You might be living under a rock if you didn’t know about Corona Virus and the precautions the world is taking at this time. As much as we, the society, can appreciate the new regulations and helpful guidelines that are currently out- there is a tendency to cave to the panic of the situation. As parents, it is our responsibility to be the calm in the storm. Our children look to us on how they should handle the changes that ultimately affect them just as much. With the chaos in our world today and changes that will continue to alter our daily living (hopefully for a short time), here are five tips to calm the chaos in your family during a crisis.
Tip #1: Get Everyone on the Same Page
According to the ages of your children communicate with them (in ways they understand) about the new changes.
Communicating is the first way to combat the fear of the unknown. Have open conversations with your children is key to help guide them through the new changes. Talk about schedules, how you as a family will remain indoors, what activities they can look forward to for the day or this week etc. To help with these conversations, indoor activity ideas, a daily schedule, for the week and so much more- check out this e-book jam-packed with printables we know will help you and your family get on the same page during this quarantine season of the Corona Virus and calm the chaos in your home.
Tip #2: Take Inventory of What You Have
Grab a clipboard, two papers, and pen and look through your cabinets, pantry, fridge, and freezer and take inventory of what you already have. We’ll be adding that inventory here shortly. Write down everything you discover in one column. Make sure to write down each item’s expiration date. *Expert note- when I come home from grocery shopping before I put anything away I take a sharpie and write the purchased date on that item. For inventory purposes, I like to see how long a certain item lasts and I make sure to use the oldest dated item first.
With inventory list complete- ask these two questions: 1.) How often do I use this? 2.) How long will this last?
After you have answered these questions if the item you use often won’t last longer than two weeks- put this item on your grocery list to buy.
If you have an item in your inventory that you don’t use often, don’t worry about buying another one- yet.
Tip #3: Make a Three Times a Day Meal plan, Including Snacks and an Evening Dessert for Two Weeks
After you have taken inventory of what you already have- take the second piece of paper and write an in-depth meal plan for two weeks. Remember this isn’t a strict meal plan, just a great outline to make sure you have all the supplies for a couple of weeks. Crisis or not, I always make a menu for two weeks in advance. To see how I do a two-week menu in-depth, check out this article here.
We recently worked with Fresh Fill Meals and I truly enjoyed my experience with them! When you download the app you customize your family size and dietary needs, they take the headache out of planning my meals for the week AND put the easy and healthy ingredients in my online shopping cart. It’s seriously the best idea for a busy mom! If you’d like to try them for one month free- use our exclusive promo code: “MommyConvos” to sample how easy life is with someone else calling the shots.
Now, after you or Fresh Fill Meals made you a two-week meal plan (with the items you already have) see if you can stretch this meal plan for a third week. How far did you make it? If your inventory wasn’t enough for two weeks- what items can you add to make fourteen meals?
Don’t forget the snacks!
I always have a large supply of snacks for school lunches, but it seems with my kids home from school- they want to snack more often. Make sure when planning your meals- you have lots of different kinds of snack options. Yes, fresh fruit, veggies and cheese sticks are a great snack solution. But, heaven forbid an emergency means we don’t have power or have limited resources for an extended amount of time- hand candy-like suckers and nerds won’t go bad and familiar sweet treats can calm the chaos in the home. So for future reference- save all of that nasty hard Halloween or Easter candy, store it in a Ziploc bag and label it with the year. If all else fails, you can use this candy for camping or can use it for your child’s last-minute “school store” too. (And yes, I’m talking from experience).
Tip #4: Buying “One for now and Buy One for Later”
This simple principle is not a thumbs up to hoarding, or overbuying. Since you have completed an inventory of your house, you know at the end of two weeks what items will be out. Let’s say you will be out of ketchup in two weeks, so you put ketchup on your grocery list to buy now and grab one extra ketchup for later. Therefore you have two bottles to replace the one that will soon be empty.
Remember, when you return home from the grocery store- take a sharpie marker to the repeat items and label them with the date. So as you continue to replenish and gradually grow your items, you put the new item behind the older dated items.
Now- continue to work through these steps in regards to household items like dish soap, laundry detergent, hygiene items or medicine. Make sure you continue to ask yourself- 1.) How often do I use this? 2.) How long will this last? You want to buy the things you need and will use to avoid guilt or chaos buying.
After you have a two week supply, go through the steps for a third time assessing the children’s clothes and additional needs. In the end- all of your bases should be covered for two weeks. If you can afford it, go through the steps multiple times to create a month supply of the items you will go through the quickest.
Tip #5: Change Your Mindset
No one can provide answers to when this Corona Virus will no longer affect our lives. We don’t know when the confinement stage will be over or when the kids will return to school. The only thing we have control over right now is our attitude. We can control the way we look at this new way of life- with hope, faith and perhaps a sense of adventure. Believe me, I’m a little anxious about the rapid changes, but also excited!
If we look at this change like a challenge of entertaining and keeping our kids happy, while inside- we can also make it fun! Embrace the change as an adventure, a challenge to do something new! Trying new hobbies is exciting. Working on your family relationship is a wonderful opportunity to slow down the world around you and make an impact in their lives! We have included a whole sheet of ideas on ways to make the indoors fun for the kids. For daily ideas- make sure you are hanging out with us on Instagram.
A major reason Tiffaynee and I created this e-book for your guys was because she and I both felt overwhelmed with the daunting task of continuing a normal lifestyle minus never leavening the house. We know these printables will help you because they helped us! We pray that with lots of creativity, taking advantage of all of the free programs people are sharing online (we’re sharing them on Instagram too)- together- we can thrive during this temporary season of life.
Wishing you the very best.
Stay safely inside and wash your hands friends!
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