Chronic illness is no fun. Being a mom with a chronic illness kinda sucks.
Don’t get me wrong, I am an ever-positive person. I can always find the silver lining in a situation. I commented several times over the past seven years that if I weren’t so optimistic, I’m not sure how I would have survived this whole ordeal.
The facts still remain that being a mom with a chronic illness kinda sucks. Not only do you have all of your “mom duties”, you have another part-time job of managing your health. So what can we do about that?
I treat busy times in my life like an athlete preparing for a race. The school year is one of those times.
Things we know about the school year.
- We have hard deadlines for arrival and pick up for school, sports, extra curricular activities, and committees.
- The kids have homework, tutoring, SAT/ACT testing, and college applications.
- Meals need to be consistent and nutritious.
- There is no convenient time for a flare-up.
Let’s tackle each one of these areas on how I make it easier and more organized.
Getting to and from school, sports, and activities.
We utilized the school bus when it made sense for our situation and kids’ ages. Once the kids were old enough to drive, we made getting them a car a priority. Not having to drive places, helped my health situation.
Homework, tutoring, SAT/ACT testing, and college applications.
At the beginning of the school year, I made sure that all the important dates and deadlines were in my Google Calendar. I installed the school grading app onto my phone and made sure to check in daily with my kids about school work. For SAT/ACT testing and college applications, I gathered the info for the kids, so that I was aware of it as well and let them handle it from there.
Meals need to be consistent and nutritious.
For my particular health situation, grocery shopping and cooking and are a huge challenge.
We use WalMart+ and Instacart for grocery pick up and delivery.
We also batch cook and freeze meals in portions. I will go into depth in a future blog post, but this looks like being able to pull out frozen chili and while that is being heated up, I cook rice at the same time. Everything tasted fresh and it was basically heating up a meal as far as effort is concerned. We also made calorie rich snacks and breakfasts that were grab and go. Batch cooking needed to take place about every six to eight weeks and was done by my husband.
There is no convenient time for a flare-up.
This meant that I am treating my health with the upmost respect. I am
- Hydrating daily.
- Prioritizing sleep.
- Eating well and staying away from trigger foods.
- Keeping the house tidy, so clutter doesn’t stress me out.
- Setting a rotating house chore schedule so that I never feel “behind”.
- Determined “clothing uniforms” I purchased several of the same pajamas, outfits to wear at home and the same for going out of the house. I will find a shirt that works and buy it in all the colors that are available. This cuts down on decision fatigue.
- My phone is on Do Not Disturb for most of the day and from 8pm to 8:30am.
- I monitor my outtings in public during flu season in order to avoid catching a cold. Kids’ activities? Yes. Concerts or large crowds for social events? No.
- I choose as many responsibilities as I can do from home when I volunteer.
- I do not travel light – I have fans, ice packs, medication, snacks and drinks with me at all times. Whatever I need to be comfortable, I will bring with me.
I’d love top hear what things you do during the school year or a busy season in your life to stay healthy and on your “A game”. I love getting through a busy season unscathed!
