“For the love of Pete!  Did I REALLY just try to put the jar of peanut butter in the sink and my spoon in the pantry!?!” Yeah.  I did.  This was an actual moment from my life last week.  Can you say ‘brain fog’?  It’s just one of the many ‘fun’ parts of life with a chronic illness.  Being a mom can make it even harder.  Even so, you CAN care for your family while battling a chronic illness.  Not only that, you can ROCK it!  You just need some special tools to help!

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Tool #1: Supermom Cape Remover

Can I let you in on a little secret?  There are NO supermoms.  None.  We’re all just trying our best.  Yet somehow we think that everyone else is some sort of cape-wearing perfect mom and we run ourselves ragged trying to keep up.  That’s why our first tool is the Supermom Cape Remover!

A supermom wouldn’t need help from anyone.  That’s why there are none.  We all need help (even those without a chronic illness). It’s time to take off that cape and get some help!  There are 3 simple, practical ways to get help with managing your home.

Ways To Get Help

1. Hire Help– This doesn’t have to mean spending a fortune on a full time nanny or cleaning crew.  Paying a local teen to come help around the house can be relatively inexpensive.
2. Online Shopping-There are a number of options for online grocery shopping now.  Use these to make sure your family stays fed without pushing yourself too hard!
   1. Imperfect Produce: This site lets you have produce delivered to your door at discounted prices.  The quality is great, but the items don’t meet grocery store shape and size standards, so you get to save money!  I love my weekly produce delivery, especially since I can choose what goes in the box!
   2. Instacart: This service delivers groceries from various stores in your area.  This isn’t a random warehouse where you hope they have what you want.  Stories include big names like Costco, Safeway, and Publix.
   3. Prime Now: If you have an Amazon Prime membership, Prime Now can get you groceries delivered from select local stores and restaurants.  We use this on a weekly basis!
   4. ‘Clicklist’: Sooooooo Many stores have ‘clicklist’ options now.  Basically you go online and build a grocery order. Then someone there gathers your things and you come pick it up at a designated time.  I use the Walmart one for my main grocery shopping every week!
3. Ask For Help– Ask your friends and family for help.  Give them the chance to bless someone by chipping in.  Ask them do a load of laundry or pick up your grocery order.

Tool #2: The Standards Slasher

I always joke that the key to happiness as a mom is to lower your standards.  This is even more true when you’re trying to manage motherhood with a chronic illness!  So, the next time you feel like you just can’t measure up, grab your standards slasher and start hacking away at what is burdening you.  Here is what I have chosen to slash.

1. My house doesn’t have to be spotless.  It just has to be ‘good enough’.  No one is going to die if the dishes and the laundry wait a day.
2. Paper plates and rotisserie chickens with baby carrots make a nearly effortless healthy meal.  You don’t have to make everything from scratch for it to count!
3. On bad days we watch educational shows together and the kids play on tablets.  For most kids, a bit of extra screen time isn’t the end of the world (and it might just buy you a little rest time)!

Tool #3: Brain Fog Buster

Hands down, one of the worst parts of living with chronic illness is brain fog.  It’s like trying to think through mud while reciting Pi to the 12th digit!  It can fee like you are constantly dropping the ball and forgetting something important.  When that happens (and it WILL happen), grab your Brain Fog Buster!  My top 3 suggestions for dealing with brain fog are:

1. A Cell Phone– Your phone is your friend!  Most of us have phones with calendar and alarm capabilities.  Use these to help you remember things.  All appointments go in my calendar  with TWO alerts programmed to warn me ahead of time.  I have alarms set for everything from drinking water to taking medicine.
2. tile– If you’re prone to losing things, get tile.  You can attach these little guys to the things you lose most.  Then you can use the app on your phone to find them.  I’m considering getting one for the TV remote, because I can lose it without even moving!
3. Printable Medicine Charts– Chronic illness almost always comes with medicine and supplements.  Remembering whether or not you took those medicines can be really hard when your mind is all foggy.  To help you, I created printable medicine charts.  You can use them to make sure you take your medicine, or ensure you remember to give it to your kids!

Chronic Illness Does NOT Make You A Burden

Moms, I know the pain of feeling like you are a burden to your family.  Having a chronic illness can open the door for Satan to whisper words of condemnation in your ear.  Shoo him away!!!  You ARE a good mom!  On the hard days, use the tools in your toolbox to get you through.  Then, remind yourself that good moms aren’t perfect.  They just keep trying.

Be sure to stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 in this series on Life With Chronic Illness

3 Ways to ROCK Healthy Eating

3 Ways to ROCK Homeschooling