Dealing with the flu...

Flu season is here. At least at our house. Wanna share tips? I know most of you have little ones, too. I finally have my own system that works great for us, but we can always use to improve. If you have a tip, leave it as a comment.

Gracie was throwing up every 45-60min the other night, all night..and after a 24 hr break, she just started up again last night with Micah crawling in bed with me this morning only to have him throw up! After the start two nights ago, I packed my "flu basket". A laundry basket stocked with 3 of each -crib sheets, pillow cases, pj's, towels, blankets, a tippy cup of apple juice & baby wipes. Gracie missed her pillow the first time around so I was able to get it stuffed and tied in a tight fitting garbage bag, then pinned the pillow case on so she wouldn't accidentally get to the plastic bag inside. This way, there is no washing of the pillows. The kit is right there and in 5min the babe is resting clean and sound again...and so am I.

Blankies. My children are all highly addicted to blankies. The catch? A sick child HAS to have their blanky, yet they ALWAYS hit it first! I try to find look-a-likes(feel-a-likes in the dark) at the second hand stores, cut them in quarters and have them on hand for times like these.

From three yrs on, my well-trained sickies almost always make it to the toilet, but when the flu strikes three or more at the same time(with 1 toilet), we kick into Crisis Mode. Last year? I had 5 children with a terrible stomach flu and fevers ALL AT ONCE for two nights. Everyone needed love and attention at once. Crisis Mode involved laying any type of water-proof material down(shower curtains, crib pads, plastic table clothes) to cover the living room carpet. Then everyone is given a comfy bed on the floor with a personal bucket and me in the middle with my flu basket filled with clean towels, warm wet washclothes & 1 cup of water. When everyone has the flu, who cares about germs, right? I pull out the dry erase board and log all Tylenol dosages, if the fevers are high. This works slick.

In the beginning I used to encourage the children to stay back from the sick child, as that is what the *books* say & I definitely didn't want more sick children! But I had a change of heart in this area. I overlooked one thing, we glorify Christ when we serve others.

Mark 10:45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Matt 25:36 "I was sick, and you visited Me"

We should never teach our children to avoid caring for sick ones because we are concerned for our own well-being. Wanna story? True story...There once was a terrible plague that hit a neighboring tribe of indians. Not nice indians either, ones that has caused much grief to the Pilgrims and neighboring colonies. These poor people were so sick, they would crawl on their hands and knees to a stream to get water and many died one the way...crawling. Every one of them were sick and no one could care for them. Even though they were enemies, the Pilgrims, when they heard, sent some of their people with supplies and went to care for them for many weeks. No one quite knows what the plague was, but they do know it started in a tribe of 1000 strong indians and left only 50 alive after a few short months. Not one Pilgrim came down with the disease, the Lord spared them and blessed their servanthood. I love telling this story to my children!!

If we have one or two sickies we set them up downstairs and everyone is encouraged to tend to them. I looove seeing the compassion and servanthood that is brought out out of the children, even the littlest ones, for each other in the sweetest ways. The notes, making meals, pictures colored, holding their hand or reading them a story. It is the sweetest thing.