You Can Keep Your Plague, Thank You Very Much
You know that itchy, scratchy, not-quite-right feeling you get right before The Plague grabs hold of your senses and renders you useless for a few days? Me too!
Except that I don’t usually get The Plague. It’s really a very rare occurrence that I get sick at all.
It’s true. I can write about the fact that I almost never get sick and karma will not instantly shut me down with the flu or a hacking cough or whatever. I get that day of “GAH! I think I’m getting sick!” but I don’t actually get sick.
Neither does Alexis. I mean, she does get sick, but not nearly as often as other kids her age. So far in her two years of being school-aged, she has missed half a day of school because of illness. As the person who was responsible from peeling her off of the ceiling that day, I can tell you that she really wasn’t all that sick. I think she had that “I’m getting ill” feeling and didn’t know how to accurately describe it.
I’m willing to guess that it’s about 50% genetics that keeps us from becoming victims of whatever plague is going around, but I think there are things that we do in our day-to-day lives that help keep The Sicks at bay. If I had to put together a list of ways to avoid The Plague, here’s what I would say:
- Hands off, bugger off. I actually say that to Alexis sometimes. Hands are to stay away from faces, especially during cough and cold season. Keeping the little buggers away from your ears, nose, and mouth seriously does seem to help prevent sickness.
- Healthy foods, ahoy! Go eat three cupcakes. Tomorrow, eat three bananas. Tell me which day you feel better. We eat junk at my house, but in moderation.
- Catch your cough. We “catch coughs” in the crook of our elbow, not with our hands. That means the germs don’t end up on our hands, so we don’t pass them on to one another as easily. Also, a certain 7-year old has been known to fuss at other people to catch their coughs.
- A little dirt never hurt. Look, I know it’s good to sanitize and use anti-bacterial things, but we don’t get carried away at our house. We look like we live with two cats and two dogs, not with a team of maids. I truly think that it helps build a little immunity when your home environment isn’t perfect.
- Washa washa. That thing about a little dirt not hurting doesn’t mean the people in my house get to walk around with dirty hands. We wash hands before touching food, after using the bathroom, after touching anything questionable, and sometimes even more often. It’s not a frequency thing so much as it is a quality thing, though. Alexis was taught the proper way to wash her hands early on (hands slanted downward under the water, vigorous rubbing, warm water for at least 30 seconds, etc.).
I’m sure there are other things we do, but those are the main ones.
And now for the confessional part of this post – Alexis has a wicked cough right now. She’s practicing catching that cough entirely too much and it’s because some crud has settled into her lungs. She says doesn’t feel sick (she certainly hasn’t slowed down), but she has some stuff in there that needs to come out. We had a long talk about the fact that she has “snot in her lungs” and that she needs to cough so that it comes out, but we’re managing that process with a little help from our friends. To battle the crud, we’ve been using Children's Mucinex. It’s breaking down the “snot” (sorry, but she keeps calling it that instead of “mucus” so now I am, too). We are careful to follow the directions exactly, but it’s formulated especially for kids, so I’m comfortable giving it to her.
Mucinex and BlogHer have teamed up for a series about surviving cold and flu season and I will be participating all along the way. Next up, I’ll be revealing the secrets to keeping an Alexis happy when she is sick. Given that she’s really very bad at the whole sick thing, it is a bit of a challenge.
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 offering readers a $2.00 off coupon to use on your next purchase, you can retrieve your coupon here!
Before I reveal my secrets, though, what are yours? What things do you do with your kids to keep everyone sane when they are sick? Or, if you don’t have kids, how do you stay sane when down and out with The Plague? Answer in the comments for a chance to win a $100 CVS gift card.
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!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Reader Comments (173)
To keep our stickies happy we fire up Netflix. They love the children's section! They think it's fun to watch the cartoons I watched growing up like the Jets and He-man and She-ra. :)
I have a kindle now so Crackle is my website of choice for movies when laid out flat. Before it was DVD's in the computer. I am a big HUGE handwasher.
I love love love Mucinex. I don't know how I ever survivied being sick before it came around.
First, let me say that I think Mucinex products are amazingly helpful when sick. When my little is sick it's all about comfort and snuggling, with lots of movies and books thrown in while he recovers.
My daughter likes watching Nick Jr. when she’s under the weather.
Great post! My son loves to curl up on my lap and read with me when he is under the weather :) I think the trick is eating healthy, washing hands. We have also used Children's Mucinex a few times in our home. It has really helped to make my son feel better. Thanks for the coupon too!
What does "IRI unit share data" mean?
We watch a lot of tv. We don't watch much during a regular day but when they are sick (or I am), tv is my friend. Like, BFF. We also use stinky cream on their chest (Vicks) and a humidifier. I haven't tried Mucinex. Our old doc was anti-any comfort measure for anyone - infant, child, teen, or adult. She basically said, "Suck it up, buttercup!" and warned against using anything. She scared me, so we haven't used anything except fever meds.
When my kids are sick I usually give them a new coloring book, so we can color together or play Tic Tac Toe.
These activities manage to keep us sane.
They camp out in the living room with a t.v. tray filled with magazines, books, crackers, ginger ale, handheld gadgets, thermometer and the remote to the t.v. I always open the windows for a bit to air out the house too. Even if it's cold. One thing we had done besides not touching your face to much is we all have our own toothpaste tubes. That way someone's toothbrush is not touching the tube before you use it. Even though my kids are a little older, they still enjoy picking their own toothpaste.
@Elle--IRI is a group that tracks sales data -- sort of like Nielsen tracks TV ratings.
My kids are too little to receive medicine just yet. Right now our best remedy for my older one is watching movies because it actually gets her to sit down for a moment and rest. If we didn't put one on she'd continue playing like a maniac and make herself even worse.
I toss out our normal rules. The TV stays on as long as she wants it to, mostly with movies. If she wants to snack on crackers in the living room, where we normally don't eat, fine. It's all about getting better, and we go back to the rules when we're all well.
how do i stay sane while being forced to relax? reading, television, twitter, texting. hot tea with honey and lemon...and maker's mark. snuggling with a good dog. medication (mucinex, nyquil). and the best...sleep, glorious sleep.
I don't have any kids to worry about but when my husband or I get sick, which is very rare, we generally just keep doing what we do. I work from home so I do not have to worry about affecting others and my husband pretty much works solo as well. I can count on one hand, in the 20 years we've been together, that either of us couldn't carry on as normal. In those very rare cases sleep was pretty much all we did.
Movies, movies, and more movies along with ice water and loads of hugs and blankies.
Laying around on the couch watching movies is always helpful in my house.
A big bowl of hot soup helps!
We watch movies and cartoons
We rest, hydrate, and watch The Princess Bride (a classic movie for those under the weather!)
We watch movies and cartoons. Plus plenty of cuddling.
Oh how I wish I could take Mucinex. I took it once (okay actually twice because I'm an idiot) and had a really horrible reaction to it.
As for how I keep my sickie happy when she's sick, I fire up the TV and turn on HGTV. That is like kiddie crack around our house...
My kids like laying in our bed watching a movie or cartoons when they aren't feeling well
If I can, I take a sick day for myselft then we spend the day drinking some gingerale, watching favorite shows, eating chicken noodle soup, and playing with our puppy.
When we spend time reading together, or doing any other craft projects at home, and television, they always feel better.
jslbrown_03 at yahoo dot com
I read to them, Even now that that they are older. I secredtly knda like when they are sick cause they are all mine for a day or two.
We resort to extra snuggling and treats when one of the little ones are sick!
No kids yet, but when I'm feeling too sick to go anywhere I try to treat it as a mini-vacation- I'm consistently behind on TV shows that I like and have lots of things in my netflix queue. When I can I love to read something fun (instead of for school/work) but usually reading when I'm sick gives me a headache. =/ Aaaand if I'm really feeling sick I call my mom and whine about how she's on the other side of the country and can't come take care of my anymore.
we lay in bed and watch bubble guppies or fresh beat band!
A fun movie or cartoon with snacks work the wonder when under the weather.
I've never had the flu or a fever for that matter. I have no idea where the super immune system comes from, I don't do anything special. I'm going to go knock on some wood now, I need to stay healthy for one more month.
My son likes watching Spongebob or the Fresh Beat Band to cheer him up.
watching bugs bunny videos usually does the trick
She watches cartoons and drinks smoothies when sick...keeps her mind off of the miserableness
My kids like to watch TV in bed, or play their video games while feeling down and out. My oldest son likes to get the iPad and read as well. We LOVE Mucinex, its been a huge life saver for the whole family this flu season. Thanks!
ashleygatewood1(AT)gmail.com
I make my child noodle soup and let her watch a favorite movie.
I stay sane when I have the flu by eating chicken noodle soup, sleeping and drinking lots of orange juice. This helps me.
Lots of snuggles! :)
chambanachik at gmail dot com
watching cartoons all day
thismomwins@gmail.com
My son seems to really perk up when playing with Play Doh and Moon Sand! Its odd but it seems to help him feel better.
My son loves playing with LEGO.
Movies, games, and naps. Oh and popsicles. Regardless of illness, we always fix them with popsicles.
Movie marathons, and games if the sickie is feeling up to it!
My youngest gets everything. My oldest never gets sick. Sick in our house means snuggling on the couch with mommy and watching way too much TV. And they get juice when they are sick - we never have juice in the house unless they are sick.
I use being sick as an excuse to spoil myself. I drag water, tea, tissues, a stack of books and magazines, my laptop, my robe, and anything else that I think I might need into the bed. Then, I take naps on and off all day. I have a non-science-based belief that my body can fix itself faster if I'm unconscious.
Crayons and coloring books help combat the boredom. Along with gatorade and snuggles.
We stick to watching cartoons when sick
Thank you for the awesome giveaway!
lola_violets_2010[at]yahoo[dot]com
Watching TV and reading helps.
I don't have kids, but I have a ton of health issues. Vitamin C, vitamin b-complex, and Ayr nasal saline gel do it for me. There is some evidence that the dry air in the winter dries our mucous membranes, leaving us more vulnerable to pathogens. So to avoid sick and dry air nosebleeds, I use saline gel a lot, and the Ayr spray is by far the best on the market.
I keep a plastic tote in the basement hidden away & stocked full of paint w/ water books, sticker books, color by number, etc. We also like to have "inside picnics" where we lay their special fleece blankets out on the living room, eat cheese & crackers and watch movies. They think it's extra special. :) Plus side: paper plates & fleece blankets are super easy to wash.