It all started when Sweet Boy woke up last Thursday morning with an ear infection and pink eye.  I called the doctor’s office at the exact minute they opened and was so thankful to get one of the first appointments of the morning.  Unfortunately, within moments of being back in the car to head home, Sweet Boy threw up all over himself, the booster and car seat.  Ugh!

Not even 6 hours later, Sweet Girl woke up from a nap with complaints of ear pain and yep, goopy stuff in a bloodshot eye.  So we headed back to the doctor’s office (cha-ching!) . . . By evening, I was feeling drained and the beginnings of a good old head cold settling in.

By Friday morning, I knew I would be spending the day on the couch with the kids.  The prospect, at first, sounded a little nice, but as we watched more and more episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Chuggington, I was quickly feeling the need to get off the couch and get something done.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have the energy.

Being sick when you’re a mom is no longer as fun as it used to be.  But here are 7 things you can do to help get through the illness a little more pleasantly . . . if that is possible.  And these really don’t apply for the times you are so sick you can barely move!

1.  After a hot shower, lather up with lotion.  I always feel better after showering, but putting on a favorite-scented lotion just makes me feel a little pampered when it is most needed.

2.  Catch up on some pleasure reading.  I have a huge stack of back magazines to read.  I read through several Better Home & Garden and Every Day with Rachel Ray issues.  I really enjoyed the opportunity and quite honestly, it felt like a guilty pleasure to browse pages of beautiful rooms, gardens and yummy meals.

3.  Grab (or assemble) some quick busy bags.  You need your rest!  Having ready-to-go activities for the kids is super helpful when you are sick.  As I mentioned on a recent post, I love PlayFoam.  It is an incredibly fun substance and a great occupier.  Just make sure the contents of your busy bags aren’t messy.  Why create more work for yourself?

4.  Take the down-time to plan or dream.  Work on your to-do lists.  Make a room by room list of decorating updates/ideas for your home.  I made a list of major purchases, minor purchases and things to make for each room.  Now I’m ready when I see a good deal, a wanted item at a garage sale or for our next UnProcrastination Day.

5.  Bring out the Home Movies.  Kids love watching themselves on TV.  Cue up your favorite vacation videos or birthday celebrations.  You’ll guarantee yourself some quiet time.

6.  Earn Swagbucks through Searching the Internet.  Search for the fun ideas, fixes for household problems . . . whatever you want!  But why not earn free gift cards for searching.  Go here to read a post about how Swagbucks works.  I just redeemed $10 in Amazon gift cards.  Easy peasy!

Please, no eye drops!

7.  Accept Help.  Dan was going to have a long Friday, so when my mom offered to come twice and help me put eye drops in the kids eyes, I didn’t turn it down.  (Incidentally, eye drops are awful!  Thanks to a very helpful tip from an eye-doctor friend on facebook, the drops did make it into the eyes of my squirmy children.  I’ll share the tip tomorrow.)

Feel better!

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