Stuff that's keeping me sane this week

A short list of things that are keeping me sane this week.

Paper hand towels. A box of these landed on my front porch this week and it was like Christmas-Chanukah in April. Our neighbor Matt, aka our coronavirus patron saint, bulk-ordered them. They're the kind you usually see in public restrooms, and they are THE best thing for these times—so much more sanitary than fabric hand towels. And you don't need to waste your precious paper towels. Bonus for us: Max has trouble ripping paper towels off a roll but can grab one of these.  There are the standard white kinds or brown ones made of recycled paper that are a great deal. If you want to google around they are often called "C-fold towels."

Have I sufficiently bored you?

Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube. This woman is actually not-annoying for a kid show host, she makes yoga fun and there are a whole lot of videos to choose from.

I made this one-pan cheesy chicken, broccoli and rice for dinner and everyone gobbled it up so I'll be making it again this week. Last night I made Jamaican rice and beans and a fistfight nearly broke out because SOME people said rice and beans are only a side dish and I was all, "THIS IS A MEAL, PEOPLE, COMPLETE WITH PROTEIN!!!" I even put some chicken sausage on top but I still lost that battle, so I'm boycotting cooking. At least until lunchtime today.

I put myself on news rationing and I am only reading/listening to the news once in the morning and once at night and not leaving it on or clinking on links all day long, which was basically causing blood pressure spikes.

Marble maze runs. They keep Ben and Max mesmerized for respectable chunks of time. This one's a classic. I just ordered this National Geographic version with marbles that glow in the dark.

This $7 rosewater facial spray smells great and gives me a lift when I'm at my desk doing work or post-child-meltdown.

Using my rainy-day stuff. I am a bit of a hoarder, the type to buy a package of new socks or kitchen utensils then sock them away for someday. But pandemics make you realize that there's no time like the present and you should see my feet!

Laurie Berkner's livestreams on Monday and Wednesday mornings on her band's Facebook page. We met her in person last year, and her music makes all of us happy.

Friday night Zoom hangouts with friends. While you guys are chatting, change your background and surprise them—just click the arrow next to "start/stop video," click "choose virtual background" and you can upload a pic. Tip: If you, too, choose a hunky model, make sure you change your background before you hop on a Zoom work call.