Morale booster preps

[bellinisurge]

We all know from Covid that when it comes keeping everyone’s spirits… if not UP! … then not too far down, a lot of the drudgery of doing that falls to women- the beardy blokes in lumberjack shirts who get interviewed on TV are generally not the ones doing day to day work of keeping kids clean, fed and watered.
I don’t wear makeup - particularly not in the house- but I know many women use it like armour to face a tough day. I use tea, chocolate and crisps if I need a morale boost.

This thread is for suggesting preps for morale boosters for the person in the home who will be doing a lot of the drudge stuff . So making you don’t run out of your preferred makeup and or toiletries is my suggestion

I don’t suppose there will be much need for toiletries if the water is off. I can see myself resorting to cleaning my down bellows with a flash wipe (must put baby wipes on the list).

That’s the thing, no one needs to smell like a hospital if they are dealing with all the other stuff

I know what you mean @bellinisurge
We don’t as a rule have milk in the house. So I always use sachets of custard powder and I always think this will be so lovely come the zombie apocalypse. And I inhale coffee- usually pods but I need a backup for if I’m heating water rather than using electricity.

Lovely soft blanket.

You can wash with a small amount of water and soap. (Flannel bath) Soft fluffy flannel for face and body. Separate flannel for undercarriage.(Or kitchen roll and chuck it away) (1970schild) (1980s camper)

Dry shampoo?

Seconding the soft blanket. A few more that don't need power: a pack of cards or a board game that doesn't rely on a screen, a couple of audiobooks or podcasts downloaded to your phone in advance (with a charged power bank to keep it going), and a hot water bottle if you've a gas hob to heat water on. Head torches are underrated too: they keep your hands free for the drudge jobs and make a dark house feel a lot less grim.

For me it's chocolate! I've started a box specifically for stashing chocolate and hopefully hiding it from myself!

Also a few of one's favourite books - either to re-read or maybe new ones from a favourite author. Paper copies of course. I never did really take to using a Kindle. Books can transport you from the mundane to anywhere in the world or in time!

Fresh wipes are lovely and big for a body wash and smell like coconut

We've made sure we have lots of treats. M&S chocolates, a tub of xmas chocolates, my normal day to day dark chocolate, biscuits, chocolate croissants, red wine.

Lots of tonic water for mixing with spirits. Yes I know alcohol dehydrates you, but it also numbs boredom and creates a momentary lightness!

That said it had better only be three days because I don't think anything will lift the gloom much longer than that.

BTW. Pp re flash wipes, you'll need to make sure you have some thrush treatments too!

@Autumnallaroundaccording to the new script published by the government, low alcohol beer is not dehydrating and therefore good to go. Wasn’t beer the safest thing to drink in medieval times? Awesome news

@bellinisurge shame the same thing can't be said for my 46% proof Tanqueray Ten 🤣

I think making sure that you have things to occupy yourself, that have a certain novelty value perhaps. A new craft kit/puzzle book/novel/colouring book/jigsaw you haven't done before. Or all of the aobve. Mental health is just as important as physical.

Maybe some tonight to staying physically active in the home too. Table tennis kit if you have a large enough table, for example?

I'm also going to note down the recipes for some easy stove top bakes, as I love cooking and baking. Whatever you love doing, is there a way you can still do it l, or a version of it?

Table tennis is actually a genius idea

It is! Dining table and maybe a few books as a makeshift net, or just no net and have fun! I've quite a few ping pong balls as our cat likes playing with them.

I got a cheap battery radio so if the power goes off in the local area then I can hopefully get some news and have some music. I live alone so it's almost like a bit of company.

BTW. Pp re flash wipes, you'll need to make sure you have some thrush treatments too!

I’ve actually just ordered some XXL full body wipes from the AgeUK website. They were only £3.75 for a pack of 50, which I was pleasantly surprised at so I bought a few packs.

Low alcohol homemade elderflower champagne will go down well here. Already saving bottles for next year's supply.

This has reminded me that I don't have a table for table tennis but kids used to love blowing up a balloon and patting it each other! Or a kick up competition!

@Autumnallaround
BTW. Pp re flash wipes, you'll need to make sure you have some thrush treatments too!

Do you mean using the flash cleaning wipes on your body?

@Sunshineandrainbow this was a PP who said they were going to use flash wipes on their nether regions. I think they were joking... I suggested thrush treatment might be needed!

I've ordered a few cheap puzzle books, colouring books, word search books etc. I don't generally do stuff like that much, but on the odd occasion, when I have been in hospital for example, have found things like that soothing.

And I have asked my mom to dig out a jigsaw and lend it to me. Again, I don't do jigsaws often but DD and I have enjoyed them occasionally when we haven't been well and have been stuck indoors.

And I've ordered a cheap set of draughts for the same reason. We usually only play draughts if we are on a camping holiday and there is a set in the club house. But we both quite like the idea of simple entertainments like that if the power goes out......