The Plague

Howdy Dynamos!  The Dynamite Family is sick.

Every year, when we send Mims off to school (she's been going to preschool since she was 2) she comes back with 'the plague'.  Okay, not the real plague, but a cold so terrible we think that we are all going to die...

The first year we caught the plague we spent all of September and October passing the cold around between the three of us.  It finally ended with my parents having to take Mims trick-or-treating, because Jake and I couldn't get off the couch...

The second year that we caught the plague, it lasted from September through January of the next year.  It involved strep throat, multiple bouts of bronchitis and a conjunctivitis so bad that we referred to it as 'Vampire Eyes'.  This time we were not able to keep it contained to just the three of us, my entire family got sick, and we had to cancel all of our Christmas plans.  We finally celebrated with the whole family a full month after the holiday...

Last year we got lucky and only spent the first six weeks of school sick.  It felt like we'd been reprieved.  Mims did end up getting a stomach flu, which was sad, but she got over it fairly quickly.

I really, really wanted to avoid the plague this year.  Still, we prepared ourselves for the worst.  I mean, if we got the plague from the private preschool, just think of the cooties at public school!  I had read an article about how to keep your kids from getting sick, so I instituted some new family rules:

1. Mims has to change her clothes and take a bath as soon as she gets home from school, so that none of the plague germs get spread around the house.
2. Everyone washes their hands before we eat anything. In a pinch, antibacterial hand gel also counts  (Okay, we should be doing this anyway, but I'm not as vigilant about snacking as I should be)

I really, really wanted to avoid the plague this year. Mims and I are both fighting through the beginnings of a cold, but I'm hoping that a day of resting will get us back on track and it won't turn into full-blown plague.

Luckily, I do some of my posts in advance, so I get to take tomorrow off, and you guys still get an awesome new pattern!  In fact, here's a preview:

Fun, right?  It's for Make A Hat Day!  See you tomorrow!

xoxo

PS - Oh, hey, after re-reading this, I need to make sure to tell you that we DID NOT send Mimsey to school sick at any point.  We kept her home, to minimize the spread of our own germs.  I don't know why, but suddenly I was overcome with worry that you'd think I was an irresponsible parent...  Aww, it must mean I love you guys!
xo J