How to Survive the Pandemic

Hint: It includes copious amounts of wine

It was brought to my attention recently that I am a good preparer. As in “in-case of an emergency”,  I got it covered. I don’t necessarily know if I’m always prepared, but I am definitely a planner. I like to know that if there is an emergency, my family is covered, for at least two weeks or so. I can’t take all the credit, my husband is an ex-marine. He likes to have certain things packed away for say…the zombie apocalypse. The Walking Dead seriously spurred us into action. 

I don’t know if anyone, aside from the crazy toilet paper hoarders, was quite prepared for this pandemic, but we definitely were more prepared than many. So, If you like being prepared and want to know how we are weathering the pandemic sheltering in place, read below for my pandemic survival guide. Readers, please take note, I get through stressful situations by joking and not taking myself too seriously. If you are looking for a serious read, this may not be for you. If you are looking for a light read, with some funny advice, read on dear teachers.

First and foremost, and I’m being serious, you need to have at least a case of wine on hand at all times. The day we went into shelter in place this mommy got herself a case of mommy juice. I like a glass of red wine at night. It is my salvation. After my four-year-old goes to bed, this mom plops her mom butt on the couch, pours herself a glass of red wine, and watches one show on tv. ONE show. That’s all I get. So while all of you are binge watching Tiger whatever it is, I’m catching up on last week’s, or I mean let’s get real, last-last week’s Top Chef. 

Next up, Clorox wipes, rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer etc. We always have at least a two pack of wipes and hand sanitizer at home. Always. I mean, let’s face it, kids get sick. And, kids in school get sick even more than those that stay home. So, we were already well stocked in the wipes and bleach. We like to keep a Costco size batch of Clorox wipes at the ready, parked away in the closet for the next case of the flu, or to use to wipe up messes my kid always seems to be leaving on the floor, couch, wherever. She can not keep any food or drink in her mouth. I’m on a serious roll here…but hold that thought - my kid is shouting for me to help her build a lego house. I’ll be back in about five hours and two tantrums. 

And….it has been approximately 5 hours, but…only one tantrum. We celebrate the small victories in this house. 

Okay. So, Clorox wipes. They are a momma’s best friend. Keep those handy, if you don’t have Clorox wipes, we also have a few gallons of bleach. Not only do we use it for laundry, we also keep it around for said flu. We also use it to clean our kid’s bath toys periodically throughout the month. We also are fans of rubbing alcohol. I wish I had more of that lying around…but beggars can’t be choosers. We have about one bottle left, and lately we have been using it to clean our cell hones, car keys, and electronics when we have to leave the house. 

Okay, on to serious stuff…We are lucky enough to not need prescription medications, but if you do, it is recommended that you should always have your refills available. Check periodically to make sure you have refills on your medications, and that they can filled. Speaking of medicine, we also always try to make sure that we have a decent stock of over the counter pain relievers, cold medicine, vitamins, and probiotics for us and our toddler.

We also usually always have a Costco flat of water stored away in a closet. We are super lucky to have some amazing drinking water here in Northern California, so we usually do not open or use the bottled water. However, it is recommended by ready.gov to have two weeks worth of water and food to be prepared for a pandemic. 

Now that we’ve gotten through the boring stuff…you know, the stuff we need to survive. (YES, I count wine as needed for my survival, and even more important, the survival of the people I love)… Let’s talk about other things I have on hand to make my life just a little bit easier. 

We always have food coloring on hand. We like to make things pink and purple in this house. Pink pancakes, purple pancakes, pink cream cheese for toast, you get the idea. Food coloring has been our number one craft/ science ingredient for the past few weeks. We got some great ideas for art here and here. If my kid has learned anything so far during this pandemic, it's her color theory. 

On the same thread, we also always have plenty of Dawn Dish soap, (like a Costco size tub) and Mr. Bubbles bubble bath. We don’t use the bubble bath to soak in. We make Bubble Foam! Talk about the most genius use of soap and food coloring! Plus, all our plastic toys get a good scrub down. When scary germs abound outside, I’m totally down with any game that requires my child’s hand to be emerged in soap for a few hours. 

Last, dear readers, you need plenty of patience and a Netflix, Amazon prime, Hulu, Disney Plus and PBS kids/ Nickelodeon account. Or…just plain cable tv. Teaching your students remotely and taking care of your own children is crazy hard. Sometimes, if I have a Google Meet with my students or a staff meeting, or I just have to get some work done,  I have to resort to our favorite baby sitter, the television. 

So that’s it! Food, Water, Medicine, Bleach if you got it (if not….check out this amazing post about using a steam sanitizer to sanitize your house) cable tv, a few art supplies, and WINE! You won’t have to leave your house for at least another two weeks or so! 

In all seriousness, I hope you are all doing well out there dear teachers!  These times are crazy scary and stressful. I think even more so for us teachers. We are constantly asking: are we doing enough for our kids? Are we doing enough for our students? Are we doing enough to support our spouse? Our parents? We are right here with you. We get it. I cope by reaching out to my favorite teaching partner and BFF- she keeps me sane and always has amazing new books, podcasts, tv shows, and You Tube channels to share and that I have to check out. We are also always working on new content and brainstorming ideas to support you all.  I hope you all have a teacher BFF out there too! Lean on each other. Continue to plan, create, and share your genius with your students. We will get through this. We’re teachers after all.

Until next time teacher friends,

Bottoms up!