Mom's Sick! 3 Ways to Cope With a Cold in a Busy Household
It happens. Moms get sick too. Although we've built up our immune systems to successfully avoid the occasional colds that our children bring home, we are not invincible. A few weeks ago, it happened to me. I got a really nasty little cold that put me down for four days. Could. Not. Function. I called in sick to work (absolutely unheard of for me) and had to rely on the help of my family to keep the house running. Even after four days of rest, I was still recovering from that cold for another two weeks, before I was sick-germ free. Working moms take on a large chunk of the responsibilities in the household; ensuring that everyone is eating to managing transportation and schedules. How do we guarantee smooth sailing for the duration of our recovery? Spoiler: We can't guarantee that the help we receive will be the way we would do things. With that out of the way, we can make it easier. Here are three ways that I've learned to cope with a cold, while still running a busy household.
1. Delegate
I can't stress to you how valuable it is to be able to delegate your responsibilities when you are unable to take care of them yourself. Delegating responsibilities to your family when you are not physically able to do things is an absolute must! Easier said than done right? Believe me, I know it isn't easy. However, it is incredibly important to leverage the hands of your household for your recovery to happen. This means being accepting of their help in the ways that they will handle the responsibilities. For me, that's the hard part. Accepting that they will not do things the way that I would do them. But, it does get easier with practice.
2. Family Calendar
Having a family calendar helps tremendously with laying the foundation for your family to step in when you are down. My kids are school age: one in middle school and two in high school, both of which are attending different schools. Keeping all the schedules together in one place allows for everyone to have access to the on-goings of the house, allowing them to work together to see when and where things need to be done. I have recently come across an app called Family Wall that has finally filled all of our family's needs for scheduling and reminders. There is a free version and a paid version. I was so impressed with the app, that I upgraded to the paid version. Using the upgraded version gives you access to some of the features that I found to be helpful. Sidenote: I am not paid to endorse this app. But, it is truly everything that I needed: synched calendars my google calendar, shopping list/list creator, meal planner, direct messaging, contact book, and a feature that allows you to locate your family members.
3. Rest
Allow others to take over for you temporarily! This will give you the needed rest to get you back up and running again. Keep things in perspective and understand that things may not be done the way that you would do them; that's okay. In addition to getting the rest you need, you are simultaneously teaching your kids the value in caring for others. As a digitally driven culture, one of the greatest things that we can teach our children is the value of people. Allowing them to help you when you are down, shows them how to accept help from others with grace. It also allows them to see others' struggles in the world around them, giving them opportunities to figure out how they can help.
As a mom, I know how hard it is to take the time for myself regularly. That being said, it goes without saying that the difficulty is magnified, when we are unable to run the ship. Seeing these moments as opportunities for us to teach our children how to take care of where they live, gives them a safe place to learn and make mistakes. All too often, we have taken to doing so much for our children that when they embark on their own personal journies, it is a series of costly trial and error efforts. These are teachable moments that allow us to share tools with our children that can help them build better relationships.
To sum it all up, be sick, teach your kids by accepting their help, and take the "W"! Be blessed, stay blessed, and Happy New Year to all!
1. Delegate
I can't stress to you how valuable it is to be able to delegate your responsibilities when you are unable to take care of them yourself. Delegating responsibilities to your family when you are not physically able to do things is an absolute must! Easier said than done right? Believe me, I know it isn't easy. However, it is incredibly important to leverage the hands of your household for your recovery to happen. This means being accepting of their help in the ways that they will handle the responsibilities. For me, that's the hard part. Accepting that they will not do things the way that I would do them. But, it does get easier with practice.
2. Family Calendar
Having a family calendar helps tremendously with laying the foundation for your family to step in when you are down. My kids are school age: one in middle school and two in high school, both of which are attending different schools. Keeping all the schedules together in one place allows for everyone to have access to the on-goings of the house, allowing them to work together to see when and where things need to be done. I have recently come across an app called Family Wall that has finally filled all of our family's needs for scheduling and reminders. There is a free version and a paid version. I was so impressed with the app, that I upgraded to the paid version. Using the upgraded version gives you access to some of the features that I found to be helpful. Sidenote: I am not paid to endorse this app. But, it is truly everything that I needed: synched calendars my google calendar, shopping list/list creator, meal planner, direct messaging, contact book, and a feature that allows you to locate your family members.
3. Rest
Allow others to take over for you temporarily! This will give you the needed rest to get you back up and running again. Keep things in perspective and understand that things may not be done the way that you would do them; that's okay. In addition to getting the rest you need, you are simultaneously teaching your kids the value in caring for others. As a digitally driven culture, one of the greatest things that we can teach our children is the value of people. Allowing them to help you when you are down, shows them how to accept help from others with grace. It also allows them to see others' struggles in the world around them, giving them opportunities to figure out how they can help.
As a mom, I know how hard it is to take the time for myself regularly. That being said, it goes without saying that the difficulty is magnified, when we are unable to run the ship. Seeing these moments as opportunities for us to teach our children how to take care of where they live, gives them a safe place to learn and make mistakes. All too often, we have taken to doing so much for our children that when they embark on their own personal journies, it is a series of costly trial and error efforts. These are teachable moments that allow us to share tools with our children that can help them build better relationships.
To sum it all up, be sick, teach your kids by accepting their help, and take the "W"! Be blessed, stay blessed, and Happy New Year to all!
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