Perks of Being a Sick House

You may want to put on a mask before reading this. I doubt that germs can travel wirelessly, but if I were you, I wouldn't risk it. Mask on?

We're currently going on the third day of Sickies in the Sick House. We managed to power through Illness #1: Stomach Flu, with a ratio of 3 Sickies: 2 Healthies. Not great; could be worse. We've merged seamlessly into Illness #2: Fever and Sore Throat, with a current ratio of 1 Sickie: 1 Maybe: 3 Doomed. 

Yes, it's been rough. I can almost feel my mind at work trying to erase the memories of Illness #1. Perhaps soon, all that will remain is the dread. Because with 3 kiddos within 5 years of each other, this certainly won't be our last at-bat.

But yesterday was my Day of Recovery (Lucky mom got it worst of all), and so today was going to be my Day of Re-emergence. Even though Maisy's pop-up fever has prevented that, I'm feeling pretty good! I started thinking about how I could blog about this. I decided that you already know how horrible it is. You can easily imagine the Midnight Changes-of-Sheets, and the Surprise! The 3-Year-Old-Has-It-Too-All-Over-the-Bathroom-Floor. You can empathize with the Sick Spouse and the Last Spouse Standing. So I decided I'd take a different approach and write about...

The Perks of Being a Sick House

Perk #1: Guilt-free screen time. Because throwing up is a free pass, no matter who is doing the throwing.

Perk #2: An opportunity to disinfect those rarely disinfected places. Like hallways. And the knobs on the vanity. And down the side of the toddler bed. This house is so CLEAN now. Ha!

Perk #3: Renewed thankfulness for my husband (Last Spouse Standing). Because while caring for both Sickies and Healthies, he also was the one doing the vast majority of the sheet-changing and floor-scrubbing and vanity-knob-disinfecting. Super romantic stuff. He's pretty darn amazing. And sorry, he's taken.

Perk #4: Getting to the bottom of the pile of hand towels in the linen closet. What a nice, fluffy green one! And look how well this kitchen dish towel operates as a hand towel? Who knew?

 <----Perk #4

Perk #5: New toothbrushes! Who doesn't like a new toothbrush? Tucker, for one, goes nuts over a new toothbrush. And you're welcome, Tucker.

Perk #6: Get up, change into different pajamas, wear all day, take an evening shower, and put on another set of pajamas! Triple pajama day!

Perk #7: An unrepentant morning nap. And afternoon nap. See how necessary those pajamas were? I was ready for a nap at any moment.

Perk #8: Creative uses for household furniture. Danger Baby + Stomach Flu = Piano Buckets

 <------ Piano buckets 

Perk #8: That Just-Back-To-Healthy Feeling. Nothing like it, amiright? Except maybe that second trimester energy burst. But no, this is even better. It's the energy burst (I can make up songs about Isaac's toys while I change his poopy diaper! I can play not one, but TWO board games with my older kiddos while the youngest has his morning nap! I can clear the table! I can start on The Laundry Alps! I can do anything!). It's the appetite (What's this? A bowl of cereal?! Jackpot!). It is, in all seriousness, deep thankfulness for my own health. So. Very. Thankful. 

Now I am off to go scale Mount Laundry yet again, with Guilt-free Screen Time and That Just-Back-To-Healthy Feeling in my back pocket. 

That's A+ Parenting Today.

You should probably go wash your hands. Because wireless viruses. Because we are walking, talking germs over here.