We all know that every movement counts when it comes to our pain and EXTREME fatigue. Just thought this would be a good spot to share ideas and help each other out. Here Ill start.
To clean my microwave, i put a bowl of water in for about 5 mins on high. The inside steams and wipes away clean with no chemicals! Its awesome!! You can do the same in the bathroom after a hot shower. I wipe the shower, tub, walls and even the floor. Just use your towel after u dry off;)
I love to have some essential oils around to make things smell nice. And they have medicinal value too. A little lavender oil here and there is nice. Eucalyptus oil in the laundry works as a disinfectant. Green Tree oil does too.
Organizing is really hard because the brain just doesn't click like it used to. For instance, I just folded a load of laundry and had a hard time figuring out what goes to what room. It's tough. My husband has gotten really good at noticing when I'm 'stumbling in my head' and helps me figure things out.
Lists are so important. Also writing things on the calendar and not on a little scrap of paper that will get lost.
Thanks Kitty. Awesome advise;)
I love my IPhone!! I can put everything in my calander and it will send me alerts to remind me what to do! All 3 boys schedules, my schedule, when to take pills, birthdays, alarm clock if mine fails!! Also free apps for relaxation therapy, pain diary, weather alerts, this site even has an app on my IPhone (Bens Friends). I can get driving directions and maps too!! Aps for jokes to keep me laughing, and words with friends to keep my brain moving! You can download exercise routines, food tracker, and other health apps! I have found aps about Fibro too!!
I could never begin to be organzied without my IPhone!!
My tip is telling the grocery store bagger to double bag everything and make the bags very light! I just cannot carry stuff like I used to, man I once was like a lumberjack, slinging all those grocery heavy bags on my arms. Now I'm lucky if I can carry a few light-weight ones. I feel so much more "crippled" by fibro this year, so finding tips to help us is much appreciated. I'm all gung ho on trying the microwave one, if I can remember to!
I live ten steps up from the ground, so I put the trash cans directly under me, then I throw the trash down right into them.
I also use my cane to get items that are out of my reach, both in the grocery store and at home.
Using a daily planner saved me when I had to give my SSDI lawyers the dates I went to doctors and whom I saw. I never could have remembered on my own! I put all of my important stuff in it. I always get one with a cute dog picture on the front (chihuahua preferred) so I'm less inclined to let it out of my sight. Plus a laminated cover to make sure it lasts the entire year. I've had to go through old ones to find dates, telephone numbers, etc. Really works for me.
Also, if the water from the dog dish spills onto the floor, I toss down several paper towels then clean the area with my shoed foot. I also push crumbs and stuff all together in one pile for pick up by using my shoed foot. Yes, I know, Martha Stewart would be appalled but Martha can bend over and I cannot. Hence the invention of the shoe-wipe. And the crumb shuffle.
And since our house has 3 levels, basement, 1st floor and 2nd floor, we have a shop vac for each floor. The basement has the big, old, clumsy one that cleans beautifully. 1st floor has a cute, portable purple oval one that can be tucked away between a table and the wall. And 2nd floor has a baby sized one for the bedrooms. My sister gets the most benefit from them, as I thought it was stupid for her to have to lug the big old clumsy one up and down the stair all of the time, so I suggested one for each floor, using the portable ones for the upper levels. And I get the benefit of having one close to ground level so I can vacuum the car floor every now and again. It's a bit of an initial expense but SO much easier that lugging vacuums around.
I'm also halfway dreaming/thinking of a way to rig a pulley system so I could put groceries into a basket then haul them up the ten steps and to the porch. Just a pipe dream, I guess.
I make up meals and put in the freezer when I feel good that way on the days I do not feel good I can just get something out and microwave it.
Kitty,
I love essential oils. I keep many on hand. I add a little lavender and some water to a spray bottle and actually spray my bed down with it daily. I also burn them in a burner depending on what mood I am in. If I just need to relax it is actually lavender. If I want the house to smell clean I use tangerine. I also put a cotton ball in my vac with some oil because then as you vac it makes the house smell amazing. Since I use only green cleaner I use a lot of tea tree oil as well.
I love freezer meals. We actually do the same. Some good days I spend the entire day making them just so I am not counting on my husband to always cook. It's hard especially when he is trying to care for me too.
I do a few things. First I use green cleaning chemicals to help avoid the chemical smell. I also break my cleaning down into days of the week and adjust as bad days come. So for example Monday might be laundry so I focus only on the laundry, Tuesday is kitchen so I focus on that, Wednesday is my errand day to do dr appts and such, Thursday is deep clean the house day so I clean the floors dust really well, Friday is bathrooms. This way I don't feel like I have to tackle the world in one day. I have 2 kids (living in our home, but 5 kids total) and a husband so of course they have chores like tidy the living room, swiffer the floor ect. I try to also prepare myself little snacks in case a down day happens. Some days I can't use a knife like I want to but I might want apple wedges or orange wedges, so I cut it up early. I keep ensure in the fridge to boast my energy levels and ensure on bad days I am getting all i need in my diet. I make freezer meals with every meal I can prepare or as the good days arise I might spend a day making them. We have great grocery stores we can order from online and they will actually bring everything to my car and load it for a small fee. If it looks like I am headed for hard days I do that then send my husband by on his way home or I go if he can't make it. I always separate meat when I get it home if I buy bulk so it doesn't waste in my fridge
Those are awesome tips. ty. How do u keep apples from going brown?
I don’t, is there a link?
Squeeze a bit of lemon juice on the flesh side. Here are some other good methods: http://www.wikihow.com/Keep-a-Cut-Apple-from-Turning-Brown