Comfort List for a Sick Day

Mouth came up with their own "Sick" Day List...

Unfortunately, during this time of the year we are often surrounded by what I call "the sickies".  It's when you start hearing all the coughing & sniffling around you. People start calling in sick & kids stay home from school.  For Moms it is a dreaded time because we are in constant fear whatever "bug" is going around is going to hit our kids & then ultimately the whole household--and naturally the matriarch nurturers of the family simply don't have the time to lay around being sick. So then we stress over that...which isn't good for us, and so the cycle starts and continues.

I try to stay pro-active with my family...fortifying their immune systems, encouraging them to avoid germs (that's a fancy way of saying "wash your hands often") and stay healthy. Inspired by Mouth, an "Indie Food" and "Tasty Gifts" website, I wanted to share a list of items I use most often during this season...a "Comfort List" to have & use when you do fall into sickness or stuff to use to try & stay healthy. It was a good list to have too, since our household was hit very recently. But like many things, just remember, this too shall pass!

So have you ever heard someone tell you green tea is good for you?

So I make sure we are stocked up on green tea. Our family is used to drinking this throughout the year, so during this particular time of year, we like to change it up and experiment.  My husband decided to be creative and add green tea in hot chocolate. It sounds strange, maybe, but it's actually quite tasty (for us anyway). The hot liquid is comforting during cold weather too so that helps with uplifting moods. 

Maybe Honey & Cinnamon are the answer to world peace?

I discovered the dynamic duo of honey & cinnamon last year a few weeks before our hugely awaited 18-day vacation to Orlando, Florida.  I had been enduring a long-standing cough...I think I was going on week 3. It just didn't seem to want to go away & I thought, "Oh no!, I'll be coughing during our vacation". :-(  Thanks to my very diligent Pinterest research, I discovered the above hack & my life has since forever changed.  I will never suffer cold symptoms for more than a couple of days--or however long my mystical cinnamon & honey saviors take to work their magic. :-)

Chewy Multivitamins for Adults! Thanks Centrum!

Chewy Gummy Multivitamins for the kids! Thanks Target!

Getting a little vitamin boost can't possibly hurt, right? There are so many varieties out there even chewables for adults! What? We want tasty candy thingys too sometimes. :-P Find the right fit for you and your family & you'll feel like you have an extra shield against the free radicals floating around everywhere around you. 

My fridge will always be stocked with these juices!

Why Pineapple Juice? Well according to LA Healthy Living, "pineapple juice is 5 times more effective than cough syrup". I put this theory to the test recently when I developed a cough complete with some lovely phlegm (sorry about that description, but it's true).  It wasn't an instant cure, but it brought me comfort and my cough wasn't as bad as it has been in the past. I also happen to love pineapple juice so if I'm feeling a little sick, I'll drink this instead of taking some yucky cough syrup. ;-)
Then why grape juice? I was recently turned into this little trick from a post I saw on the internet.  So, I googled the information to see if there was some consensus among the online community to its validity.  According to Must Have Mom, drink grape juice before you develop stomach flu symptoms especially if you know you've been exposed to the virus in some way.  My youngest unfortunately contracted a stomach bug so I made sure that my other son, husband & I drank as much grape juice as we could.  Could be coincidence, but we didn't develop any stomach flu symptoms...and seriously that almost never happens in my household if someone has been exposed.  So, I'm sold on drinking grape juice especially since the whole family likes it anyway.  

Last but certainly not least, get plenty of rest!

If you can swing it, get a warm drink (green tea preferably), cozy up to a warm blanket and rest, rest, rest! Again, I say this as a Mom and I know how difficult getting any rest and relaxation can be when you have a household to take care of. Do the best you can & take care of yourself! As I reminded the boys during the roughest parts of last week, when all is said & done, the most valuable commodity to have in life is good health. Have a great life, everyone!