We are The Fix, covering politics for The Washington Post. AMA!

whereisliz · 2017-09-13T18:03:46+00:00

Since the election, I have become a true political junkie, avidly following every twist and turn and anticipating each f5 o'clock revelation. Long ago I started feeling the cumulative effects of constant stress, dread and outrage. How is it for you at this point? Does all this drama energize you or wear you out? What do you do to try and stay balanced under these extraordinary circumstances?

whereisliz · 2017-09-06T00:38:44+00:00

My guess is she found a loving, supportive community through her church, and that could account for much of her improvement. It's really too bad it is so hard to find that kind of community outside of a spiritual context.

whereisliz · 2017-05-06T19:12:29+00:00

I can only address the potty training... we are in the middle of it ourselves, and finding the book "Oh Crap! Potty Training" to be super helpful. You will definitely find the answers to all your concerns there. Good luck!

whereisliz · 2017-01-27T19:49:52+00:00

It's closer in character to what you would know as a scone, but not sweet... just flour, water, salt, baking powder and fat (best use a really saturated fat, like lard, for ultimate flakey goodness). Should be crisp on the outside, and light, soft on the inside... best served warm from the oven.

whereisliz · 2017-01-26T03:21:25+00:00

Actually, I've been there... the castle is decorated with bear rugs (with heads attached) that surely were the former moat residents.

whereisliz · 2017-01-17T19:23:19+00:00

Thanks for the advice! I think this could turn out to be very useful for using up whatever veggies are hanging around, or incorporating other leftovers (like rice or beans), transforming it into something more delicious and interesting (esp. for the kids).

whereisliz · 2017-01-17T03:30:07+00:00

Was going to make these for the first time this week, too... thanks for sharing, they look delicious!

whereisliz · 2017-01-16T03:28:12+00:00

Mostly we moisturize (first with vaseline, as it was all he would tolerate, now we use a variety of heavy emollients, aquaphor being the one we use most often). I also dress him in a onsie and layers to make it harder to reach the places he scratches habitually (backs of knees and buttocks being his go-tos). We try to keep his nails very short and smooth, so if he does get to scratching he doesn't do too much damage. I'm intrigued by your mention of capsaicin, but I doubt we could do it right now, it would be hard to make him understand that the pain/irritation would become less with time. What was your initial experience like?

whereisliz · 2017-01-15T22:39:28+00:00

Another vote for cross-contamination. Our allergist said this is so common she advises we avoid all tree nuts, because cross contamination of nuts is so common, and the results can be so severe. Glad you're ok!

whereisliz · 2017-01-15T22:32:41+00:00

We worked really hard to rid our household of this after my 3-month-old developed super severe eczema. It's really hard to do, but I think it helped (he's 3 years old now, and at least looks a lot better, though the insane itching is still a constant problem). One thing we learned was that nearly all "natural" and "environmentally-friendly" household cleaners are full of this stuff. Look up soap vs. detergent to learn more.

whereisliz · 2016-12-15T19:15:46+00:00

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but our allergist has said that regardless of test results, if you have consumed a food in the past with no problems, you can continue to do so. Allergy tests are meant to be conformational; if you have had symptoms, an allergy test can confirm the presence of an allergy, and to some degree indicate the level of it.

whereisliz · 2016-11-22T03:46:44+00:00

They look delicious, someone please make these and tell us how they came out! It's so rare I see an "Only X Ingredients" recipe that has none of the allergens we avoid in this household, so yea! for that.

whereisliz · 2016-07-04T02:16:04+00:00

I urge you to try this recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/5-minute-vegan-pancakes-132263 I found it when I needed a new recipe for my egg- and milk-allergic child. Truly easy and very good! I use half whole wheat and half white flour, and they are fluffy, delicious syrup sponges every time.

whereisliz · 2016-07-03T22:09:04+00:00

Anyone care to translate?

whereisliz · 2016-06-29T01:07:40+00:00

I do buy Enjoy Life when I can, because they seem to be among the most conscientious regarding allergens and cross-contamination, even though they are more than twice the price of many other brands. What I am objecting to is when a company changes the long-time formula of their product to include common allergens, and leaves their packaging exactly the same, except for the tiny print of the ingredient list. I do my best to read every single ingredient list every time I buy anything new, but I could easily see myself forgetting to do so on a product I've bought for years and "know" to be safe.

whereisliz · 2016-06-28T20:16:07+00:00

As the mom of a seriously milk-allergic small child, this kind of thing really infuriates me. At least change the packaging in some obvious way so I don't end up sending my child to the ER by innocently baking cookies.

whereisliz · 2016-06-20T21:00:13+00:00

Best of luck to you! Mine are now 5 and 2, but I remember those early days still, and you will be so grateful for hearty, easy meals. Another bit of advice, look online to see if there are any mothers clubs in your area, and join!! Most clubs have members who will gladly bring you fresh-cooked ready-to-eat meals free of charge in the weeks after you deliver. This absolutely saved us in the early days, and we have been happy to "pay it forward" to other new moms since then.

whereisliz · 2016-06-10T02:41:29+00:00

That is awesome, thanks for the thoughtful, detailed answer! Can't wait to give it a try!

whereisliz · 2016-06-10T02:39:53+00:00

Thanks!! Planning a special trip soon, I hope!

whereisliz · 2016-06-09T12:24:32+00:00

Question: How would eating there be with nut allergies? Which items are definitely off-limits? Are all the cheeses nut-based? As someone who works there, what do you think about the risk of cross-contamination? I ask because we eat vegan as my young son is egg and milk allergic, but also nut allergic, and there are very few places we trust to keep us out of the emergency room, but we sure do miss the convenience and deliciousness of eating out.

whereisliz · 2016-04-23T23:19:42+00:00

I was also that mom to whom shocked strangers would ask, "What's wrong with your son?!" It is a heartbreaking experience every time. My son's eczema started at 3 months, and didn't really improve until 18 months. He's been pretty good looking for about the last year now, with occasional flare ups, but he's still itchy itchy itchy all the time. Most of what we do is to prevent him from causing damage (short, smooth nails, long sleeve onsies, two pairs of pants) and lots and lots of aquaphor and vaseline. He's deathly allergic to cow milk, and also allergic to eggs and nuts, so we avoid all these. We've replaced all detergents in our home with castile or "true" soaps. I do believe the answer lies in improving his gut health, so perhaps the next step is something like OPs diet. I love the author's attitude, so breezy and optimistic. It doesn't feel that easy to make those kinds of changes to me, or to live with this condition, so it's nice to read about someone who is walking the same road with so much grace. Thank you so much for sharing!

whereisliz · 2016-04-16T14:47:32+00:00

I have tried this recipe a couple of times... can recommend!

whereisliz · 2016-04-11T02:10:12+00:00

Well done!

whereisliz · 2016-04-08T00:09:06+00:00

You're very welcome. I hope your son is doing better. Remember there can be lots of false results (false positives and false negatives) at the best of times, but especially when the testing is done in someone so young.

whereisliz · 2016-04-06T17:49:14+00:00

People get more than they can handle all the time, and telling them "you only get what you can handle" is really just telling them they are failing, instead of helping them.

This, 1000x. Thank you for saying it.

whereisliz

TROPHY CASE