So a lot has happened over the weekend: my daughter received her first school uniform for kindergarten, I was bitten by a centipede in the bathroom while bathing my daughter, and I got sick.
I doubt that the centipede bite had anything to do with my sickness, but it did make my daughter wary of all the house bugs she sees in our home.
One time, she screamed after seeing an ant on her pillow, and that was the start of our long conversation about not bringing food to her bed.
The problem with the house pests is one thing, but getting sick as a stay-at-home mom –it totally messes up the systems you’ve put in place.
Your morning routine becomes non-existent.
Your daily tasks are put aside.
Your evening chores are left for another day.
And you’re basically just lying there like a rag doll chained to the bed, feeling helpless and defeated.
What’s worse is that your family becomes disoriented through it all, and when you’re all better again, you are left with a house looking like a frat party just happened.
So, how do you keep your home running like a well-oiled machine, even when you’re out of action?
Here are 5 tips that will help you manage your home even when you’re sick:
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- Delegate certain tasks that you’d normally do to each family member
Create a master list of your daily chores and break it down into mini lists for each of your family members in the event that you get incapacitated.
Depending on the reliability (work schedule or laziness) of your husband or the age (or maturity) of your children, they should be given tasks that are easy enough to complete.
The husband won’t be able to whip up amazing pot roasts for dinner on a Sunday night, but he’s at least expected to have simple meals (or freezer meals) ready for the slow cooker or the oven every meal time.
To be safe, let’s just tell him not to bring out the MRE for times like this.
Your kids might not be able to do their own laundry just yet, but at least they should be able to put their dirty clothes in the hamper and help wipe up if they’ve spilled their drink.
- Have emergency ready-to-eat or freezer meals on hand
If you’re not already making freezer meals for days when you have no time to cook, then you’ll be in a pinch when you get sick!
Of course, this wouldn’t be a problem if another family member knows how to cook, but this isn’t usually the case.
Here’s a list of great books on freezer meals:
- Once-A-Month Cooking Family Favorites: More Great Recipes That Save You Time and Money from the Inventors of the Ultimate Do-Ahead Dinnertime Method
- Fix, Freeze, Feast: The Delicious, Money-Saving Way to Feed Your Family
- Don’t Panic – Dinner’s in the Freezer: Great-Tasting Meals You Can Make Ahead
- Once-A-Month Cooking Family Favorites: More Great Recipes That Save You Time and Money from the Inventors of the Ultimate Do-Ahead Dinnertime Method
The beauty of freezer meals is that you can just prepare them all in one go and have healthy, yummy meals (on a budget) ready to go for weeks or even months!
It’s even handy when a dear friend or a relative gets sick. You can bring them one of your freezer meals so it’s one less problem that they’d have to think about.
Always have an abundance of freezer meals ready, and extra ones available for when you get sick. Include some ready-to-eat items in your pantry staples so anyone in your family can also help themselves anytime they’re hungry.
- Have your groceries delivered
I know this is not something new to most people, but it is for me (or at least to those who find therapy in looking around, seeing products for themselves, and having fun at puttering about the grocery stores)!
We can always opt to order online and have our groceries delivered to us. We may not be able to choose that one cabbage without the wilt or that can of tuna without the dent in the can, but nothing beats the convenience of getting everything you need at a click of a button.
You can even reorder the items you’ve purchased last time. You can create a shopping list of recurring items you need and they can automatically be added to your cart the next time you shop. You also have the option of reviewing them before being added to your cart.
- Organize and label everything
Cups are in this kitchen drawer and car keys are hanging behind the door. Have a home for everything so that everybody knows where to find them when they’re needed. And then, label wherever possible.
If you’re not so keen on labels (at least not now), especially when it’s obvious what it is or what’s inside, label nonetheless! Sometimes the mind is just too tired to comprehend and others can’t just keep up with your organizational magic. This label maker is a classic favorite.
Instead of having them ask you dozens of questions in the middle of your recovery hibernation, just put labels everywhere!
- Ask for help
Ask for help from relatives, friends, or co-workers. Letting them know the struggles that you’re trying to overcome often times brings out the charitable side in others. It would help if you can ask for something specific rather than asking for general help. This way, the person is more likely to feel a sense of responsibility to help you.
For instance, have your best friend drive your kids to school on these particular days, or your brother take your kids to their piano lessons every Saturday, or your coworker to compile the minutes of yesterday’s meeting.
By asking for something specific, they are more likely to agree with doing it for you because you’ve taken out the decision-making for them; they’d only either have to say yes or no (and who could say no to that pitiful and hopefully snot-free face).
…and hands up!
I’m drinking my 8th glass of water as I’m typing this. That’s a good way to end this blog post.
As the cliché goes, prevention is better than cure.
Nobody wants to get sick so we must take measures to avoid any likelihood.
And with the preventive measures, it’s also good to have a system in place for when you do get sick.
It doesn’t matter how healthy you think you are because you will eventually get sick! I know, because this is the first time I’ve been sick all year!
Hopefully, this post gets you started on planning on how you can keep your home running when you’re sick.
Stay healthy!
