Tips for an easier life?

Ok, so I've noticed by reading other posts, and by the response to the question "what would you do"..if you had no fibro for a day.  So, I'm still in the depressed, mourning the death of my life phase, but I noticed that it is a general consensus most of us struggle with getting daily chores done.

So, I thought maybe some of us could post tips and even recipes, that help make your life easier.  I personally do not have a lot of tips, but I guess that is why i'm asking for tips.  hehe

The one thing that I do almost 100% of the time is made double batches of homeade soup and freeze the extra half for later. 

So, I will post a Taco Soup recipe later that helps a lot, but i'm all warm in bed, so i'll have to do that tomorrow. 

Looking forward to reading your posts.

-Tabatha

Patsie...you can buy the stands that hold a blow dryer in place. Or if it's a bonnet type flexible dryer I noticed one in a catalogue just recently. They also had the "salon style" dryers that you can sit under. I'd search amazon or just do a search for hair dryer and see what you come up with.

When I feel pretty bad I lie down in bed on my comforter for extra softness and snuggle under a blanket and read. I'm never as comfortable as I was as a child or even before I had fibro. But it's much better than the pain of being up and about. I've come around now to realizing those days are over and guess I'm getting used to the pain better than I did when it first happened.

Lying down soothes me and relaxes me. A good book takes me away from whatever stress I was going through and I either doze for a bit or get up when I'm feeling better.

Some tips

My husband will cook somedays.  And last night he called before leaving the office and asked what was for dinner.  I told him Just finally got a shower have not made anything yet.

He said how about Chinese.  YES I exclaimed.  So some days we get takeout or go eat out.

But other times I try to make easy one or two pot dishes like pasta dishes.  Also love to use paper plates and plastic cups.  Helps with the cleanups.

When we moved into this house i also chose not to have alot of trinkets or dust collectors.  It looks a bit bare but I do not have to dust so much.   We have everything we need without all the clutter.

Looking for other peoples tips.

PS i have long hair but mostly just put some get in it and let it airdry with its natural wave turns out okay.  Because blowdrying it straight is tough. 

I get the hubby to do things like fishing stuff out from under the couch and moving copious quantities of junk. Hubby also gets to take out trash and to mix any kind of batter.

I cook extra ground beef and separate it before seasoning it. Then I have enough beef for 2 or 3 meals prepared.

I also chop any veggies I'm going to need throughout the day.

I have a comfy reading chair IN the kitchen for while I am watching water boil.

Easiest pasta sauce in the world:
1 can Campbell's condensed soup ... I usually use Cream of Something or Golden Mushroom.
A small bit of water to thin it out as desired
Seasonings as desired
meat or veggies as desired

wow, thank each of u so much. i know sometime's even breaking big tasks down into little ones seems like a lot. my mother has had fibro for over 15 years. she still is super woman, but for about 6 years (we thought she had lupus) she was exhausted and couldn't handle more than a 4 hour wrk day. she is very type A and i call her martha stewart. she is the one whose house everyone wants to go too...hehe. i love my mommy!! she is my inspiration. although she doesn't remember being that sick because she has been better for the last several years and getting better every day, i remember. she was on the couch moaning in pain every afternoon. my mom is an excellent cook, always from scratch, normally healthy. these are things that i observed her do, while i was still living at home:

-peel potatoes in the morning or at lunch and soak in cold water until ready to boil. then have a kid or hubby do the "creaming" after they have boiled
-brown ground beef ahead of time and freeze it-like WhiteChocChip. i do this a lot.
-make twice as much stock, soup, and sauces and freeze them. this works espcially well if u put them in ice cube trays
-use rotisserie style chicken for things like chicken noodle soup, chicken and dumplings, etc.
-use a countertop stand mixer for any hard batter
-clean daily and it doesn't get bad (i have the worse troube with this)
-no matter how bad she feels, she always does at least 1 thing that day
- around the holidays wrap presents often and not all at once
-bake goodies early and freeze

i'm not nearly as domestic as my mom. i was always terrified that it would rule my life, like i thought it did her. she was very ocd growing up, but she is quiet calmer now (for instance when i was little we had an alphabetized pantry an we used a toothbrush on the floor every weekend)..hehe

ok, as for the things i've seen on here i have some questions/suggestions:

Patsie, i too like funnygirl let my hair air dry. my hair is all the way to the small of my back. it would take an hour for me to dry it, and it isn't thick. when i do have a special occasion instead of tryng to fix my hair in the bathroom i sit on the couch and blowdry my hair in sections and take breaks. i do the same thing when i flat iron it. air drying is also much more healthy for my hair and i cannot handle a blow dryer for long. i have long hair though because it is easier, to me, to be lazy...hehe

deme-swiffers are a staple in my house
deme, i love the cooking idea. i like to bring my 8 year old in the kitchen to talk to me, but honestly i don't cook like i should and the health of my family suffers. so i have got to find a way to make easier. i have seen people talk about using a moving chair in the kitchen, for those that do that, are you short? seems like i would have to reach way more ;)

jhemi- i lie down a lot too, but i find it impossible to get comfortable enough to read for long periods. i struggle with this lap top. i've probably moved around 20 times during this post.

funnygurl, i think it is wonderful that your husband is that way. my husband works nights, and he still likes to come in at 7 a.m. --when i've only had an hour of sleep--and he wants me to pop up and fix him something to eat, and then he wants dinner at night too. when i worked he helped..now not so much. but, that's life.

I've found that i struggle most with repetitive motions and bending swooping. i need to shampoo my carpets, but i have to wait until after this wedding this weekend, because i will most likely be down and out for a week after i do that. right now, i just need to clean my house..straighten and clean i should say. and it needs it badly.

Hi Cat,

Just a quick reply. I have heard before that women improve with their Fibro as they get older. I even think Mayo wrote a blurb on this fact. Telling me this about your mom is so very encouraging!!! Thank you. I am also often referred to as Martha. I try to take it with a grain of salt b/c I get horrified at the thought of being remembered for a bottle of Windex in my hands or my food!!!!

P.S. if I let my hair air dry you have NEVER seen anything as unruly in your life. I am jealous.

Many warm hugs, Patsie

I bought some 8 oz. and 12 oz. individual plastic bowls and when I am feeling well, I make very large batches of chili or stew or spagetti or whatever and freeze them individually so that I always have something to heat up on those rough days. It's nice because sometimes everyone is in the mood for something different and can choose whatever they want to eat. It also helps with portion control. I always keep fresh fruit in the house to keep snacks healthy and easy. As far as drying my hair, I have terrible curly hair and have learned that the hair dryer is it's enemy. After showering, I put product in it and pull into a pony/bun. It is easy and my hair looks so much better when it dries like this. It even keeps the frizz under control. I may not look like a beauty queen but at least I'm not wasting my energy. (I save that extra energy for makeup!)

i agree miss ck, that's a good idea. i love this forum. i find myself a lot more at east during the day and not pressing my loved ones with my issues.

whitechocchip, it doesn't fly with me, not at all. we fight A LOT. he works long and hard hours, and he thinks my problems are mental for the most part. he doesn't wait on me to get up and fix him something, but he always comes in and says something. i swear the man cannot stand me to sleep early in the morning. i think it is because when i first got really bad, i could not wake up, now he doesn't quiet understand that i can't go back to sleep, and he comes in at 7 a.m. last night i only slept for an hour and i told him this. i was in the living room watching tv with him and i told him earlier i was going back to sleep because i have 2 ear infections, a sinus infection, and either a bladder or kidney infection---and i'm in a lot of pain. so i started dozing off on the chair and he would talk to me every time i went to fall asleep. it was funny because i don't think it was intentional, but i was like...y are you torturing me. it's just as difficult for him as it is for me. we are young and he wants his old wife back. it gets better for us every month, but we will..i'm sure...need counseling within the next year.

i think i'll save the taco soup recipe for "what's for dinner"..i'll keep my eye out for it if no one else posts, then i will.

i'm lucky with my hair..if i brush it while it's wet it is really straight if i scrunch it is curly and if i leave it be, it is really wavy. so, i can do whatever look. it's funny because before i had my son my hair wouldn't even hold curl from rollers, now it gets curlier every year..and darker. my hair was snow white (after they shaved it when i was born), and now it is almost black. hehe..u should see people when they see my childhood photos..cuz my eyes were blue too..and now they are dark hazel. ...and yes, i'm the same child...lol...

I have gone on the Internet and purchased plastic plates with lids.  They are divided plates.  I am by myself most of the time but my daughter is home for dinner on Monday and Tuesday.  I will make a large pot roast, or a beef roast with all the fixing...just large dinners I would never make just for myself.  Then I pull out those plates and fill them with the leftovers.  I'll usually pop one in the fridge for later in the week and then I freeze the rest.  I do this with soups, chili, casseroles, etc.  So, I have wonderful meals and don't have to cook every single day.  Plus, I don't have leftovers hanging out in the fridge and I'm not eating the chemicals in pre-packaged foods.  I think that, alone, helps with fibro!

 

I also make a list of what I need to get done and then plan my week accordingly.  I never spend more than two hours doing something and many times it's only about 45 minutes, depending on how strenuous it is.  Planning ahead takes the stress away for me.  I plan things that I know I can finish within two hours or less.  That way I'm assured of success and a feeling of accomplishment.  That helps me, too, and keeps me smiling...and THAT helps with fibro!  I am never overwhelmed with housework because I know I have things mapped out and it will get done.

 

Patsie, have you tried a different hair style?  I used to have short hair and had it permed.  I had to use a curling iron every day and my arms felt like lead.  When I moved to Florida, the humidity and my permanent didn't like each other!  YIKES!!!!  My hair is poker straight.  I found a good stylist that gives me an excellent haircut and I can blow dry it within a couple of minutes.  But, even that was difficult until I went on a search for a light weight hair blower.  I found one at Walmart that had a completely plastic case and it's been great!  I've had it for over ten years!  I was at my son's house and he has a tiny bathroom.  I put the dryer on the back of his toilet and it fell in the toilet!  It's still working!  LOL  Also, Brookstone has a very nice travel hair blower.  It's small but mighty  and VERY lightweight!

Sherrine 

lol I had a 2 yr old over at my house and he just wanted to get in the way while I was cooking, so we splashed some water on the floor, and gave him a rag and he "cleaned" the floor.

ok, i decided to go ahead and post it, because i do not know how i will feel later this evening. The thread is what's for dinner, as suggested by miss*ck*1

i posted my mom's taco soup recipe

Patsie, I too love the internet. Especially during the holidays and on black friday. Most of walmart's black items, for example are available the day before online. And they deliver to u, for a low fee, or to the store for free.

I use the internet to buy almost all video games. We have a wii and I'm just not a fan of paying double due to high demand.

Ok please delete the threads or do whatever is needed. I am trying to be positive but to me these aren't just fun threads. They are things I struggle with every day: optimism and a struggle to do even the basic things in life.

I cannot cook dinner regularly, clean house, do things with my family, or think positively a lot. I will try to be more on topic, but I seem to have the wrong idea for the forum's purpose. For that I apologize. This is a wonderful resource and I do not want to ruin it for anyone.