It was four days before Christmas 2012 when I woke up with a 102 fever, my head pulsing. I trembled in my bed as waves of nausea flooded over me. Not wanting to get out of bed, I rolled back my covers and sat up. I knew as a mom of many I had to.
As I walked out of the master bedroom I saw my 8 year old son lying in the hallway groaning. He had it too. After assessing him, finding out his symptoms were exactly like mine, I walked across the hall to my just turned two year old’s room who was coughing and feverish. He was starting to throw up all over his crib sheet. How could this be happening? With not even a warning?
Well, there was a small warning. My 6 year old had been sick the day before – but I thought it was just a bad cold. She had a cough and a mild fever but nothing I hadn’t seen before. And just like that half of our house was sick. Very sick. What was this plague that had struck us?
This is the thing of nightmares. Multiple kids and parents getting sick all at once with what I found out was a very bad strain of Influenza A that was going around that year. In fact, it hadn’t been seen before quite like this. You could say that again. This flu was primarily respiratory in nature but, unusually, it caused dizziness and stomach upset as well. I almost fainted right in my doctors office the very next day.
In the days that followed every single person would get sick – including my husband on Christmas Eve. That was a memorable Christmas and not in a good way. None of us could barely pick ourselves off the couch.
I’m sharing my horror story in order to remind you to prepare now. Prepare for the winter and the sick season. This is a must for us moms – especially if you have many kids. You know what? Who is going to do the grocery shopping and go get the meds if all of you are sick? It’s not fun! That’s for sure. I’m giving you this mom’s guide for free. Why? Because I love you guys. I care. Also, because I’m totally using it this time around.
The Smart Mom’s Guide to Surviving Winter
So, I present to you The Smart Mom’s Guide to Surviving Winter.
It includes a pages for:
- Stocking Up on Supplies
- Symptom Tracker (What’s worse than having two sick kids and not remembering who’s temp is what?)
- Medication Tracker (Two kids with two different med dosages – AHHH)
- Preparing Your Home & Car for a Storm (Great reminders and tips!)
- Snow Day Ideas
- Plenty of Fun Lists for Moms
- Book Lists, TV/Movies, To Do
- Recipes You Want to Try
- Ways to Show Kindness
Click this graphic to download all of your Mom’s Guide to Surviving Winter Pages!
Don’t miss this FREE printable! Believe me, I wish I had this mom’s guide on hand long before Christmas 2012. I probably would have had all I needed to have. Download your mom’s guide to surviving Winter now!
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You might also like these related posts:
Make Your Own Homemaking & Homeschooling Binder
Mom of Many: How to Find Calm in Your Homeschool Day
Fighting Norovirus {Stopping the Stomach Flu}
How to Make a Meal Schedule That Your Family Will Love
Be prepared for cold and flu season – 10 Things You Need to Have
You know the old Boy Scout motto “Be Prepared”? Applies to moms too!
Love the storm supplies planner. This would work well for areas prone to hurricanes also. Thanks for creating these!
Printing. Sharing. Yes! I usually get sick around my daughter’s birthday and Thanksgiving. It puts me entirely out of commission. Trying with extra vitamins, better household cleaners, essential oils, and being ahead of the game this time.
Thank you Maria for sharing! Getting sick around birthdays or holidays is so awful!