'Tis the Season to Be Sick

Fa la la la la la la la la.

You hear it everywhere you go: school, work, the grocery store. Someone is sneezing or coughing or sniffling and polluting the air around you. Unless you have a super immune system, you will most likely get sick this infectious season. I know I have been feeling pretty awful lately, so I wanted to share with you all some of my personal tips and tricks to survive the sickness.

1. Cranberry juice. I am not a fan of regular cranberry juice, I prefer to drink Cran-Grape or Cran-Cherry. Right now my favorite is Ocean Spray Diet Cran-Cherry. Only five calories a serving and 100% vitamin C! Plus it tastes great.

2. If you have horribly dry skin, don't overuse those special lotions, they most likely won't work. As a regular visitor to the dermatologist, I have been told the absolute best thing to use is petroleum jelly. It's simple, but it works. Yes, it will leave your face a little greasy, but it's better than it being flaky. And if it really bothers you, you can apply it right after getting out of the shower (which is best) and wipe off the excess before you leave the house.

3. Chapped lips? If you continuously apply chapstick over and over, it actually is not good for your lips. They will continue to be chapped. Try using a little vitamin E oil. Just apply a tiny drop and smooth the oil upwards. It makes your lips shiny and gorgeous and will last longer than an application of chapstick.

4. Stock your purse/pockets with cough drops and tissues. You will want them, believe me. There is nothing worse than being in public and suddenly realizing you have snot running down your face.

5. If you truly feel bad, stay home. Don't stress and strain by trying to make it to work or school. Besides, no one wants you there if you're sick anyway.

These are just a few little things I hope might help you during the sick season. Please feel free to tell me if this did or did not work for you and leave some comments with some of your own tips and tricks!

Weekend Stress

I haven't been able to post in a couple days what with work and seeing the family and everything. That's nothing to complain about though. I have a job and a wonderful family to spend time with. Now it's time to settle in for the night and begin the homework that's due tomorrow. I am a terrible procrastinator, but I'm sure any of you who have gone or are going to school understand that.

The past couple of days have been pretty hard for me. My unsolved skin problems are just getting worse. After two years, I can honestly say I just want to peel all my skin off and get some new skin. Disgusting, I know, but really no one seems to be able to find a solution for me. Next week I will be seeing my fifth dermatologist and the eighth doctor for this same problem. No one seems to know what's wrong or how to fix it. Incredibly frustrating. It's hard to keep positive and continue on when things seem so dismal. I just have to remind myself of all the things I do have and try not to dwell on the the bad stuff.

Have any of you ever gone through so many doctors? Do you know what it is like to not know what is wrong with you? I'm sure there are many people who know what I'm going through.

So today, if you have good health, be thankful. And even if you don't, try your hardest to simply be thankful for all the things you do have: family, friends, a job, a home....

Stay strong. Keep your head up. Remember life is hard, but so worth it.