There's nothing quite so nauseating as when three out of the four people in the house are sick. Except of course when you are the one home taking care of the sick ones and you're sick yourself. That is my current situation.
Several days ago I woke unable to breathe, both nostrils completely nonfunctional. Add to that a low grade fever, headache, dizziness and the fact that my entire body is one giant ache. Normally I would stay in bed, under the covers, getting up only to funnel bottles of NyQuil. Unfortunately both my husband and the baby are sick as well. They got lucky though: no fevers, and the only symptom the youngest seems to have is ungodly quantities of snot. That in itself is a class one crisis. She is of the mind that tissues are the enemy and the only way a nose may be blown is against the fingers of her own hand while she sucks her thumb. Amid her screaming thrashings, each nose wiping becomes a battle royal.
Usually this is nothing more than a minor inconvenience, but have I mentioned? I'm sick.
So between wiping noses, both my daughters and my own, and trying to will myself out of bouts of near narcoleptic exhaustion, how do I manage to keep the rest of my everyday stuff running smoothly? Easy answer, I don't. Normally I rely on my husband to pick up the slack when I'm sick, but he's almost as sick as I am. So until the fever goes away the stuff piles up and I mean that literally. The elder daughter did some helping to clean up her little sisters tornadic wake today, but still toys litter the floor and the laundry remains unfolded in its baskets. The importance of the little clutter takes a definite back seat to the opportunity to take a nap whenever the chance arises.
Although its going to take a heavy day of bend and pick up when I finally shake this bug, and I'm not looking forward to it (show me someone who likes to clean and Ill show you someone who has too much time on their hands.) I am definitely looking forward to feeling better, to being able to breath through both nostrils, to not being dizzy or achy or feverish. Even though being sick is such a miserable thing, the anticipation of waking up and truly being able to say I feel GOOD! almost (note I say almost) makes it worth it.
As to the special problem those of us at home with young children face when these bugs strike has made me think of a few things that can help. Here's a short rundown of my ideas. Please note that I write this under the influence of both a fever and a bottle of NyQuil.
1) First and foremost is something that should be done before sickness strikes: be sure that your medicine cabinet is properly stocked with cold and/ or flu medications, one of each appropriate to the age group of each person in the house. NyQuil is a staple for the adults whereas children's Tylenol, Dimetapp or Robitussin (drops or chewables, look on the back of the package for dosage per age) for the fevers, sniffles, coughing, etc. of the children. Always, when picking out a kids cold medicine or trying to decipher the dosage recommendations on the label, look to your pediatrician.
2) Whatever brand your doctor recommends, the process becomes worlds easier if you chose the flavor of that brand that your child likes. If the kid HATES the cherry flavor (which never tastes like actual cherries) but likes the grape, its going to be a lot easier to keep from having to wrestle them into a headlock to get them to take it and not spit it out if it's the flavor they like better.
3) For kids who hate having their noses wiped, there are two tricks you can employ to keep their face snot-free zones. Trick one is pretty straightforward: sneak up behind them with a hug around wipe. Number two is to make a game out of it, pretend that you are using the tissue to lightly tickle their nose in a swish-swish motion, then when they start to laugh and their guard is down, wipe the nose. They will give you a betrayed glare, but 9 out of 10 times fall for it again at a later time. (Note: trick number two works consistently until the toddler years are over, after that, they'll remember and be on guard for a nose wipe.)
4) During the older years, age four and over, you can stick a child in their bed with coloring books and a glass of juice on the nightstand and pretty much rest assured that they will remain occupied at least long enough for you to sit down and rest. At about 7 years old and up, you can even hazard to take a nap of your own during this time.
5) If at all possible, get help. Being sick while taking care of a sick child is only going to prolong the duration of your own bout with the flu/cold/bug-of-the-month. When the spouse gets home, inform them immediately, "I'm sick, I'm taking a nap." When the child dozes off for their nap, consider it your naptime as well. 90 percent of the time, if you can get enough rest, you'll bounce back in no time.
6) Most important, if there is any doubt in your mind that the illness is more than the run of the mill downtime cold or flu, call the pediatrician. If the fever is over 100 or doesn't seem to go down with children's Tylenol or whatever over the counter fever reducer you're using, call the pediatrician. Even if there's no fever, if the cold or bug continues for more than the usual amount of day (a week is usually the max with a run of the mill sniffle cold) call the pediatrician.
7) While the dishes still have to get done and the incidental messes associated with colds and bugs have to get cleaned up, don't sweat the folding of the clothes. A path can be kicked through the scattered toys and coloring books. All the surface clutter can be picked up and put away (both a lot quicker and a lot easier) when you don't experience waves of dizziness or nausea every time you bend down to reach for them.
That is about all the advice I have as well as all the coherent thought I can muster at this point. Raises a cup of NyQuil, exclaims a hearty Salut and crawls back into bed