6 Things To Do When the Kids Are Sick

In our house, we never get off Scott-free without catching every bug that passes by. One of us is usually sneezing or coughing and as nature would have it, about the time one sheds the crud, another of us picks it up. I do try to do my due diligence and sanitize (to use chemicals or not to use chemicals, that IS the question), wash my hands until they feel like a dried leaf, and referee both kids from invading one another's space (did you seriously just lick your sisters face!?!) But, here we are again. Three out of the four of us with one ailment or another. So, what is a stay at home mom to do when both kids are sick and stuck at home? Here are a few ideas.

1. Tackle some deep cleaning- Don't roll your eyes! I'm not suggesting that you'll get everything done on your list, but while you're frantically disinfecting every surface of your house, why not use that rag to clean the dust off the blinds or wipe the baseboards?  You'll thank yourself later. If not, you can thank me!
2. Clean out your medicine cabinet- I know, more cleaning. If you're like me  my husband, you REFUSE to throw away medications (you know, one day the world could end, and you'd surely need that 5-year-old bottle of Cephalexin). This is where I feel like I'm living one of those HIGHLY dramatized infomercials.  Kid gets a cough, I go to the medicine cabinet to find some dark honey, but instead I'm buried alive in an avalanche of sticky half empty bottles of children's Ibuprofen. You know what I did this week? I cleaned that mess up!

     WHEN KIDS ARE SICK: BE A SPORT, MAKE A FORT

3. Build a pallet fort- You know what I know? I know that kids love forts. They love boxes. They love pallets in the floor. I'll bet once upon a time you loved curling upside a blanket tent. Be a sport and make one for the kids. If they're confined to being horizontal, make the best of it and make a cave of quilts. Stuff it with books and snacks and maybe it will double as quarantine by holding their germs in the confines.
4. Have a movie marathon- This bout of sickness has graced us with Christmas movies and by golly we've taken advantage. The kids have loved watching Home Alone and Home Alone Lost in New York as much as we have. Funny, who else doesn't remember Kevin being so sassy when we viewed it through kids eyes?         
5. Look at old pictures together- My kids LOVE to look at pictures of themselves when they were little. I do too. Double up on accomplishments and purge your poor phone of photos you don't need. I have 9,005 pictures and 1265 videos (yes, I just checked) and I'm sure half of those are screenshots of beautiful houses, makeup inspiration, or 12 pages of one recipe and the other half are pictures either my kid took of their eyeball or forty of me attempting to get everyone to look at the camera at the same time. Make use of quality time and sweep the cobwebs off your phone.
6. Snuggle- whether you're a working mom or a stay at home mom like me, there are fewer and fewer opportunities for a good old fashion snuggle-fest in the life of mom hood. I swear my kids will snuggle me when their forty (whether they like it or not) and I'm clinging on to the sweetness of my three-year old who is currently devastated with the sudden understanding that one day he will grow too big to live at home anymore. Life is busy and sometimes its easy to find ourselves putting too many things above slowing down and holding our kids. Put your excuses aside, mom, and snuggle that sick little one. You may catch whatever they have, but I promise you won't regret it.

   WHAT DO YOU DO TO SURVIVE WHEN KIDS ARE SICK?