Taming the Boredom Monster
I fully admit that I am a mess when I’m sick. I don’t get a lot of practice, so I’ve never quite figured out how to quietly rest without making everyone around me miserable. There is whining and complaining I generally just feel the need to bring everyone down to my level of pitifulness.
Alexis is, in many ways, my clone. She doesn’t get sick often and when she does? LOOK OUT. The whining flies around all over the room as she tries to continue on with life just like normal and discovers that it’s not possible. She doesn’t figure out that she should just sit her butt down on the couch and relax. She wants to GO! GO! GO!
That means it’s up to me to find a way to occupy her mentally while keeping her calm physically. If I play my cards right, I can keep the Boredom Monster at bay while getting snuggled for hours. Which, sitting on the couch getting snuggled by a little girl? Not a bad way to spend a day! AT ALL!
The last time I wrote a post for Children's Mucinex, I asked y’all what you do to keep your sickies entertained. Y’all came up with some great ideas including:
- Keeping a stash of coloring books and a new box of crayons just for those sick days.
- Television! Someone mentioned that they pull up some of the classic cartoons from when we were kids. Which, GENIUS.
- Throw out the rules. No limits on TV watching, snacking on the couch is A-OK, and if a kid wants to eat nothing but crackers all day? So be it.
I’m 100% on board with all of those things, but I have one more that I do. Every year Alexis gets entirely too many things for her birthday. Instead of allowing all of those things to go immediately into the toy rotation (where they will get played with for 10 minutes and then ignored), I snag a bunch of them and put them way up on the top shelf of our pantry. Then, when Alexis is sick and needs something to keep her busy, I pull one or two of the toys down. I try to make sure there is a stash of artsy crafty things included in with those toys because something as simple as decorating a teddy bear can keep her happy and mostly still for hours on end.
Seriously. Hours. The kid spent hours decorating that teddy bear the last time she was sick. A couple of Mucinex tamed her symptoms and the bear kept her chillaxed and distracted.
Children's Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold
When your child has a bad cold, you both can feel miserable. Children's Mucinex is the #1 children's brand for relieving congestion* and provides fast acting relief from your child's worst cold symptoms. Try Children's Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold if your child needs relief from stuffy nose and chest congestion. Always use Children's Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold as directed. (*Based on IRI unit share data for the 52 weeks ending November 2012.)
Children’s Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold is my friend, and it can be yours too. Go here to print a $2 off coupon!
I’m working with Mucinex and BlogHer on a series of posts about minimizing the miserable when Alexis is sick. Next up, I’m going to tell you about our favorite WOAH IS ME I’M SICK food. But first, what about you? Do you have any go-to menu items that you pull out for sick days? Leave a comment telling what activity makes your child smile when they are under the weather you’ll be entered to win a $100 CVS gift card.
The rules!
No duplicate comments.
You may receive 1 total entry by leaving a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 2/6/2013 – 3/31/2013
Be sure to visit the Children's Mucinex Multi-Symptom Cold page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!
Monday, February 18, 2013
Reader Comments (135)
Sprite, Popsicles, and unlimited TV. It's when the kid actually gets sick of TV that I start pulling my hair out, and usually turn to games to try to keep him from bouncing off the walls....
I always let my daughter wear one of my big sweatshirts for extra warmth on the couch.
Reading books with me (or listening to me read)! Thanks for a chance to win and have a great day!
kmassmanATgmailDOTcom
popsicles always seem to do the trick :)
I like tomato soup and tuna melts.
twitted this today, 18/03
My son loves playing with his LEGOs.
hillesha@gmail.com
Usually I serve Chicken Noodle soup with crackers. Also some juice or ginger ale.
Watching funny movies and playing Memory game.
I pull out the Orange Sherbert. Works like a charm
We would watch my daughter's favorite movie and then play board games.
ipod -- for sure!
I have no kids but I enjoyed puzzle books when i felt down
Moving the dollhouse to couch level so my daughter can play and rest at the same time makes her smile.
My son loves to cuddle with me and his favorite blanket while watching his favorite movies when he is feeling under the weather.
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 @ gmail dot com
tweet--https://twitter.com/WildOrchid985/status/314017124580466689
My kids always wanted me to make them Cream of Wheat when they were under the weather and they enjoyed listening to music.
doing maze puzzles
My kids love to watch movies and watch mommy dance when their under the weather.
My child loves watching funny you tube videos when he isn't feeling well.
activity makes my child smile when he gets a new toy
Getting a smile is difficult when kids are sick. Mine always loved being read to so we would get out the fuzzy blanket and read their old fave books. Amazing how hearing those familiar Dr Seuss books would make them smile.
It's important to keep the kids hydrated and eating something when they are sick. The kids didn't normally eat alphabet soup, and the novelty of finding and eating certain letters or words was an activity that sometimes got a sick one to eat a bit more that they wanted to.
Jello, applesauce, or popcicles were usually acceptable
I make homemade chicken noodle soup and read to them - they love it!
Thank you.
barbara dot montyj at gmail dot com
My little one loves when I read him a book & even when he's under the weather it still brings him lots of joy
teechbiz at gmail dot com
My kids like to watch cartoons.
I definitely love to pull out the chicken broth on sick days :) Keeping the kids comfortable and entertained makes them forget their sickness and smile for a while :)
Watching dora all day works for my son.
Television makes my children smile when they are under the weather.
Soup is our go-to menu item for sick days. Nothing heavy.
crackers and graham crackers.
When we're under the weather we veg in front of the tv and eat soup. Not every exciting, but that's how we roll.
watching a movie together
When my kids are sick I can always make them smile by cuddling with them on the couch and watching americas funniest child videos!
playing on the ipad
Thanks! Janna JOhnson jannajanna@hotmail.com janna@feedyourpig on gfc
snuggling on the coach to watch a funny movie is always a great distraction from feeling sick
chicken noodle soup and crackers while laying on the couch watching tv
i tweeted here;
https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/315670207223971840
We usually put in movies since they normally don’t get to watch them. Leaving TV and movies for special times only makes it so they really enjoy watching it when the opportunity comes along.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/njhhb/status/315884560179159040
Popsicles. Obviously.
My daughter loves when I cuddle with her on the couch to read books or watch a movie.
Thanks for unlocking the comments! Ok I would entertain the kiddos with new coloring books, new chapter books, and anything that could take their mind off being sick.
When my little cousin is feeling under the weather she likes to make storybooks or watch shows with me, after some cuddle and rest she recovers very fast.
songyueyu at gmail
A cozy blanket, miso soup and cartoons.
I don't have kids yet but when I'm sick I'll eat super healthy, it makes me feel like I'm healing myself faster!
My go to sick menu are breakfast dinners or lunch-breakfast food for the meal-a big bowl of cereal, eggs..
Chicken noodle soup, Sprite, and grape popsicles!
rawrms at gmail dot com
Popsicles! However, they have to be new popsicles, not anything currently in our freezer, for them to work according to my son. So we usually have to enlist the grandparents for a Popsicle run!
I never end up with one sick, its always all three. We play games that require laying down and resting. Plenty of water and pedialyte ice pops
I don't know why, but I just love macaroni and cheese when I am sick. It always makes me feel good.
When my daughter is sick we bust out the blankets, the sketch pad, the colored pens/pencils and some DVD's. Snuggling on the couch, doodling and watching movies is the best way to feel better.