| Family and Household - Housework and Special Occasions Return Home No matter what level of illness you are at, chances are you will need to adjust to your new limitations. Whether working or home bound, following are help ideas to make life a little easier. Remember that it takes 6 weeks to break a habit...good or bad. And, if you are trying to keep up at your old pace...it is time to re-think your new reality. All members of your family have to go through an adjustment period also. Illness in the family requires time to adjust, make changes and accept new ways of living. Your objective should be to eliminate as much stress as possible on you and your family. You want your family to come together during this time and worrying about how clean the house is or what is for dinner will produce stress not relieve it. Holidays & Other Occasions Ask your family what is the most important thing they look forward to when you celebrate a special occasion. Try to implement each family member�s favorite thing and let the others go. Visiting Family and friends will be learning about making changes also. You can not visit like you use to and some of you may not be able to visit at all. Some friends you will lose, but the ones that stay will brighten your life more. Provide Family and Friends with the � The FMS/CFS Family Fact Sheet�. Housekeeping If you can not afford to hire cleaning services once or twice a month or have no family to help, contact a local church or ask support groups about solutions they have found. Maybe there is a teen looking to earn money in your neighborhood? The point is not to burden family with additional chores. A spotless house is not as important as your family...and the idea is not to keep up the same "clean" by burdening others...but to, lower standards and lower stress on the whole family! It is just not possible to keep up at a healthy persons pace and this is one of the hardest things to adjust to. Surprisingly you will find many of the things you thought were so important�weren't that important after all! Housekeeping and Time Saving Ideas: 1. Use paper plates and cups. Write names of children on different color plastic cups to use all day. 2. When you do feel like cooking make extra and freeze the rest. 3. Spritz a broom with endust to remove dirt from floors and spritz a feather duster for quick cleaning. 4. Lower your ironing board so you can sit down to iron. 5. Non Motor Vacs are easy for daily pick-ups and great for kids to use. 6. Fast Cooking Appliances like Microwaves and Pressure Cookers are great. Crock-pots will make cooking easier also. Children are just as happy, (probably more) with a grilled cheese or peanut butter sandwich as they are a more elaborate meal. 7. Call local grocery stores until you find one that delivers. 8. Purchase a cart or tote with wheels to tote groceries or laundry around the house. 9. Set up your house with shelves, pegboards, and hanging hooks to keep items within reach. 10. Over the door shelves give easy access and increase space. 11. By postage through the mail. 12. If you have stairs but a bin on a step to collect things to carry up at the end of the day. 13. Buy fan and air vent filters to collect dust and allergens. 14. Shop year round for sales for holidays and birthdays. 15. Set up bank transfers and other bank services to be available over the phone. 16. Set up automatic bank drafts for monthly or fixed bills. 17. Many local restaurants offer delivery or carry out for impossible days or unexpected guests. 18. Hire a neighborhood teen or other home services for lawn maintenance and trash take out. 19. Keep �sick items� stocked like aspirin, cough drops, soups�in case you can�t run to the store if someone in the family gets sick. 20. Keep E-Z meals foods stocked, like peanut butter (other) sandwiches, mac n cheese, pizza and hotdogs. Quick Cleaners When you run out of household staples, you might have an alternative in your home anyway! 1. Baking Soda is a superb alternative to scouring powder. 2. Vinegar or lemon juice squeezed in a bowl with a little water removes odors. 3. White vinegar in your wash removes odors and soap deposits. (It also softens). 4. Water only spritzed on dust mops... wipes away dust and loose dirt from floors. 5. 2 Cups of Epsom Salts and one 16-oz bottle of hydrogen peroxide in your bath soothes muscles and eliminates toxins. 6. Wear cotton gloves spritzed with endust to dust. 7. Clorox has the same effect as liquid plumber�and cheaper. 8. Denture Tabs clean the toilet bowl. 9. Baking soda is a great toothpaste substitute. Personal Care 1. Face Soap: Oatmeal and honey make a great face scrub. 2. Bath: Use rubbing alcohol for quick dry baths. 3. Dish Soap: Use old shampoos for liquid hand soap. 4. Acne Care: For the teens, garlic has well known antibiotic properties making it an excellent treatment for pimples and acne. Apply peeled, mashed garlic cloves to pimples and other skin blemishes. 5. Antibacterial: Diluted lemon juice kills germs, cools inflammation and improves blood circulation. Be Careful Not To Get In Eyes 6. Keep essential oils stocked: A. Camphor - (Cinnamomum camphora) Used as a congestion clearing inhalant and muscle liniment. B. Eucalyptus - ( Eucalyptus globulus) Used for rubbing on sore muscles, as an inhalant, and chest rub for colds. Decongestant, antibiotic, antiseptic and antiviral. Used as a topical antiseptic on sores and fungal infections such as ringworm. C. Tea tree oil - ( melaleuca alternifolia) Very effective fungicide, antibacterial and antiseptic. Use for cuts, pimples, boils, cold sores, burns, stings, ticks, athlete�s foot and other fungal infections. 7. Deodorant, apply cornstarch, witch hazel or vinegar under the arms. . RETURN HOME |