::sniffle::   Happy Holidays.   ::sneeze::

 

What is it with us and the holiday germs?  Seems like every Christmas ends up with someone sick – not anxiety sick – but actual germy, disgusting-please-don’t-share sick.  In an odd way, it’s a reminder to calm our butts down and stay home in an ever-crazy world of holiday madness.  You won’t find us fighting over the last Fingerlings at the toy store, because if it doesn’t get shipped here it’s not happening!

 

This week has been exhausting and relaxing all at the same time.  We stayed home as much as possible, we dealt with the various medical emergencies, and we rested.  Lots and lots of playing quietly and tablet time.  I’m all for screen time if I can actually get them to relax and calm down a bit!   Because if they’re sick enough to lay on the sofa all day we know it’s time to head to the ER.

We refuse to be those parents – the ones who take their kids to scouts and say “they haven’t thrown up in at least 4 hours, so we came anyway!” Or the ones with the toddlers in the play area with a sheet of green snot pouring out of their noses – yuck!  No, we try to stay home.  Some things are unavoidable, like taking packages to the UPS store or going to the grocery store.  If we’re germy, we’re staying home instead of being in close contact with people.

 

I would like to be all morally superior and say it’s because we are considerate and careful of immune-compromised individuals, but in reality it’s much simpler.  The kids get over the germs faster if we stay home.  They tend to pick up new bugs if we’re out in public while recovering/sick, and then we’re on the endless Ferris wheel of rotating viruses.   No fun!  So we stay home.  Or we split up, and the germy kid stays home and the healthy ones go out.

We have this little family policy that other families think we’re crazy even try to enforce: no sharing food and drinks.  We never share between kids, between kids and parents, and rarely between parents either.  It helps limit the germs in a very solid way.

 

When the Princess was little her birthday was consumed by Hand, Foot, & Mouth Disease.  Not a fun bug at all – and she caught it at the church nursery because people kept bringing their kids in while obviously sick.  They finally shut the nursery down after a month of the mess and scrubbed every surface with bleach cleaner to get rid of the virus that lasts ridiculous lengths of time on surfaces.

Despite being horribly sick, she was the only one in the family who caught it because of our super strict no-sharing rule.  Works for us!  At least, until a kid sneezes full in your face.  Ah, the joys of parenting small children!

I have to admit that Christmas isn’t as fun when you’re constantly blowing your nose.  Or your kid’s nose.  Eww.  If you had told me pre-kids how many bodily fluids I would have to deal with I might have skipped this altogether.  I love you child, but I do not love your snot, puke, and pee.

 

Oh well.  Load up on the Zarbees cough meds and cocoa and settle in for a cozy holiday.  Not a bad plan, now that I think of it.

 

From our family to yours, we wish you a healthy, warm, cozy, amazing and wonderful holiday.  May your days be full of fun and your nights be filled with rest and peaceful dreams.  Merry Christmas!

 

::sniffle::