Prepare Don't Panic in 8 Steps

I think we're all feeling the overwhelm of the abundance of COVID-19 news on social media.

It's on every social media outlet 24/7 and it can easily be panic inducing.  Some people seem to enjoy upsetting and scary others and some people are really trying to be helpful and encouraging.  I hope to fall in the latter category.

I did not plan on blogging about it.  However, in the past few days, it has really permeated all aspects of society.  Now not talking about it felt strange and totally ignoring it felt disingenuous. 

I've been trying hard to keep this as my motto: Prepare Don't Panic.

I am naturally a prepared person.  I always plan ahead.  I rarely run out of needed supplies so this kind of preparing comes easily to me.  I enjoy being prepared for lots of different scenarios.  I'm the girl with bandaids in her purse, a first aid kit in my car, extras ready to go and snacks with her at all times.  My hope is that my tips and tricks will help you prepare and not panic during these next few weeks of social distancing.  Honestly, I have no idea if we are prepared enough, but I did the best I could over the last 7-10 days to prepare.

All of these tips will help you be as prepared as possible and hopefully alleviate anxiety.

1. Buy One Extra
Make a list of all the necessities you use on a daily basis and buy one extra.  Things like contact solution, medicines, make up, hygiene products, toiletries, cleaning products and make up.  You DO NOT need to buy mass quantities of items.  Just buy a little extra to get your family through.

2. Grocery Pick Up
Take advantage of free grocery pick ups in you area to avoid going into germy stores right now.  You can do all of your shopping at home and then select a convenient time for pick up.  Under normal circumstances you can get your orders filled very quickly/within a couple of hours.  Right now it seems that my local Walmart pick up is booking a full day out.  Keep this in mind of you're going to order food for your family. 

3. Stock Your Fridge/Freezer
Pick up your usual favorite foods that will help provide meals for your family and keep for a long time in your fridge or freezer.  I stocked up on easy meals like Taquitos, frozen pizzas, bought bread to freeze and thaw as needed, popsicles and meats.  I divided the meat into dinner size portions for my family and froze it.  That way I can thaw and use it as needed.  We stocked our inside freezer and our deep freezer with easy meals that will get us through staying home for an extended period of time.

4. Stock Your Pantry
Pick up your favorite shelf stable foods and stock up.  I bought one extra of all of our pantry staples.  Keep a list of what you have and be aware of eating the things that are open first then move onto the new foods.  We got cereal, instant oatmeal, cans of soup, mac and cheese, Ramen, baking supplies, granola bars, fruit pouches, etc.  All of these items will last for MONTHS.  They'll serve us long after all of this is over until we eat through it all.

5. Take Inventory of Your Foods
Write out a menu.  Write out a list of your pantry items.  Keep stock of what you have on hand.  Type out or write out a list and then cross items off as you use.  This exercise really helped me to see all of our options and feel confident in our preparation. 

6. Be Flexible.  Be Optimistic.
Many of you are now home with your children for the next several weeks and YOUR ATTITUDE IS CONTAGIOUS.  If you're stressed, anxious and watching news 24/7, your children will feed off of all that anxiety.  We are keeping the news to a minimum when kids are awake and waiting to watch it until they go to bed.  We aren't talking openly about the chaos and hysteria that the media is oversharing with our kids.  We are talking honestly about germs, hand washing, good hygiene and taking appropriate precautions for social distancing.  It's a confusing time for kids since their school routines are being disrupted.

I love being home with my family.  I enjoy just being home with my crew.  But, I'm well aware that this is new territory for many people and they feel unprepared to have kids home for so long with so much free time.  Watch for me to be sharing kid friendly learning activities on the blog and on instagram (@polkadottyplace) during this time.  The teacher mom in me will be coming out in full force!

7. Savor The Moment
Look around your house and do all the things you've been wanting to do.  Watch the movie with your family.  Declutter.  Finish the project.  Start a new project.  Read with your kids.  Read for fun.  Play games.  Organize.  Relax and enjoy this quality time with your crew.  We made a wish list of all the things we'd like to do together at home while we're off of school these next few weeks.

8. New Moms
This one only applies to new/expectant moms.  I have felt the added stress of preparing for the delivery a baby and life with a newborn in the midst of this pandemic.  I'm again trying to prepare and not panic.  I'm stocking up on all the post partum essentials (pads, creams, lotions, bras, etc) and baby supplies (diapers, wipes, lotions, etc).  My main motivation for this is to prevent me for having to be out and bout with a baby.  If I buy the items I need now, I'll be prepared when Leo arrives.

Here's a little photo tour of how we've prepared:

This is what #1 looks like for our medicine/bathroom/linen closet.

I splurged on some fun items to help pass the time.  My kids love these products and we haven't had them in a while.

Freezer - stocked with a good mix of sweets, veggies, fruits for smoothies, carbs, dinner options and dinner size portions of ground beef.  The bigger items/extras are out in our deep freezer.

Fridge is stocked with a good mix of things that will last for a while - apples, oranges, carrots, canned cinnamon rolls, milk, sauces and hard cheeses.  

Another fun item I picked up to keep things interesting in case we run out of milk or juices.  My kids love adding these to their water bottles.

I tried to keep our regular stuff in our pantry and then made a make shift pantry in our bonus room with the one extras.

Pantry.   I didn't tidy up for you.  Just what my pantry looks like the majority of the time.  We have some fun things like the ingredients for rainbow jello, Lucky Charms and then lots of shelf stable ingredients to make snacks and meals.

Try to take things one day at a time.  Pray for others if you feel stressed.  Look for ways to help out your friends and family during this time.  I promise that your positive attitude will make all the difference!

What are you doing to prepare for things shutting drastically slowing down for the next few weeks?