large sweet onion
6-10 garlic cloves
1 cup carrots, grated 
2 cups mushrooms
1/4 tsp real salt
pepper
1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil for sauteing 

Directions: 

1. Optionally, soak liver overnight in milk to make the taste more palatable.  

2. Cut liver into 1-2 inch pieces and fry in pan on medium-high until it's brown on all sides and no longer bright pink on the inside. Make sure to cook it through so you don't end up with raw liver pate and the potential for it to spoil quick. 
3. Slice onions, garlic, grate carrots and slice mushrooms, saute in one skillet adding them in that order until soft in texture.
4. Place the liver, sauteed vegetables, softened butter, salt, and pepper in blender and blend until it all incorporates into the pate. Scrape sides if necessary. 
5. Let it cool if it's still warm, place in container and refrigerate.
6. Enjoy with dinner, on toast or crackers, in a sandwich, or by the spoonful! 

If you make this recipe, we would love to know what you served it with or if you put a different spin on it! If you adapt this recipe and post it on your own blog, please link to Eco-Babyz, we would appreciate it :)



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Life is Too Short to [Put Your Kids in Daycare]

Ruffling feathers. Hold on a second, I do understand that sometimes both parents MUST work just to pay the mortgage/rent and get food on the table. We all know that. 

Sometimes one parent doesn't make enough to cover necessary expenses, bills, student loans, sometimes you are the only provider and a brave single mom or dad. Things happen. Life happens.

If you are that parent and daycare is the only way out for you, please close this. Stop reading. Do what you need to do. Carry on. 

I want to talk to the rest of us. The parents that rely on a second income for stuff. 

To pay for a second car, a nice house, for cable, the latest electronic gadgets, a decent wardrobe, dining out, for shopping organic, nice vacations, for having your kids well-dressed. For your kids' piano class, ballet, gymnastics, martial arts, art class, private school, and Lego club. The parents that need a second income for things that aren't necessarily necessary. 

Something made me think today about how we spend the time with our children, how I spend time with my children. Mothers all over the world loose children every day. Due to accidents, illness, or unfortunate events. If you were to ask such a mother what she would have done differently, what would she say or think?

"I wish I spent more time with my children."

"I wish I was more patient with my child."

"I wish I didn't devote as much time to work."

"I wish I told them 'I love you' more often."

"I wish that time by the lake on a weekday I smelled the flowers with them, soaked in the smell of their sun kissed skin, and hugged them tighter instead of thinking of my 'to do' list."

Ask any empty-nester if they regret not working long enough hours when their kids were younger.

Do you see where I'm going?

Of course, it doesn't have to be all or nothing. I know many moms, myself included, that find a way to be present in their kids' lives and make an income - whether it is part time or from-home. Moms are the most entrepreneurial bunch I know! There are mom-owned businesses spring up like mushrooms everywhere. In the throes of raising children - we're forced to be inventive and it pays.

We gave up a lot for me to stay home. We've also gained so much more - so much that cannot be measured in dollars. I'm mindful of what my children will remember me to be when they are grown. I don't want them to remember me as always busy, rushing, impatient, distant, consumed with work. I want to be present, patient, facing them when they speak, and not constantly saying "not now kids".

I'm not here to make you feel guilty. I'm here to inspire a life worth living. I'm here to tell you there is more to life than the rat race and you know that. I'm here to remind myself that sometimes work can wait and there are things that matter much much more. 

I'm here to tell you that you can do just fine without all the 'extras' that the society around us tells us we must have. 

Stuff will not make us happy. Stuff does not make for a life worth living. Let's leave our stuff for building blossoming relationships with our children to impact the world through them or to just impact their world. We are the world to them.

Are you willing to give up something today to spend more time with your children? 

What can you do to stop running through frantic schedules and pause to enjoy life more than just on the weekends or vacation?

Does your family thrive more when you are a working mom? Do you find you need to work to stay sane?

What's your ideal work/life balance situation?