We went through Hurricane Wilma and were without power and tap water for 7 days and most of those days without a phone connection. Plus we had my son and his family here. Beings no one was sick it was rather like camping out as no one could go to work/school.  A lot of our time was taken up with chores like clean up and daily living such as cooking, etc. We have a generator which helped immensely but you use up your gas if you constantly have it on. We did the usual with games and I loved the family meals and everyone here.

 

Just thought we could swap ideas on this.

 

It's fun to go through the family photos and laugh about old times. I didn't get my photos organized though even though I had the time, lol.

 

So any ideas?

 

Kari

 

1.   Chores for everyone (as you mentioned)

2.   Meal routine was very important psychologically

3.   Short wave broadcast monitoring

4.   Privacy was very important  

5.   Reading the Bible, reading other materials out loud, asking kids 

      questions about  what they read

6.   Ask the kids how the experience could be improved next time- this   

      was  very productive

7.   Each person got to pick a group activity on their separate night- cards

      board games etc.

8.   We save two or three nonfunctional  devices- computers,        tvs, lawnmowers, and let the kids tear them apart and rebuild the parts to make whatever they want.

9.   Exercise was very important to the boys. They lifted weights, played pingpong and basketball.

10.  Surprisingly, the biggest hit was allowing the kids to plan their own meal from the supplies. They gave this a tremendous amount of thought.

 

Also, we gave each child their own 12 volt car battery and their own inverter so they could play Xbox, the computer or watch  a DVD when  we turned the generator off. You can make this for under $100, see under "Priority Preparations" the subheading "Electricity" on this website.

 

I just liked to sleep as much as possible. 

 

I really don't count on much free time because everything takes longer with no electricity and no running water. I've been there and done that.

 

I've found that the simplest things can be the most enjoyable. My job is doing childcare in my home and we have plenty of toys. Just going outside and throwing and kicking a big rubber ball was fun to do with my grandson. Tonight they came for dinner and grandson, grandpa and dad had a "snowball" fight of sorts with those soft fabric baby blocks. You could use rolled up socks though. We're planning to get a croquet set.

 

Round robin story telling would be fun or group singing. My husband has an acoustic guitar that he hasn't touched in years.

 

I have some sexy romance novels I have yet to read and if my son's family doesn't stay with us it will be just my husband and I so we could use that sex idea, lol. On the hurricane the year before we were alone and my husband took all the candles that we had been using because we had no electricity and put them all arond the bedroom. Very romantic and he surprised me and thought of it himself. I'm not usually a candle person so it was really special.

 

It would be a good time to clean out drawers or files too or do some cleaning and organizing. Maybe work on my scrapbooking project.

 

Kari

 

Jigsaw puzzles are something else you can stock up on and if you have power, you can piece together jigsaw puzzles on your computer. I really like this jigsaw puzzle software: http://www.brainsbreaker.com/. It allows me to use my own images to create puzzles to piece together. I've downloaded about 300 art and photo images from various sources online for that purpose so far and saved them to CD in case I lose internet access.

 

I also plan to  spend some time becoming more proficient in using non-leisure software I own, such as Paintshop Pro.

 

If you have a VCR or DVD recorder, you might want to consider saving certain television programs. There may be little new programming available during a pandemic or you may be cut off from cable service from time to time.

 

If power is cut off, an old manual typewriter might come in handy as a way to spend time. Just make sure the ink ribbon is still useable.

 

I have a piano and never got around to learning how to play it. So, learning to play it is something else on my list of ways I can spend my time with no power.

 

Try to get some new hobby and relearn an old one.  I build model airplanes and ships. I also am big into books so I don't think we will need some more books. I got a series of WW2 books to read and Pocket guides to military equipment.  These guides are great because they cover almost every tank, plane, ship or gun ever used in combat. I enjoy spending hours listening to shortwave radio and I know how to get stations that most could not get.  I also have lots of other ways of using time. I have around 20 board games and I especially love military wargames.  I also intend on having at least one or two paint sets. I will enjoy my time in seculsion and intend on keeping busy with lots of stuff. Food prep and working out with free weights will help. 

 

Avoiding Cabin Fever During a Bird Flu Pandemic

Lots of buzz in the news. What is it and why should you be worried about it? Avian influenza affects poultry and wild game birds. It is deadly to poultry and can be lethal in humans as well. The people who have contacted bird flu have been in close contact with infected birds. At this time it is not transmitted by human-to-human contact. But that is the key. If the virus changes and turns into a form that can be easily pass from person to person then there is the increased risk of a worldwide pandemic. We do not have immunity to this form of the flu and it can be deadly. It may be similar to the 1918 flu that killed millions around the world. If it starts to spread, life as we know it will change. Millions will become ill and millions will die around the world. This flu could last for months at a time and up to three years. More than likely schools would be closed, public events canceled, transportation shut down and travel severely limited. Meaning your only choice is to stay home with your family.

Now think about this for a minute. Imagine being at home with your family, you can't go out, stores are closed, the kids can't play with their friends, you can't travel, you can't go to work, you are at home 24/7 not for a few days, not for a few weeks but possibly several months. How would you survive without going stir crazy?

First, you will need to make a plan on what you will need to do during this time of a world flu pandemic. You will need to take inventory of what you have on hand and figure out how to make it last as long as possible. You will need to discuss with your family and especially children what is happening and what they will need to do. It may be very difficult to explain to them why they can't go out, why they can't play with friends, etc.

Your first priority would be to take care of any sick family members. You all may be sick or just a few of you may be sick. The sick would need to be isolated from other members of the family. Great care would need to be taken to avoid spreading the flu to other family members. Since hospitals will be overwhelmed you may have no choice but to stay home and try to recover.

You or your family may not have the energy to do much of anything if you have been sick. As time goes on and you recover then you need to start thinking about surviving until the all clear has been sounded and life gets back to normal, which could be months.

The stress and emotional drain of a pandemic will be overwhelming. Many people won't be able to cope. If you plan for it now, then you should be able to get through it ok.

Once everyone is feeling well, then it will be important to settle into a daily routine. Remember at this time you probably won't be going to work, schools will still be closed. You will be at home. A daily routine will help everyone cope. It may something as simple as starting with breakfast and planning your day. Just surviving on a daily basis may take up most of your time. Planning for sanitation issues, doing without heat or electricity, having enough fresh water and food. These could all be major issues to consider.

Children will probably need to be home schooled. Before schools close they may send home materials to help with that, otherwise plan on providing your own materials.

Plan on having plenty of reading material on hand. There may be electrical outages so watching tv all day or surfing the internet won't be an option. Portable radios, cd players, ipods, etc will help past the time. Having a laptop that can run off the battery can help you with home schooling, playing games, having reference materials on hand etc.

That exercise equipment you have never used may come in handy. Regaining your physical strength and keeping your body in shape will help keep your spirits up. Every member of the family should work out during the week, especially since you won't be able to go to health club or on your daily run.

Everyone will need their own space. Everyone should retreat to separate rooms for a few hours a day. Your sanity will depend on it.

Family time. As strange as it may sound, this could be an excellent time for quality family time- playing games, talking, listening to music, reading together, doing craft projects, making scrapbooks, etc.

You probably won't be able to do any home remodeling projects since stores will be closed. You may want to stock up materials you need before hand. But it may be a great time to clean and organize your home.

Meal times. If you have stocked your pantry with a 3-12 months supply of food, you should be ok. Many of the meals you now fix will be from scratch. You won't have access to prepackaged convenience foods or eating out. So planning you meals and fixing your meals may become a big part of your daily routine. Again it can be a family event, cooking and baking together or a different member of the family can take turns fixing different meals.

If there is power, then you will be able to watch tv, movies, etc. Stock up on your favorite dvd's. Keeping up on the news will also be important. We might revert back to the time when the family gathered around the radio to hear the nightly news broadcast. Having a shortwave radio will help you keep informed on what is happening in other parts of the world. Video games will also help keep kids occupied.

These are a few ideas to get you started thinking about an extended home stay during a pandemic crisis. You sanity, health, emotions, patience and core beliefs will all be tested during a crisis like a bird flu pandemic. If you start planning today you and your family will be in a far better position to survive for the duration of the flu pandemic

 

But I also am a bookworm and I write sometimes, so no power = plenty of reading time, if the situation isn't too bad.