surviving

here are some tips I  have for
...surviving the Horrible Nasty....

and by Horrible Nasty I mean the plague that my family had this week...

I remember a veteran mom at MOPS passing on some sick tips when the girl child was about a year old.
I had no idea how helpful one of those tips would be...
I'm sure I gleaned more than one piece of wisdom from her,
but there is one thing that I always hear in my head when the girl child gets sick
*Ponytail!
yep, that's been huge, if you  have a girl with hair that might fall in her face when she's throwing up, put her hair in a ponytail!

and now here are some tips that I have picked up over the years in the trenches!
      really, my kids are vomiters 
     (not a word, but I'm thinking it should be!), 
     I've served a few tours in the nasty trenches of bile 
     (yep, I just said that!)


1.  Ponytail or bobby-pins (I've used the bobby-pins for the boy child and his thick locks);  really one of the worst things is getting vomit in your hair.



2.  Towels, old blankets, sheets;

I cover the carpeted traffic areas from wherever the sick child is (bed, couch, etc) to the bathroom. Don't cover tile or hardwood.  This may result in more laundry but WAY less carpet cleaning, I'll take laundry over carpet cleaning any day.  I also cover up their pillows with a towel, and change the towel about twice a day hoping to remove any Horrible Nasty germs.  You may also want to cover the couch and the floor around their bed.

3.  Washing Machine;

With towels everywhere I'm usually doing a few loads of 'sick' laundry a day.  I leave the machine open, start a cycle and leave it open until I get a full load (I have a top loader, this would't work with a front loader), then I start it over when the machine gets full so it runs a whole cycle.  I'm so sorry if you are a laundromat family, I have thanked God literally 100's of times this week that we have a washing machine and indoor plumbing for that matter!  


4.  BRAT Diet modified;

The Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast Diet is a list of mild foods that are usually okay on an upset tummy.  Well, my kids don't love the BRAT Diet; the girl child doesn't like banana's the boy child doesn't eat rice, and neither one of them LOVE toast, and Saltines although not on the BRAT diet are also not a favorite for my kids.  So here are a few of the foods that I can get my kids to eat when they're sick:
*jello; my kids only get jello when they're sick, so it's sort-of a special treat
*bagels and muffins (instead of toast); nothing sweet, just plain (stay away from bran muffins if your kids are having 'lower intestinal' issues)
*dry cereals; Kix, Cherrios, Oatmeal Squares, Chex are all loaded with vitamins and are light on an upset tummy
*applesauce & other fruit 'sauces'; they actually both will eat applesauce, but you may try some of the other fruit 'sauces' on the market, they have applesauce with pears, or mango's, or peaches, I'd steer clear of the strawberry version, strawberries are a little to acidic on the tummy.
*noodles in broth;  (rather than rice),  I cook up some whole wheat egg noodles in chicken broth and both kids enjoy that.
*pretzels and pita chips (instead of Saltines)

*scrambled eggs;  the BRAT diet is void of protein, something I think bodies need to help recover, but dairy (milk and cheese) can be too hard on the sick stomach
*Mrs. Grass Noodle Soup...it's the BEST

*tortillas & butter (instead of toast);  I will warm up some tortillas in the microwave and spread a little butter on it, roll it up.  The butter gives them a little bit of protein, anything helps!
*Sports Drinks mixed with Sodas; Pedialyte is spendy and you can get the same vitamins and electrolyte from sports drinks.  I make a 50/50 mix of sports drink & the Soda of their choice, 7-up, Sprite, Ginger Ale, etc

5.  Timer;

I set the timer for 15 minutes and have the kids take a sip of their drink when the timer goes off and then re-set it for 15 more minutes.  The girl child actual has an iphone (an old hand-me down for music, games, and movies we don't have it set up for phone), she will set the timer on her phone and is very good at taking her sip of drink and reminding her brother.  If you have a timer that they can carry around with them this helps so much in keeping them hydrated and helps them feel like they have some control over the situation.

6.  Clorox wipes;

I LOVE these when the kids, or anyone, are sick.  I can clean up every 'sick incident' pretty fast, wipe the toilet, floor, sink, etc without needing to break out the mop and bucket.  I also wipe down all the door knobs, light switches, toilet handles, counters, remote controls, etc to try to stop the Horrible Nasty from spreading.

7.  Kid Sized Stool; 

This is great for the sick child to sit at while they are 'visiting' the porcelain god.  Toilets are built for adults, it's so nice for the kids to sit down while they are throwing up or for their feet to rest on if they are spending hours with 'lower intestinal' issues.

8.  Netflix

streaming Netflix on our tv is wonderful, the kids can watch as much Phineas and Ferb as they want

and while they're napping I can watch the 1st season of Downton Abby!

My hope is that you don't have to survive the Horrible Nasty at your home, but if you do may some of these tips help you get thru the trenches.

Just curious, what is on your list of must haves when your family is at war with the Horrible Nasty?!