Sick days? I wish; so what do you do?

Medic - posted on 01/11/2012

If I am sick then I sleep and hubby watches the kids....if he is sick then he sleeps and I watch the kids if we are all sick we set up movies and pile up in the bed and share the germs all the way around and we take turns getting up to get stuff. I don't think we have ever really put much thought into it or really had a sit down talk about it. It just flows. Our 5 year old is always a lot of help and can get him and his sister drinks and snacks himself.

Sarah - posted on 01/11/2012

DayQuil & NyQuil, for starters. It gets me from gooey sniffly mama to really really tired mama. Then definite movie marathon with toys ALL OVER the living room. I just do the basics: butt changes, meals for my daughter, & keeping toys out of the line of fire for bird poop (we have a medium sized parrot). I also have an AMAZING husband who will pretty much take over when he gets home from work so I can switch from DayQuil to NyQuil & melt into the recliner. It helps that he's a chef so whipping up a spur of the moment dinner isn't too hard. In other words, I'm blessed! ;)

Sarah - posted on 01/11/2012

When I'm sick, I make due. I'm an adult and don't NEED anyone to take care of me. Yes, it's nice if my husband is home and can do it, but I don't need him to do it. Usually if I'm super sick, I'll set up a movie day for the kids and me and we just relax. Having said that, usually my kids are sick if I'm sick. As far as my hubby being sick, I usually do take care of him when he's sick, not because I have to or he needs me to, but because I love him and if I can do something small to make him feel better, I'll do it. I don't think these deeds need to be reciprocated directly with the same act, he takes care of us in other ways and I appreciate that.

Bonnie - posted on 01/11/2012

Men don't take to sickness as well as women do. I'm sure we all see this. That doesn't stop me from caring for my husband when he is sick and there has been many times where he has worked sick too.

When I am sick, I try to make the best of it. I definitely do way less...basically just what needs to be done and taking care of the kids.

Kelly - posted on 01/11/2012

That makes much more sense, Tasha :)

So if you were looking for ideas on how to keep up without any help when you are sick, here is my list.

Pillow fort in the living room. Luckily, my house is pretty safe, so I can toss all the pillows and a few sheets on the floor while I snuggle on the sofa, and J will build a fort. (This is more fun if you have more than one kid).

I also let him play video games all day. He doesn't get to play them often, so I don't feel TOO bad about letting him have at it on the rare occasion that I'm sick and have no help.

If it is summer, I curl up in the hammock and let J play in the back yard. Ours is fenced, we know our neighbors, and we live in a gated community. IF I doze off, he's still pretty safe, but I've never dozed completely off outside. I lay in the shade, but something about the fresh air and sunshine makes me feel much better.

Dinner, I keep a frozen crock pot meal, meal soup, or casserole in the freezer at ALL times. (they are great for nights when you are too busy to cook too). I keep frozen veggies too--you can just pop them in the microwave for lunches and you don't have to cook, or put your sick hands all over their sandwiches.

Jenna - posted on 01/10/2012

Usually I end up trucking through it and doing the best I can caring for the family. My husband can sometimes rearrange his schedule to be home helping me and he'll do it if he can. Usually, if I can have just ONE day where I get to sleep all day and he's home, I feel well enough the next few days to manage things. I'm fortunate in that since having kids, I haven't gotten the flu at all (knock on wood) and I've only had a stomach bug a few times and my husband was home all those times.

♥♪Megan♫♥ - posted on 01/10/2012

Thankfully DH just finished school and is working on projects for his demo disc (He's on our other computer chatting with a friend in the US army for a game concept he has) so I don't have to worry about who does what for sick days. This is a good thing because last week I was sick for part of Wednesday. all of Thursday and into Friday. DH drove our older daughter to school and got up with our 10 month old as he always does at night then had me feed her when she wouldn't take anything else. He even took care of cooking. Too bad the cleaning didn't factor in.

When Dh gets sick or wants to sleep I let him because he's done the same for me. Yes this might change when he does work. But I'm also hoping to go back to work when I can (I just moved to Canada a few months ago from the US and I Can't work) so it's equal.

Tasha - posted on 01/10/2012

Oh don't get me wrong. I will make him soup or get him something to drink. I just don't stick around home and wait on his every need. I still have things that need to be done. He is a big boy and took care of his self for alot of yrs before I came along. LOL!
I have never had to worry about being sick. I have had sinus issues but no flu or anything since I was a kid. I was sick during my 3rd pregnancy and my husband took care of out girls fulltime since he wasn't working. (I still cared for myself and the house minus making meals) I have a almost 5 yr old, almost 3 yr old and a 1 yr old so I know the day will come when I will get sick and didn't know if anyone had some interesting ideas for when the day came.

Chrystal - posted on 01/10/2012

When I'm sick I do the best I can I cut out all the things that don't have to be done. I set up blankets and pillows on the floor and let them play next to me while I rest best I can. I've built a freezer that can work for me when I don't feel like cooking there is always a casserole or something in the freezer that I can just pop in the oven. And as soon as my husband comes home he takes over and I lay down or crawl up on the couch and he takes care me the rest of the night just like I do for him when he's sick and gets home from work he doesn't get sick days either unless the job sends him home.

Kelly - posted on 01/10/2012

I do have a plan for when I am sick--I need to be at my best to care for my son, and that means taking time to recover when I am ill.

My husband gets paid time off as part of his salary, and can also work from home in a lot of cases, so if I am sick and J is at home too, he will generally work from home or take a day off to care for me. He doesn't do my house work for me (other than the necessary disinfecting), but he makes sure J's needs are met so that I can rest.
If he is unable to be home, I will hire in a "mother's helper" to spend the day with us. Usually a neighborhood kid who can play with J while I sleep.

Of course, J is in school now, so when I'm sick, I just let the house go and sleep while he's in school. My husband is usually home shortly after J gets out of school, so it's not an issue often.

I do care for my husband when he is home sick, I keep J out of his hair and let him sleep all day. Obviously, I cannot do his job for him, so he still has a lot of catching up to do when he returns, but that is also why I don't ask him to do any cleaning/shopping/etc for me.

Kay - posted on 01/10/2012

I can't imagine being home and refusing to care for my husband when he is sick. He is the provider for the family and he needs to go to work. When I was sick, I managed , sometimes taking care of 2 sick children at the same time. There is nothing that makes you feel better than a hug from one of the little ones when you are sick! Sometimes you have friends ,family or neighbors who will help with an errand or dinner etc as you would for them.

Barbara - posted on 01/10/2012

I found this list of ideas online when I wasnt feeling well...hope it helps you....http://www.babycenter.com/0_40-ways-to-e... better soon!!!!!