Germs

Round one in the cold and flu season of 2008 has been won by the germs. They've impacted our appetites, our fluid intake, our sleep patterns, and our wallets since our pantry was low on Kleenex, vitamin C, juice, Sudafed, and Honey Lyptus Halls. It seems only the cat has been immune, and she, quite correctly, has been avoiding us like...like...like the plague.

The biggest sufferers are the toddler and Daddy, no big surprise. With the news about cold medicines not being considered safe for young children, we tried to fall back on the old standbys... humidifier, PediaLite, Vicks Vaporub, hugs, cuddles, and cartoons. I don't think they really provided much relief, and sheer exhaustion was probably what finally got our little guy to sleep through the night. Daddy, on the other hand, has been taking every medication known to Man, and since he's a big guy, has taken a LOT. Cuddles and cartoons do work for him in his Sudafed haze however. If I can convince the teenager to stay away from both of the boys, there might be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Being the mom, I have done the laundry, cleaned, disinfected, and made coffee cake. No, not chicken soup. Coffee cake. Peach, to be exact. Because it's easy, warm, filling. I'll make soup in a few hours, for the smell, the humidity, and the healing properties, but coffee cake will be what tides this Florence Nightingale over enough to be at the family's beck and call.

I even put a sign up on our front door:



We'll see how many yahoos 1) ignore the sign, 2) don't see the sign, or 3) can't read the sign today. Assessment and data collection never stop.

For the Science audience, lookie here: Giant Microbes makes stuffed plush toys that look like the microbes responsible for the flu, common cold, cough, bad breath, and even athlete's foot. I'm not finding them terribly appealing right now, but I'm sure some teacher out there could use them to great effect.

Tea time. Stay healthy.