Surviving Cold And Flu Season As A Mom

Moms don't get sick days. Here are some tips to surviving cold and flu season when you barely have time to take care of yourself!

Here we are at the end of December. The holidays are coming to a close. Soon we'll be in the thick of winter and all the colds and flu that come with it. As a parent of two kids age three and under, I can tell you with absolute certainty that there are NO sick days for me! If I start to not feel well, I still have to care for two little ones who depend on my for almost every need they have. It doesn't matter if I have a fever, a runny nose or even worse - a stomach bug. The kids still need to be clothed, fed and generally kept alive throughout the day. Here are my best tips on surviving cold and flu season as a mom!

1) Plan low-key activities 

I've said it a million times here (ok, not a million since I don't even have a million blog posts, but you get me) that I'm decidedly anti-screen time. Our TV isn't on until 5:30pm for the evening news that I barely get to catch the headlines from and the kids get 30 minutes of a movie or children's show before bed so they start to wind down. But when I'm sick, I forgo that rule! Sometimes I just need to lie low on the couch, and if a movie will keep them entertained for an hour (they never sit longer than that!) then I'm all for it. Bend any rules you have so that you can take care of yourself! One extra movie won't hurt your children.

2) Stock up on the best tissue

We have Kleenex stations ALL over our house, all winter long! There's a box in every bedroom, bathroom, in our eat in kitchen, in our playroom, next to the TV... You get my point. If you sneeze and need immediate tissue to remedy your snot situation, you don't want to go searching for the nearest box - you need it right next to you! This also works for constant runny noses of my kids... Every now and then I'll look at them and immediately need a Kleenex so they don't eat their own snot (sounds disgusting, but every parent knows this is a reality!) I love the lotion filled tissues because they're extra soft, and they now have antiviral tissues that kill 99.9% of cold and flu viruses in the tissue itself. Genius! FYI you can get your tissue for an amazing price here and get free two day shipping to boot.

Stocking up on Kleenex!

3) Take Epsom salt bath

It's amazing what the steam can do for a stuffy nose, it's amazing what the salts can do for achy muscles and sore joints, and a bath gives you just a little time to focus solely on YOU and your well being. Do it during nap time, while the kids are at school or after they've gone to bed. Even a quick 15 minute soak has so many health benefits, both physical and mental. Remember to bring in a box of Kleenex though, because that steam will break up your congestion and you'll want to be ready for it!

Cold and flu season is never fun. Cold and flu season as a mom is even less fun because there's so little (or, ahem, ZERO) time to care for yourself. If you get sick this season (ok, I was trying to be optimistic but the reality is when you get sick, not if) make sure you take it as easy as you can. Bend your traditional rules if you have to. Stock up on Kleenex. Take a salts bath. And survive cold and flu season the best you can as a mom!

Beating The Winter Chill While Staying In Budget

Looking stylish, keeping warm and staying in budget don't have to be mutually exclusive concepts

We're friends, right? Then I'm going to take a minute and keep it 100 with you: Since quitting my 9-5 three (almost four!) years ago to start this blog and work from home, my personal style has... devolved. It's more important to me to be comfy and warm (or cool, depending on the season) than it is to look professional with my hair curled and in a full face of makeup. I keep my makeup routine to concealer, mascara and lipstick. And I've traded in my pencil skirts and high heels for comfy pants, yoga pants and flip flops. It's just the reality of working from home! Also the reality of having young kids at home - they'll spill things as much on me as they will themselves so future moms, #dontbuywhite. That doesn't mean I want to look frumpy though! I've found a great brand that has a fantastic price point and is so cozy, I'll be in it all winter long!

Now, it's true that it's summer nine months out of the year here. But y'all, when it gets cold, it gets COLD. And December, January and February are frigid here in north Texas. I know all my Minnesota friends/readers are laughing at that statement, but it's true! I'm currently tucked under a blanket as I write this and it's a whopping 36 degrees out. It might be a short season, but we do get winter here!

I'm a big fan of turning the heat way down at night so that we all don't wake up with dry mouths and eyes from the forced air heat. Y'all know what I'm talking about? Forced air heat is SO drying! So I turn the heat down to 67 and pile extra blankets on the kids. For me, I'm in love with these ClimateRight sleepwear separates.

Let me keep it 100 with you for the second time in this post: I saw the brand describe the fabric as velour, and I can't STAND the feeling of velour! I was nervous to even touch the jammies in store in fact. But I got my act together and grabbed a shirt, and was pleasantly surprised! It's far softer and cozier than traditional velour. The sleeves are reglan and so soft. The pants have an elastic waist (can I get an amen for that!) and HAVE POCKETS. Pockets! Y'all, I picked out my wedding dress because it had pockets. Jammie pants with pockets = magic. If you're tall and slender like me, you'll be pleasantly surprised with how long the inseam of the pants are. I sized up to a medium and they fit great!

I know we've all seen all the bloggers in their cutesy jammies all over Instagram. I can tell you right now most spent a small fortune on those things and they wore them for the photo shoot, then took them off. ClimateRight is totally affordable even for tight budgets at Walmart or on walmart.com (with free two day shipping!) and you'll actually want to wear these. They're so soft, so cozy for the winter and I'll say it one more time: Pockets. 

Happy Birthday Otto!

Happy Second Birthday Otto!

Today is my youngest's birthday. It feels like I was pregnant and gave birth 10 or more years ago! That first year of his life really dragged on... Having two under two was no joke. The second year - this past one - has gotten SO much easier! Otto and Henry play together well and when Henry is out of Otto's eye sight, he'll pitter patter around the house calling out, "En'reee! En'reee!" which is his best attempt at pronouncing Henry. Cheers to Otto, who's now two years old.

Smirking Otto

He eats everything put in front of him with gusto. Usually, he uses both hands to shovel it in there faster! He'll finish his plate and usually have seconds, then finish what his picky eater brother did eat. I kid you not, this two year old eats more calories in a day than I do! It's always a pleasure to cook for him because he loves all food, even kale.

Eatin' Otto

Otto is a talker. He usually talks from the moment he wakes up to the second he goes to sleep. He even hummmms when he eats. I like to think it's because he enjoys eating so much but maybe it's because he's like his daddy and seriously never shuts up.

Lil 8 month old baby Otto

He's well over 30 pounds and is in the 99% for height. Everyone who sees him assumes he's 3. He also has long limbs, which cracks me up because when I was pregnant with him, my OB told me that he was measuring short and stubby... Nothing about this kid is short and stubby! (There's also nothing in our gene pool that's short and stubby so goes to show you how accurate ultrasounds are.)

Handsome 2 year old Otto

His favorite thing to do (besides eat) is race cars with his brother, build train sets, swing in our backyard and steal his brother's bike. He's also a big fan of taking crayons to our walls, which adds a nice artistic touch to our home. He's been a great sleeper since he was born. I can count on him to take a 2-3 hour nap and sleep from 7pm to 7:30am. Oh, thank God for good sleepers! Now if only he could teach his brother his amazing sleeping ways...

Oh Otto, you're full of so much personality. You make me laugh every single day. Happy Birthday, sweet boy.