Flu Season

First of all, let me apologize for neglecting y'all.  Life is hectic when you're raising a toddler...even more so when you are raising a toddler and are building a whole new human being inside your belly...yes, if you didn't know, I'm pregnant again!  Someday we'll talk more about that, I hope.

I'm lazy. I got motivated to make this blog entry because doing so enters me in a contest for $1,000.  Let's just be honest about that from the start.  I probably won't win, but I'll be glad that the contest motivated me, because this topic is important.

It's flu season.  Especially being pregnant this year, people keep asking me if I've had my flu shot.  Well, no I haven't, because I'm not sure what I'm allergic to in flu shots, but I've had very strong negative physical reactions to every flu shot I've ever had in my life.  And because I don't know what in my biology causes those reactions, I don't know whether I've passed that trait on to the Bear.  So he doesn't get flu shots either.   I know, I'm a terrible mom, and a terrible human being who is destroying herd immunity.  But seriously, with no flu shots for us, we have to take other measures to prevent from getting the flu.

This winter we are concentrating on hand-washing.  It's a big deal right now anyway, with the Bear potty-training.

Also, I am a fan of disinfectant.  The contest for $1,000 is sponsored in part by Clorox, but even if it weren't, I'd pick Clorox as my go-to product when I need something with bleach.  Clorox makes good bleach, and I will stand by that statement even if I never win prize money or get any other reimbursement from them.  Hopefully, plugging another brand won't disqualify me from the Clorox contest (and I am in no way reimbursed for this statement), but when I need not-bleach, I like Babyganics.  They smell good, and it probably wouldn't even hurt the Bear if he drank a bottle of it. Oh, I like Clorox disinfecting wipes, too. So those are my disinfecting go-tos: Clorox and Babyganics.

The Bear is still struggling with the elbow cough and the tissue cough (although he is getting good at the less-effective hand cough).  If I'm wearing the right kind of shirt, another trick I like is lifting the collar of my shirt over my face when I cough or sneeze.  Of course, it doesn't work if your shirt is too short, too tight, or too low-cut (nursing shirts, anyone, on the low-cut?).  But it's another option.

We're doing a pretty poor job of exercising and eating right since I got pregnant.  Morning sickness will do that (although I praise God I don't have hyperemesis gravidarum like I did with the Bear!).

So, that's what our family is doing.  For a slightly different perspective, you can check out http://www.howdoesshe.com/to-clean-or-not-to-clean/comment-page-1/#comment-150659 (and I guess you could enter the sweepstakes, too).

How does your family keep healthy during flu season, or the rest of the year for that matter?

Let the Blogging Begin!

After much hesitation, I've decided to enter the blogosphere.  I really didn't want to...I waste enough time on the Facebook as it is.  But Facebook won't let me post my crafty stuff the way I want.  So here I am.  We'll see if I can get this to work for me, so I can share my Domestic Diva genius with you, you lucky people you.

Here's what I worked on today for our church nursery--I've been the chair for a little over a week and LOVING IT!  Nothing had been done in there for more than 5 years and it was a death trap for the little ones.  I moved the big kids, who had commandeered it, to another Sunday School Room.  Saturday was a church work day; I had some of the elders, some of the youth, and a couple of dear ladies help me get the place ship-shape.  I'll try to remember to post pictures soon.

EDIT: If you'd like a copy of these policies for your church nursery, let me know and I'll email them to you.

Keep it Kute!