And so it begins, House Manno.
Those are our “house words,” in true Game of Thrones fashion, LOL. And in this case, I’m referring to the gross, nasty, debilitating, depressing cold and flu season.
As soon as we hit Fall, I knew we’d be off to the races with sickness, because we always are. It happens every year around this time and doesn’t let up until about March. One of us—typically my daughter because she is the one in school—comes down with a cold and then the four of us proceed to ping-pong it back and forth over the following few months. And without fail, it usually means we end up missing a lot of holiday parties and events. Last year we made it to Christmas Eve and Day (barely), but missed everything else, including three different dates for the birthday parties I was trying to organize for my kids (they were born in December and January).
For the past four days, I’ve been stuck in this house with an ill child. That’s right, my girl is sick again. We just got over our two-week-long colds last week and now another virus has come roaring in with a vengeance. Only this time it brings tidings of nausea and vomiting along with a runny and stuffy nose, cough, low-grade fever, fatigue, listlessness, and a partridge in a pear tree. And I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before my son catches it (or my husband and I, for that matter).
I know I sound like a broken record but I’m so tired of dealing with sickness–and everything that comes with it–especially around the holidays. How the heck am I supposed to keep our family holiday spirit alive when there’s a good chance we could miss everything?! That’s what I’ve been thinking about the past few days while watching my daughter lay on the couch, pale, listless, exhausted, and scared that if she eats or even drinks anything it won’t stay down. This is the first time either of my kids has dealt with vomiting, and it was really hard to watch. The good news, though, is that it only lasted for about 24 hours and she finally started to rally last night. Amen!
But that doesn’t change the fact that this cold and flu season has only just begun. And Christmas (not to mention my children’s birthdays) is right around the corner. It’s crazy when I sit and think about it because sometimes it feels like we are the only ones who are constantly sick, while everyone else gets to celebrate and have fun. I know that’s not true, of course, but I’m only human and we humans love to believe and act as if we are special. Deep down, I understand and appreciate that things could always be worse and that this, too, shall pass, but that’s not going to stop me from complaining for a hot second.
The first two days being stuck inside passed relatively quickly and painlessly because all my daughter did was lay quietly on the couch and watch TV, sleeping off and on. Normally she has ants in her pants, so it was horrible seeing her like that and knowing there wasn’t anything I could do about it other than to hold her and cuddle her, which I did, for as long as she wanted me to. The rest of the time I was super crazy cleaning lady. I did all the laundry (multiple times because of the vomiting); Lysol-ed the crap outta our beds, the couches, the air; wiped down any and all surfaces, doorknobs, light switches, TV remotes, iPads, cell and house phones, computer mice and keyboards; opened all windows to change out the air in here; cleaned out closets, dressers, and toy bins for an upcoming donation; and whipped up a huge pot of homemade chicken soup. Thankfully, my son was a trooper through all of this. He played nicely and allowed me to handle my business. Now I just have to hope and pray he doesn’t come down with whatever got hold of my girl. Fingers crossed!
Now we’ve reached day 4 and I’m slowly losing my mind. My daughter’s on the mend (thank goodness) and I’ve taken to pacing the floors thinking about all the items on my to-do list that I’m still unable to tackle. I’m sure that sounds terrible considering the circumstances, but I can’t help it. We’re heading into the busiest time of the year now and if that isn’t stressful enough, adding sickness to the mix makes it almost unbearable. Because even though I know we could very well miss out on the holidays, I must proceed as if we won’t! So, I still have to finish my Christmas shopping and wrap all of the Christmas presents, I still have to plan and host a kids’ holiday party for my moms’ club (among other club events), and I still have to organize my own kids’ birthday parties (one in December, one in January), not to mention all my regular duties as a stay-at-home mom.
So, yeah, I’ve been feeling pretty depressed the past few days. I hate the thought of my poor babies missing out on anything holiday-related. Christmas is supposed to be the best time to be a kid, with Santa, presents, and parties, oh my!
But then I saw a post going around Facebook. It was about a teacher who had written a letter to parents telling them what their children enjoyed the most about the holidays. And not one of the children mentioned the presents or Santa or playing with their new toys or attending parties and organized events. Nope. Instead, they talked about cuddling in their parents’ bed each morning, staying in their PJs and watching TV all day, having a family game day or night, how happy they felt when mom and dad came home from work, spending a quiet day visiting their grandparents, and being allowed to stay up until midnight on New Years Eve to bring in the new year as a family.
What a beautiful gift for every parent!
I felt so much better after reading that post. We work so hard to make the holidays a special and wonderful time for our kids. And yet, our kids don’t even notice all the frills. All they notice and care about is our love and spending quality time together as a family. I love that. And it puts my mind at ease because even if we do end up being sick and we have to miss out on all of our Christmas parties, it will be OK. Christmas, after all, is about being together, heart to heart and hand in hand. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing or where we’re doing it. In a few years my kids won’t even remember being stuck at home anyways. They’ll only remember snuggling on the couch in the glow of our sparkly, tinsely Christmas tree, watching The Polar Express and drinking hot, hot, hot, hot chocolate. Quite honestly, nothing has ever sounded more appealing to me.
And who knows, maybe all of this is God’s way of telling me to slow down this holiday season. And if it is, this momma is happy to oblige.