Sick as Dogs

I can't believe it's only November and we've already been sick as can be!  Something nasty went around on Halloween (according to my pediatrician) and a lot of people have been getting sick.  (Scary to think about all those germs being passed around along with candy...just a risk we all have to take since we love free candy!)  Anyway, Eli started it all...coughing, low-grade fever, runny nose.  Then he kindly passed it onto Evie.

It's always sadder when the little ones get it.  She couldn't blow her nose and she was just plain sad.  She looked like she was over it after a day or 2, but then we had a cold front blow in with strong winds and everyone in San Antonio with allergies got sniffly and runny...including poor Evie.  She reacted badly to whatever blew in and looked sick all over again.  After some Claritin, she started to look better though.

Then, since we all promote sharing, Elina got the cold.  It was the same thing with a low-grade fever that wouldn't let go.  She missed 3 days of school for this!

And, of course, I got hit with it as well.  I've already been sick for over a week now.  I think it's harder for me to get rid of it because I can't sleep 12 hours a night, like the kids.  I really should, but I can't.  I lost my voice for a few days and now I have a hacking cough.  It's hard to sleep...mornings are rough...it's no fun.

And that's not the end of it.  During this whole time, Eli got a little better, but then he took a turn for the worse...he got bronchitis!  The poor boy...there was a day where he was coughing so hard that he couldn't eat or drink a thing.  Everything just came right up.  It's too bad that he always ends up with something like this.  Last year he got pneumonia twice!  This is the one picture I took while the kids were all sick.  Eli was so exhausted from being sick, that he would say, "I'm going to take a rest" and then pass out on the sofa!  Poor guy!!

Now the kids are on the road to recovery...although Elina was coughing an awful lot at bedtime tonight.  Cross your fingers. Everyone's better, but everyone's still coughing.  I just hope we've paid our dues for the season.  I really don't want to do this again!

What's funny is that a recent issue of Parents magazine had an article touting ways to prevent sick days.  I laughed and scoffed while I read this article.  It had the most ridiculous suggestions.

"Disinfect every time your sick child touches a toy, if you can, or at least once a day while she's sick."  "Making sure other children stay at least an arm's length away from a sick sibling is a smart strategy."
"And each child should have his own set of crayons or markers, if possible."

SERIOUSLY??  Who are these people???  I don't know what kind of world they live in, but I know I can't do these things in my house.  Or am I just a sloppy, lazy mom?  I mean, look at us--we all got sick together...so maybe I should start buying each child their own set of crayons and markers!  What do you think?