Low spoon day? Still have to be a functional parent? Here’s some ways to entertain your little one when you feel like shit and have to save your energy for diaper changes. My kid is only 9 months old so these are mostly aimed her age and younger but lots of them can be adapted to older kids as well.
1. Sing. When I was recovering from childbirth and couldn’t do much physically I bonded with baby by singing. She’s older now and still loves it when I sing to her. She even dances. Sometimes I do little hand motions for the “itsy-bitsy spider” or “I’m a little teapot” folk songs from my couch perch.
2. Peek-a-boo. This is good for child development via object permanence. Hide under a blanket and then pop out.
3. Talk and snuggle.
4. Read books together. The more new words a baby hears, the better for their budding language skills. Books introduce not just stories, but bonding time, pictures, and object interaction. I use board books because my child is very grabby and destructive.
5. Watch cartoons and cuddle. When you hear you should keep kids away from screen time, the most important reason for that is that it is non-interactive. I believe there is nothing wrong with screen time (in moderation) if it is interactive. Tell the kid what they are seeing, explain the show. Ask them what they like about the characters, even if they can’t answer you yet.
6. Lay on the floor and let the kid interact with you. You don’t have to move around a whole lot to stack blocks or play with plushies or roll a ball around.
7. Bath time. Sometimes I need to soak my sore muscles, so kill two birds with one stone and wash the kid at the same time. Make this into a fun activity with bath toys and playful splashing. (This is best for kids old enough to sit up independently; I bathed her in her infant bath by herself before she was old enough for joint bath time).
8. Just show the kid all the things you are doing and narrate yourself. Babies are fascinated by you.
Because anything that saves you time and energy is worth its weight in gold.
1. Lots of meals can be roasted together in the same pan in the oven at the same temp, for the same amount of time. For example: salmon, green beans, and asparagus can all go in at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. (They can even be seasoned the same way with garlic, butter, and lemon juice.) You can scoot a food’s ideal cooking temperature 25 degrees up or down to make this happen. Make sure you double check that meats are fully cooked if you are experimenting with cook times/temperatures. If the cook times are different, but the temp is the same, just slide in a second pan partway through cooking.
2. Most of the time you are either in your bed, in your shoes, or in your chair. Invest in quality for these three objects.
3. Lean in to who you are. Adapt your career to your lifestyle, not the other way around.
4. If you are intimidated by that stack of paperwork you have to go through, remember that 90% of it can go in trash. Every time. That stack isn’t as tall as it looks.
5. If you get rid of that thing, you don’t have to clean it or organize it ever again.
6. No matter the weather, you can open a window for 5 minutes. Let fresh air into your living space in all seasons. This is good for both health and mood,
7. Your bank, your insurance company, and your ISP are probably all fucking you over. Always be on the lookout for better options/plans.
8. Adding a houseplant to your space can lift your mood, improve air quality, and help fight seasonal depression.
9. If it works, it’s not stupid. Your self-soothing quirks and your personal work arounds are valid.
10. Simplify the things that aren’t important to you to make more room in your life for the things that are. Take stock of this concept often.
I have POTS. Usually I can feel myself about to faint and sit down so I don’t lose consciousness. Well today It came out of nowhere and I fainted. Luckily my bf caught me and I went down easy. I came to with my dog jumping on me.
He likely just thought I was playing, but he did bring me back quickly.
I was exhausted after and took a big nap and he slept right at my side (apologies for the unflattering pic). So happy this boy came into my life.
FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITY #2: Chronic Readers Club Patreon!
If you would like the opportunity to provide Chronic Readers Club with consistent, monthly support, while also receiving exclusive benefits, then consider becoming a patron on Patreon!
Patreon is a site that allows creators to provide monthly benefits to their supporters. Through Patreon, you can provide the program with more consistent funding, while also having the flexibility to pause or cancel your patronage at any time!
Chronic Readers Club accepts monthly donations beginning as low as $1, which will provide you access to patron-only news and updates about the program, as well as a personal thank you from me, the creator of the program! And it only gets better from there! At $5 a month, you’ll get a shout-out on our Facebook page in addition to the other benefits already mentioned! At $10 a month, you get access to the monthly Chronic Readers Book Club as well as everything already mentioned! And if you donate $20 a month, you’ll receive all the benefits already mentioned, as well as a list of the books sent in the packages each month, AND an official Chronic Readers Club bookmark and sticker set, just like the ones sent in each package!
As I mentioned, Patreon is a platform that provides more consistent funding for the program on a monthly basis, which I completely understand isn’t something everyone is capable of! The next fundraising opportunity will share more about one-time donations! But if you’re able and would like the additional benefits, becoming a Chronic Readers Club patron is a great thing to consider!
Wearing my chronic reader crewneck! ❤️ This is definitely my favorite sweatshirt! It’s sooo comfy and soft on the inside! I also own a chronic reader t-shirt, which is just as cozy! These shirts are perfect for anyone who is chronically ill and looking for cute yet comfortable clothes! They also make amazing gifts for any bookworms in your life! Available for purchase through November 3rd and delivered before the holiday season begins!
“Chronic reader” shirts are available again! These shirts make the perfect gift for all the bookworms in your life! The shirts will be available the entire 2 weeks of the Chronic Readers Club fundraiser, through November 3rd!
The design is available as:
t-shirt: $20 - heather gray, charcoal, black, light pink, and maroon in sizes XS-3XL
crewneck sweatshirts: $30 - black, heather gray, maroon, light pink, and gold in sizes S-3XL
v-neck shirts: $22 - heather gray, black, and charcoal in sizes S-2XL
hoodies: $32 - heather gray, black, maroon, light pink, and gold in sizes S-3XL
youth t-shirts: $18 - heather gray, black, maroon, light pink, and gold in sizes XS-XL
All the proceeds go directly to funding the remaining 18 packages that need sent to those still on our waiting list for 2019!
Hello everyone! As many of my followers already know, I started a program called Chronic Readers Club in April of 2018. Chronic Readers Club is a program that sends care packages to young people who are chronically ill containing a book from their personal wishlist, as well as many other goodies!
The good news is that the program has been incredibly successful, in that I’ll be sending out our 50th package in September, and more applications for packages are constantly pouring in! Unfortunately, that’s where the bad news comes in.
Chronic Readers Club needs your support! I run this program all by myself, and I am also chronically ill. I’m only able to work about 10 hours per week, which leaves me with little extra money. I’m so fortunate to have the support of the current patrons on the Chronic Readers Club Patreon (shoutout to Kaiti, Kathy, Mary, Stephanie, and Kerri!), and they have truly kept this program up and running!
But they can’t do it alone! And with the program’s consistent growth, I’m just not anywhere near keeping up with the applications coming in. As of now, everyone who applies for a package receives one, and I want to keep it that way. But some people have had to wait up to 6 months to receive their package, and in that time more and more people are applying! I may have to close applications again for a time, but I’m trying to avoid that!
I’ve been too ill this year to consistently keep up with advertising ways to help Chronic Readers Club, but I’m doing my best and will continue trying as best I can to provide different ways to support this program, because it’s something I deeply enjoy doing, and it’s something that’s truly helping people. One sweet chronic reader was kind enough to reach out after receiving their package to say “this cheered me up when I needed it most.” And that’s why I do this!
With that being said, one of the most helpful things you can do to support Chronic Readers Club is to become a patron on Patreon! When you become a patron, you get all kinds of cool benefits along with knowing that you’re supporting an awesome program! For more details on the benefits you get, check out our Patreon page!
Another way to help Chronic Readers Club is by donating either bookstore gift cards or small items! This can be done in a few ways. If you’d like to donate a gift card or small items you have (new items such as notebooks, stickers, erasers, pens, pencils, sticky notes, socks, lip balm, face masks, nail files, etc.!), please email me at [email protected] or feel free to message me on here! Or, you could purchase something from our Amazon wishlist!
Another way to support the program that’s super fun for everyone is by buying a Chronic Reader shirt! Any proceeds go back into the program, and you get a cool shirt!
Any and all support is appreciated, even if it’s something as brief as sharing this post! Thank you to all who have supported this program so far!
I’m doing a thing for the holidays! And I know it’s kinda early, but I wanna start sending cards out at the beginning of November!
This time of year can be really difficult for many people, so I’ve designed cards with lots of love to remind you that you’re important and cared for this holiday season! Each card will come with a hand-written message and some small fun stuff, like stickers, sticky notes, bandages, and other stuff like that.
You can sign up to receive a card yourself or you can nominate another warrior! Open worldwide! I have a limited number of cards available though, so be sure to sign up right away!
I was recently yelled at by a man driving by as I was walking into a Starbucks after parking in a handicap spot. “Liar! Liar!” My first thought was “you weenie come back and say that to my face!” Then the shame set in. For awhile I felt guilty of…something. I know I’m sick but I know I don’t look sick, so maybe I don’t deserve my placard? It’s confusing and I understand. But then I reminded myself that 96% of chronic illnesses are invisible. Just because I look fine doesn’t mean my illness goes away or isn’t serious enough to be disabling. It’s not me that’s somehow confusing or misleading, it’s society and our expectations and stereotypes. Sick doesn’t have a look and neither does disabled. This idea that to be valid your illness or disability must be visible is ludicrous when you learn how many people are suffering from something unseen. Society needs a major reform in many ways, but especially with respect to its treatment and expectations of chronically ill and disabled people. What we really need is to just stop being so dang judgmental in general! Was it ever any of his business where I parked or if I “deserved” my license plate? No sir! All that I ask of people at this point isn’t even kindness, just neutrality or even indifference! Let me be! Can I just get my chai in peace?!
Who are you? Who cares? Do we really have to define ourselves? Sell ourselves? Everything and nothing, I just am. I have likes, dislikes and interests but have learnt that this elusive identity isn’t even important for me anymore. I just am who I am. And I’m always changing. I recognise my triggers and patterns and I heal. I just keep following my energy and overcoming blocks and celebrating triumphs and loving myself unconditionally. It’s magic. I’m magic, You’re magic And magic can’t be defined
Honestly I don’t know what to feel or what to do anymore I swing between terrified to angry to just sorta not caring. I live in the US and there are some states that have listed my decently rare disease SMA on a list of those hospitals can refuse to treat. I haven’t even bothered to check Washington’s plan I’m to afraid I’ll see SMA or other chronic illness and disabilities my friends have. I’m scared I’m turning 18 in a couple days, I’m supposed to go to college next year and I don’t know if that will happened. I’m scared because I just read a post from someone saying they just received a letter from their GP asking that she and her wife sign do not resuscitate papers so hospitals won’t waste resources on them. I’m scared this will happen to me. I’m scared but I’m also mad in a few days my school will be starting zoom classes and the school district has sent out emails talking about how easy and accessible this program is and my teachers have emailed about how easy it is. I’m mad because for my entire time I’ve been in high school I been fighting for the ability to video call into my classes when the elevator breaks and it breaks at least once a month from anywhere to a few days to a few weeks and because I’m in mainly AP classes which conveniently the majority of them at my school are upstairs I would miss out all my one or two of my classes so I fought and fought to be able to video call into my classes mind you I’d be doing so from a office in the school’s main office with a para sitting right next to me cause you can’t just leave a student unsupervised for who knows how long and the office I sit in is between two dean’s offices and I’m literally looking into the principals office. But when ever I asked I was told it was too hard or too much work and that each teacher would have to send home papers that would have to be signed getting parents permission that it was all right that this was happening because as they put they’d have no control over who was watching, listening and/ or recording the class despite the fact of was on school property in the main office surrounded by administrators and having a school employee who’s sole job was to watch me. But now video calls to class are easy and not a single permission slip has been sent out despite the fact these calls will be done from peoples homes and the school actually doesn’t have control over who will be watching listening and or recording the lessons. And then I go to not caring should I really be shocked that any of this is happening should I be shocked that in world that has people who advocate for the killing of disabled babies, in world where we still see sympathy articles written about parents who murder their disabled children should I be shocked that disabled people are being asked to sign off on their own deaths so resources aren’t wasted. Should I be shocked that the school district that has made me fight to be treated as a person my entire time in school, the same school that left the elevator broken for a month but the minute the theater program started complaining that it would be hard to put on the play without the elevator and magically the elevator was up and running in three days despite the fact I was asking almost every day when the elevator would be fixed cause I was starting to fail my language class because it is surprisingly hard to learn a language without access to someone who speaks the language and you know what I was told they didn’t know when it would be fixed cause the budget and they weren’t really sure what was wrong with the elevator. So you know I don’t whether to laugh or cry at this point.
