Day 84 | A New Routine

June 1, 2017

Hey! I think we might finally be figuring out a routine! Oh routines! How I’ve missed you!

This is how it goes…

I wake up and wipe down the walls, ceiling and floor of the van. I use Simple brand facial wipes for this. Sara Mattson, my mold avoidance mentor, told me about this. She said that most baby wipes feel very moldy to her but that she’s never reacted to these Simple wipes. I’ve been tolerating them just fine and wiping down the van daily helps keep minor cross-contamination from becoming a bigger problem.

Then, if I’m feeling achy and in pain, I wipe down my body too before I change into clean clothes. Next I start some water heating so I can wash my hair while Brett prepares breakfast. I try to get the laundry soaking right away too.

Then we eat breakfast and after clean up, Brett starts his work day and I start on the laundry. The water spout isn’t right next to our laundry area so I’ve been carrying water about a 24 paces uphill. It’s hard! But I’m getting stronger!

My plan is to be able to listen to the Bible and pray while I do the laundry. Today though, I just sang.

Then at around 12:30pm, I start making lunch. Today I made salad with bacon, cheese, avocado and apples. It was really yummy! Then I do some more laundry and wash dishes.

Next I sit down to work on writing for the blog. After that, I have my late afternoon emotional breakdown where I cry about how much work I still have to do and how hard this mold avoidance life is. This emotional breakdown isn’t part of the plan of course but it’s been happening. Maybe I’ll feel better about it if I just come to expect it?

Then, after Brett gives me a comforting hug, I muster up enough courage to put together a simple dinner. After dinner Brett helps me to finish up the laundry and we decide to leave the dirty dishes for the morning. At least that’s what we did tonight. πŸ™‚

Then Brett heats up water for our showers and we turn the heat on in the van to make it more comfortable. I take my shower first and then I read aloud to us while Brett takes his shower. Then we empty the tub, wipe up any water that may have splashed on the floor and turn off the car. Finally, we turn on our heating mats and fall into bed exhausted!

It’s a lot of work, but hey! A grueling routine is better than no routine and I’m actually getting a lot done. Hopefully, it will get easier as I get more practice. Right now I feel like I fell into the deep end of a pool and don’t know how to swim.

It’s a big jump going from being completely helpless to having this much responsibility. But there’s no question that a life of hard physical labor and lots of inconveniences is far better than a life of devastating illness and complete dependence on caregivers. So I’m thankful, and if this is what it takes to get my health back, then I’m going to do my best at it.


By the way, Brett and I made a beautiful PDF of my favorite resources for suffering souls. I created the content and he made it look fancy with his superduper graphic design skills. It’s available for free to my email subscribers. Click here to sign up and receive 5 Resources for the Suffering Soul.

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22 Comments

  • Natalie Julson

    Yay! So happy that you’re getting into a routine and hopefully finding some normalcy again Ana. Praying for you guys always.

    June 8, 2017 at 6:01 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Aww… Thanks so much Natalie.

      June 8, 2017 at 8:13 pm Reply
  • Mary Taylor

    Your last sentence says it all! Congratulations! It is hard but it sure beats what you had in the past.

    June 8, 2017 at 6:09 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Exactly! Thank you! 😊

      June 8, 2017 at 8:14 pm Reply
  • Holly Hibbert

    Oh Ana, you are precious. I liked hearing about the routine, and also seeing the smile on your face these last couple posts I’ve read. I’ve been hearing the phrase “It’s a lotta work” at least 3x in a few days from different people and I’m starting to think God is giving me a heads up about some hard work ahead. There is dignity in the hard work, isn’t there? And then you can rest well at night, right? You are becoming of a hardy constitution through this labor as you recover your health!

    June 8, 2017 at 7:03 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Yes! Yes! I like what you said about there being dignity in hard work. I wrote something similar for an upcoming post. Love you Holly! Thanks for reading! πŸ’•

      June 8, 2017 at 10:42 pm Reply
  • Lisa Grove

    Ana, can you describe your shower setup? The tub you stand in? The curtain around you? And what you use to hold and pour water on yourself? I’ve been trying to come up with something like this but so far have not figured it out! Thanks!!

    June 8, 2017 at 7:43 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Sure. 😊 The tub is just the largest size of plastic storage containers you can get at Walmart or Target. The curtain… Well, we ended up taking it down. The idea was to be able to shower standing up without worrying about water getting everywhere. But in the end we felt like the van was too crowded with the curtain and we would rather just sit in the tub and have it feel more spacious. But I know Sara and Peter really like the set up with the curtain so I guess it just depends on what is more inconvenient to you. As for the shower, we just use arrowhead water bottles and heat the water in tea kettles. Maybe I should write a post about this?

      June 8, 2017 at 10:47 pm Reply
      • Patricia

        Yes, a post about you shower sounds helpful. When I camped in a field last summer I just used the water hose on me. The hose was very very long and the sun heated up the hose and thus the water inside the hose. So I had to choose between a plastic chemically laden warm shower or a cold one with less plastic. The tap was in a contaminated place so I tried to not go there.
        I so relate to the hard work of washing by hand every day. I was detoxing heavily and so contaminated my bedding each night so had to wash everything each day.

        June 9, 2017 at 1:06 pm Reply
      • Leslie

        With pictures . A post with pictures. Don’t forget that some of us are using your story and blog not just for seeing how awesome you and Brett are (and you ARE awesome), but also as a tutorial πŸ™‚

        June 9, 2017 at 9:55 pm Reply
      • Lisa Grove

        Thanks Ana! What size Arrowhead water bottles do you use, and where can they be found to purchase? An Arrowhead store? Do you fill them half and half with cold and boiling water? Thanks!!

        June 10, 2017 at 9:33 am Reply
  • Christine Brassard

    Your salad look very good! I will try it

    June 8, 2017 at 7:52 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      It was delicious!

      June 8, 2017 at 10:47 pm Reply
  • Christine Brassard

    are you able to exercise? go for a walk, run?

    June 8, 2017 at 7:54 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      I am physically able to yes and have written posts about hiking and running. But I don’t really need to set aside dedicated time for exercise since my whole day is pretty much moving around. Agitating the clothes, carrying tubs full of water, walking back and forth from the water spout etc.

      June 8, 2017 at 10:50 pm Reply
  • Sarah C

    Your posts are one of the highlights of my day. You rock! Keep at it

    June 8, 2017 at 8:12 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      This comment was one of the highlights of my day! πŸ™‚

      June 8, 2017 at 10:52 pm Reply
  • Ruth Meyer

    It might sound odd to have a “time” in your schedule for a break-down, but I get it! Some times I just know when I’m going to be the most tired, the most emotionally exhausted and vulnerable. Knowing when you’re going to “crash” can actually be freeing, and allows you to anticipate and work through the daily emotional healing process. At least, that’s what I have found. I really hope you find healing in writing these blog posts as well, Ana. They encourage so many of us, and they challenge me personally to do more towards improving my health through the sunny days and the rainy days of my life.

    June 8, 2017 at 11:56 pm Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Yes! Exactly! I agree. I think just working with it and accepting it helps. And I do think writing has been healing for me. Especially seeing how others respond so positively and how I can be an encouragement to them. πŸ’•

      June 9, 2017 at 11:20 am Reply
  • Hannah Mead

    I’m so glad that you are able to do all this! It sounds hard, but I’m grateful that you guys are getting back into a sense of normal life. Keep persevering, and know that there are so many people praying for you! <3

    June 9, 2017 at 5:07 am Reply
    • Ana Harris

      Thank you so much Hannah!

      June 9, 2017 at 11:21 am Reply
  • Chris Barratt

    Ana, love the breakdown comment. I need to make time for this everyday too!! Ha ha!! But I know I don`t have nearly as much to breakdown about as you. But I love this “real” you that lets us in and doesn’t glam it all up!! Many of us feel this exact same way and we hide it. Not good. So I appreciate the transparency!! And as far as I’m concerned you’re entitled to the breakdown!!! LOL.

    June 9, 2017 at 6:44 pm Reply
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