Maria and her family get creative to keep sources of allergies at bay and do the things they love.

Q. Tell us a little about yourself. Do you have hobbies? What do you do for work?

Maria: Our son, Jaden, is 5. My husband Bill and I owned and operated a restaurant from 2001–2007. We then took 2008 off to finish building a home in Millersville, MD, just north of Annapolis. We are refocusing on our passion for art.

Q. How long have you lived in Maryland? What is your part of the state like?

Maria: I have always lived in Maryland, but we're now debating about moving to a warmer climate or perhaps outside of the US for better conditions for our Eczema issues.

Q. How does your passion for art figure into your life? Were building plans for your home influenced by it?

Maria: Funny you should ask that question. My husband Bill & I try to incorporate art into everything that surrounds us. When we owned the restaurant, "The Sputnik Café," we transplanted our love of art onto the food scaping, as well as our Sputnik Garden with a metal waterfall sculpture. The space (inside the restaurant & outside) used our own artwork or artwork that customers did with us once a month called our "Sputnik Art Happenings." The building was definitely influenced by our love of art, and we wanted a unique space for Jaden to appreciate. We like him to learn that life and art should be appreciated, and that not everything should look the same.

Q. At what point did you realize that you and your son have allergies?

Maria: I have always had issues with allergies, but during my pregnancy my Eczema returned (I had not had any issues since high school), as did my asthma. Jaden also started showing signs of Eczema soon after he was born, and by the time he was 3 we noticed he was having reactions to environmental allergens (dust, pollen, etc.) with some mild food allergies.

Q. What are some of the struggles you've encountered in dealing with allergy symptoms in your family?

Maria: Living with forced air heat/ac, carpets and such. We are focusing on trying to eliminate all of these conditions in our new home by not installing carpet and operating our house entirely on radiant heat next year.

Q. What are the smaller and bigger adjustments you've made to your lifestyle to manage allergies?

Maria: We use mild detergents for washing laundry, particularly in bed sheets, and we use hypoallergenic pillow covers. In the summer, we try to allow as much fresh air into our house as possible and avoid using the AC.

Q. Are some seasons harder for your family than others?

Maria: Winter is hardest for our Eczema because of the low humidity and cold. During the late summer, Jaden has issues with ragweed pollen.

Q. In order to minimize Eczema issues and allergy symptoms for you and your son, do you have special laundry techniques?

Maria: We try not to use harsh chemicals in any bath or detergent products, making sure they're as mild as possible with no fragrance.

Q. Do your kids go to school or daycare? How do you manage allergies when they're in these environments?

Maria: Jaden goes to Gibson Island Country School, which is right on the water & teaches them so much about the environment and saving the Chesapeake Bay, just really saving the planet. They have a nature trail and Jaden loves the outdoors. The fresh air seems to help his allergies.

Q. Which is the easiest season for your family in terms of allergies? Do your kids engage in outdoor activities during this time?

Maria: The spring & fall help Jaden & myself out with our Eczema (not too chilly, and not the heat of the summer). We have a garden where he enjoys spending time outside. He is a five year old who loves to play outside, climb, and build dirt pyramids to hide his cars & trucks in.