Stuff that's keeping our family sane this week

Basement sleepovers. Dave started sleeping in the basement with the boys on Saturday night a few weeks ago, so they could "get away." I wanted to join in but, no girls allowed! They hang in their man cave and watch movies. Dave and Max crash on the couch, Ben has a little cot. Sabrina holes up in her room (#teen). I get the first floor to myself and Zoom with friends or watch TV or just enjoy some rare alone time.

A jumbo roll of Kraft paper. You can roll a giant piece out along a floor and use it for anything from drawing a maze to making a town or a zoo complete with pictures of buildings and play people and animals. We got a roll of brown Kraft paper (this) but you can also get one in white (this). 

Virtual music therapy on Facebook messenger. Zoom has been working fine but Max's music session goes for an hour, and Zoom ends at 40 minutes. Our awesome music therapist, Amanda, suggested this. Just go to Facebook messenger, find the person and in the nav bar click the movie camera—or they can do for you. Easy peasy.

Flarp. It's a slime-like substance that can make fart sounds if manipulated the right, but is overall great for sensory play or any play (it's just annoying to get off clothes, so a bib is great). All my children love it. You can find occasionally find it at the Dollar Store but for now, it's on Amazon here.

The hostas blooming in our front yard. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see them—totally appreciating any new sign of life right now.

Going in on bulk order grocery delivery with neighbors. So far, we've done this with Baldor Food and The Wild Salmon Co. 

The Cincinatti Zoo livestream. It's on Facebook daily at 3 EST here, and you can go back and watch older ones). If you do nothing else, watch this video of Rico the porcupine eating peanut butter.  For more zoos and aquariums doing livestreams, click on this page of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums and scroll down for a list. 

Blueapple Produce Savers. The last thing I want to do right now is waste produce that's already hard to get my hands on. Blueapple freshness balls—you just slip a packet inside—are supposed to keep fruit and veggies fresher longer by absorbing ethylene gas in the fridge. A year's supply was $20 so we figured, worth a shot.  

I told my family exactly what I need for peace of mind. And that is: neatness and as much cleanliness as possible in our home. It gives me the delusion that the world is under control when it is not. And, get this, everyone is actually putting stuff away without nagging. And Max has taken to pointing out when Dave leaves crumbs all over the floor. My hero.