Motherhood makes me sick. It does! Seriously! I mean, kids come home with the hacking and whining and you are right in the line of fire, right? I know in my house when one gets knocked down during cold and flu season, the rest of us do too. My three-year-old actually goes to preschool and with that comes all kinds of germs. My oldest is in third grade so he’s got a bit more immunity—but at the end of the day—the entire winter we battle the yuckies.
As a family, here is what I do when we ramp up into the stinky cold weather/flu season. First and foremost—the flu shot. (I missed it last year and I paid for it dearly too!) The flu shot isn’t always perfect as it rarely goes under the strain of flu that hits every year but it’s definitely a great start. Another important thing my family does to avoid the flu is to clean house!!! I know. Who on earth likes to do that? NOT ME. But making sure germs are at bay will help your cold and flu season too.
Ok, if you REALLY want to get great advice, visit the Cold & Flu Finder. This is what it told me:
Be careful — you may not be sick, but some people around you are! Stay healthy with these cold and flu prevention tips:
- Get a flu shot.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- When coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue.
- If you don’t have a tissue, cough into your upper arm, not your hands.
- Wash your hands regularly with soap and water or alcohol-based rub to protect yourself from germs.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth because that’s how germs are spread.
- Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious food.
OK, gotta take a nap, get to the gym, meditate, guzzle water and gnaw on lettuce and I’m set for the cold and flu season!
How do YOU keep the boogies at bay?
