A big thank you to Pfizer Consumer Healthcare for providing us with the video and gift card to make this post possible. All thoughts, opinions & sick kids are 100% my own.
We just got done not too long ago, with a week long stretch of illnesses around our house. I’m talking all kinds of sick. Both ends. You name it, we covered it. We stayed home home for 7 days straight. Imagine what my house looked like people. Please tell me you’ve been there too? Despite really wanting my life and my house to get back to normal, what I really want most when my kids get sick is for them to just feel better. To get back to being their happy, smiley, boisterous, selves. 
It’s taken me a while to get to this point, but after three kids and plenty of sick days, I have finally achieved the capacity to allow myself to drop everything and simply let it all go when they are sick. Really when three kids are sick what else can you do anyway? Now I know it’s not always that bad. Sometimes a popsicle and a little extra TLC is all that’s required. But they are times, like the aforementioned, when everyone is down and out, that call for drastic measures. As part of their Sick just got real. ™ campaign, the pediatric brands of Pfizer Consumer Healthcare have released a video depicting a small glimpse of what moms may feel and experience when their children are under the weather. I watched it and immediately could relate. In fact it’s what got me thinking about what gets me through when my kids are sick. Take a look and see what you think. Then read on for some essential tips for surviving with sick kids. Oh, and there’s a giveaway too! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzq1XTUSu\_U
So, how can you survive when your kids get sick?
With these…
Essential Tips for Surviving with Sick Kids!
- Take a cue from one of your kids’ favorite songs and… Let it Go**.** Let the dishes go. Let the cooking go. Have hubby pick up dinner on the way home from work. You get the idea. Don’t panic. It won’t last. Focus on the extra hugs and snuggles that your children need. The benefit? Likely less whining on their part because you will be right there with them. The laundry pile will definitely not go anywhere and life will return to normal eventually.
- Take Care of Yourself! This is essential! It would be really great if you could survive whatever bug is making it’s way through your house without getting sick yourself. For me that means plopping the kids down with a movie so I can take a shower. Extra Vitamin C and extra healthy eating, lots of whole foods and extra green smoothies, to try to prevent the bug from overtaking me too.
- Wash Your Hands, like a bazillion times. It’s truly one of the best ways to assure you don’t spread germs.
- Ask for Help. If there’s anyone actually brave enough to jump into the ring with you don’t be afraid to ask them for help. My mother unfortunately lives three hours away but I know if she was closer she’d help in a heartbeat. Need a neighbor to run to the store for you? Ask. Hubby to stop on his way home from work? Ask.
- Sleep. They need it & you need it! When we are sick we need to sleep to allow our bodies to heal and we also need adequate sleep to make sure our bodies are strong enough to fight whatever comes our way. These are the days to turn in early, snuggle up and get some shut eye. Resist the temptation to stay up late after the kids go to bed playing catch up. (See Tip no. 1). Not only that, but I promise you, their demands will seem less demanding if you are well rested.
- When the fevers are gone and the puking is over, Venture Out Slowly. Get out of the house, get a little perspective and a little fresh air. Things won’t look quite so bad when you return and you may be reenergized enough to tackle all the housework that fell by the wayside while everyone was ill.
Rest assured, eventually this to shall pass. And as your kiddos start to feel better, and after a long day (or two) of cleaning, life, and your house, will return to normal. Wait. Don’t go. There’s more…
A Giveaway! UPDATE: giveaway is now closed
Pfizer Consumer Healthcare is providing one lucky winner with a $25.00 Visa Giftcard. Enter using the rafflecopter widget below. One winner will be chosen at random when the giveaway closes on May 3, 2015. Open to U.S residents only. a Rafflecopter giveaway Good luck!