Tuesday, March 17, 2020

How to Survive Covid-19 Crisis Without Losing Your Mind

I originally wasn't going to post on this because  most my other blogging family members already did but I figure why not?

Here are some things that came to my mind as of late.
1. I know you've been told to practice hand washing but all that hand washing can dry our skin so use a nice hand lotion to keep them nice and soft.

2. Paper towels are hard to find now so consider using hand towels to dry your hands.  You can make cleaning rags out of old ripped towels or old t- shirts which makes a nice alternative to paper towels.

3. For napkins there are lots of YouTube videos on making cloth napkins including no sew ones.  You can get some inexpensive fabric and cut them napkin size with pinking  shears.

4. Most schools across the nation are temporarily closed so activities you can do to keep your children busy include baking, using printables from the internet, plant some seeds in the garden or if you don't have a garden, plant in pots. Scholastic.com  is offering free online activities for grades Pre-K-6+.

5. Consider canning foods for longer storage.  You can water bath foods like fruits, jams and jellies but foods like meats, soups and veggies must be pressure canned. If you try to water bath these foods COVID-19 will be the least of your problems. The Ball Blue Book is available on Amazon and is one of the best books on preserving food.

6. If you have babies that rely on store bought baby food, try making your own.

7. You may be in a place where are asked ( and in some areas told) to stay home and avoid crowds so perhaps take this time to learn a new craft. Amazon has many craft items like crochet hook and knitting needles, yarn, paper crafts, and more.  Again YouTube has many videos to learn these activities.

8. If your library isn't closed pick up some books for yourself and your family or read unfinished or unread books from your personal library.

9. We come to the awkward issue of the shortage of toilet paper. I don't understand the craziness of that. I mean it's not like people are going to get bored at home and go toilet papering homes.
 If you do happen to have any I would suggest using less and ask your family members  to  do the same.
Toilet paper alternatives I've read around the internet have ranged from practical to downright bizarre.
Now a word of warning: Please, only flush toilet paper or flushable wipes. Plumbers will already have their work cut out for them because folks are flushing items they shouldn't flush.
Here is what I've seen online  but I will leave out the weird stuff.
Disposable wipes. Though baby wipes are nice, unless you are very desperate let's leave the baby wipes for mamas with little ones. Opt for adult wipes instead.
Homemade cloth wipes. I know this sounds yucky but you can cut up t-shirts,  soft towels or expensive fabric. Put used cloths in  diaper pails or buckets with lids like empty Tidy Cat litter pails. Sprinkling baking soda and essential oils should hopefully cut down on the smell or you can use vinegar and water though I like that option better. And wash them often in hot water.
Bidets- I know nothing about them but they apparently are selling like hotcakes.

10. Buy only what you truly need. Don't buy cold medicine unless you are having cold symptoms. Leave those item for people who really need them. I think pain medicines would be better because probably many of people may be suffering from stress induced pain. I know I am.

11. Please get your COVID-19 information from reliable sources like Centers for Disease  Control at cdc.gov.
There is a lot of false information from the media in order to get higher ratings. And I might add reduce the amount of time reading about COVID-19. As I mentioned there is much falsehood that can cause much stress and anxiety.


Most of all dear friends in addition to those I mentioned remember to pray. God is still in control.
 Pray especially before you go shopping. I don't mean just shopping that you get what you need but that customers are gracious. Please thank your cashier. They are under extreme stress because customers are mad they can't buy 5 packages of toilet paper. Okay maybe that was an exaggeration but you get the point.
This morning we needed to pick up a few things from Safeway and I was feeling really anxious about shopping. I normally look forward to shopping but I was just too anxious so I asked Tim to pray. By the time we arrived at the market I was much more relaxed.  The shopping trip was quite pleasant and I found all I needed on my list. Except toilet paper.








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