This pandemic is changing our world, but it doesn’t have to be all negative and scary.
Since the beginning, I’ve looked for silver linings, and there are many to be found!
When more people started cooking at home, I rejoiced.
When people started thinking about their immune system, I jumped in to help with advice.
We have a powerful role in our families and society, and I believe that skills that are helpful during a pandemic (natural immune boosters, home doctoring, cooking from scratch, trimming our budgets) can help us thrive now AND beyond. A true silver lining!
I hope these articles, strategies, and tips make your life easier, healthier, and skillful than ever.
I mentioned in the last two posts on grocery budget during inflation that I have been appalled at how much my bulk foods have increased in cost. They’re seriously up to 50% and even 100% more! It feels like a terrible time to buy food because of that, especially in bulk. (Check out the previous […]
My Top 10 Foods to Stock Up on Now to Prepare for Food Shortage Read More »
As I mentioned in the first post in this series on inflation, we can’t rely on our former paradigms of coupons and sales and how…
3 Habit Changes That Will Help Your Grocery Budget During Inflation Read More »
As soon as I shared in an email that our family had successfully weathered the COVID-19 virus, I immediately started getting replies asking the same…
First, a little background story: Our community hosted a public forum with the county board of commissioners. They asked the head of the health department to speak about our new school mask mandates, instituted just days before the start of school. Each commissioner had 5 minutes to ask him questions after his original 20 minutes.
Let’s Get a Little Balance with Masks (Letter to County Officials) Read More »
Science has been thrown into the national spotlight since 2020, as has National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, a man who would otherwise be relatively if not absolutely unknown to the general American public. Even common folk like a mom of 4 who teaches kids to cook now know him
I’m unvaccinated. Here’s what a PhD said to try to convince me to get the shot. Read More »
Welcome, free speech kitchen stewards! You’re here because you’re a valued subscriber, and likely you caught a few snippets of my interview with Dr. Christina Parks, molecular biologist, when we discussed facts about viruses in general, modes of transmission, and the importance of Vitamin D. (If you missed that, you can find it here—or just
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Protected: What Is a Virus? Is There Anything You Can do To Prevent Cytokine Storms? Read More »
Parents, especially moms, have a way of getting right to the heart of the issue. I still remember back in seventh grade when my father told me he was embarrassed that I would consider getting up to sing karaoke with his colleagues’ wives at a restaurant. I was crushed. But I took it upon myself
Yes, Pandemic Stress is Real! How to Know If You Have It Read More »
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Protected: Could Masks Be Helpful AND Harmful to Our Kids? Read More »
Knowledge is everything. The way I wear a mask and what it causes me to do with my nose, my mouth, and my fingers is a complete 180-degree reversal from what masks cause others to do habitually. I believe it’s because my brain is inundated with knowledge: I understand the harms of mouth breathing and
5 Face Mask Risks You Can Control and the Solutions Read More »
Homeschooling. Virtual school. Online learning. Whatever you call the way your kids are learning this year, if they are home all day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you might be running into a problem, like many moms in our community. What do we feed our kids for lunches at home? When the whole family is
Easy Homeschool Lunch Ideas for Virtual School, Distance Learning or Homeschooling Read More »
When I think about easy school lunches to pack, I know the world would tell me to buy a Lunchable. Not my style. I’d rather go easy by using up leftovers, and I often wish I could just take someone’s dinner plate and serve it to them for lunch. That’s harder to do with packed
Use Your Leftovers: 30+ Dinner Recipes to Use for Easy School Lunches Read More »
In a world where it’s hard to get kids to change their underwear or brush their hair regularly, dealing with a new piece of clothing worn directly on the face every day is a big organizational deal for parents! I’m sure some have had no problem incorporating regular mask washing into their routines, but we
How to Keep Your Masks Clean (Including No-Wash Hacks that Take Less Than 5 Minutes!) Read More »
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
In America, the land of excess, it’s been a surprising feeling to have anything in short supply, nonetheless completely out. When toilet paper was impossible to find, we discussed how to make homemade reusable toilet paper. When meat was absent from many store shelves, we talked about strategies to stretch your meat supply. I didn’t
Natural Hand Sanitizers: Best Choices and Dangers of Conventional Sanitizer Read More »
I’m really not a big DIY person. Yes, I make all my food homemade and from scratch. Well, almost. But I’ve never gotten into greasing up my pots with beeswax and coconut oil to make homemade lotion bars or figuring out much beyond this simple homemade deodorant, which honestly I don’t really bother with anymore.
30-Second Homemade All-Purpose Kitchen Cleaner Recipe (Clean Hardwood Floors Naturally!) Read More »
Hydrogen peroxide is cost-effective, widely available, and promoted by many as an effective disinfectant. Along with baking soda and vinegar, it’s one of my three favorite natural green cleaners. I’ve counted on it for years! Imagine my surprise when I received an email asking me to rescind my information about the hydrogen peroxide/vinegar duo for
What are you cooking during quarantine? I’ve been more consistent now about meal planning than I’ve been in a few years! I’m really motivated not to go to the store (it just made me uncomfortable, not germs, but bare shelves and people in masks), so I’m determined to use what I have wisely, keep up
At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, there was a bit of a baking epidemic in addition to all the pandemic stress. Flour, sugar and other baking needs were in short supply, even worse than at the holidays, the only other time of year so many people seem to care to bake from scratch. What
Stress Baking in a Pandemic: What to Bake If You Can’t Buy Enough Flour Read More »
I’ve been looking for ways to be more frugal for years! Luckily some of my frugal tips for stretching soap also come in handy to make your soap last longer when store shelves are bare. This is one of our many real food, natural living, budget-friendly resources to help you through COVID-19 here at Kitchen
