Love is…

Ugh… I HATE being sick and hate when anyone in my family is sick too.  Yes, HATE is a harsh word… but I’m sure all of us know that it is not something we like to deal with EVER.  Since it’s that time of year when Flu and Sickness hit our families like a crazy whirlwind that we don’t like – I figured I would share a post with all of you and My Tips For Keeping The Flu Away.

1.)  Keep your distance if someone looks ill.  If someone looks like they may be ill – take special precautions and stay away.  Sometimes people don’t realize that they are a carrier for bacteria.  You don’t have to be impolite or rude, but keep your distance until you know for sure that they are not sick.  Follow your gut.  If that simply cannot be avoided, be sure to wash your hands after any contact with the person in question.  Of course, I don’t want you to feel like you need to alienate the person, but teach your children or keep in mind for yourself that it’s a great habit to have.

2.)  Sanitize your shopping cart.  When grocery shopping – take the time to sanitize the handles of your cart as well as the area where you place your child and your handbag.  Most grocery stores now have sanitizing wipes near the entrance of their stores so you can utilize these to clean your cart.  While you may think germs are not prominent on a shopping cart, those carts hold some of the most terrible bacteria since these stores see thousands of customers a day.

3.)  Be sure to have Sanitizing Gel, liquid or wipes on  you if at all possible.  Most of these types of things will kill up to 98% of surface germs.  Bath and Body Works as well as your local CVS, Walgreens, etc. offers a variety of these options at such reasonable prices.  It is not a waste to invest a little in these items because it can truly help in the long run.

4.)  Take your daily vitamins.  I know a lot of people that say they do not take vitamins because they do not like the way it tastes or they do not want to swallow large pills.  Now a days – they have gummy vitamins or vitamins in drink form.  These are essential in keeping your immune system running strong to keep those germs at bay.  Over the years – I have found that if I do not take my daily vitamins I feel sluggish and tend to get sick much more and faster then if I had been taking them.  If you simply cannot handle vitamins, try to get in at least a cup of Vitamin C (gold ol’ OJ) at least once a day – it will help to a certain extent.  

5.)  Stay home and recover if you are not well.  Last but not least… this rule is especially important for parents or those that are working.  I know that we all need to work for our money and kids need to go to school – but if you or your child is sick, call out and stay home.  There have been so many occasions that my eldest had come home from school sick, then the whole family gets sick – only to find out that he caught it from a classmate that came to school very sick.  I understand daycare is expensive and sometimes it’s not feasible, but think about those that you or your child will and can affect and how the same germ you or your child passed on, can come right back to you.  

I’m not a doctor and most of what I discussed in this post is common sense – but since it is flu season and since I haven’t done a “Mommy Survival Guide” in months, I figured this would be the best time to do so.  Remember… while we can’t avoid getting sick sometimes, we can surely do our best to make sure it is not as bad as it could be.  As a mother, I know how difficult this time of year is.  Most mommies and daddies are running on reserves, tired and beat – but together, we can all help to make it a bit easier on one another.

Last year I posted a video on this subject which you can find here: http://youtu.be/pOlZooba6pg (it’s on my old channel).  Check it out because I go through all the goodies in my Mommy Sick Bag and have more details as to how to keep the flu away or some simple tips to follow.