Well. This has been a pretty unpleasant week.
Normally the week before Christmas (which is when we start our Christmas break) is relaxing and filled with wrapping, baking, and other lovely Christmas things.
But today marks seven days since a plague-like virus hit our house, so it hasn't been a normal pre-Christmas week at all.
Mr. FG got very bad pneumonia (like almost-go-to-the-hospital bad), Lisey and Zoe got bronchitis, and just last night, Sonia started running a fever.
Joshua got the bug before everyone else, so he's healthy.
So, that leaves me.
Thus far, I am still standing, for some reason that defies medical science, I suppose. I'm super grateful to have not gotten sick along with the rest of my clan because heaven knows I've been very needed this week.
And the good news is that even if I do get sick, everyone else should be on the mend while I'm down. Phew.
Normally, we here at Chez FG enjoy consistently good health, so this is a reminder to be thankful for that. In fact, I do believe that this is the first time Lisey and Zoe have been on antibiotics in their whole lives.
I've mostly been handling it all ok, but yesterday I might have sat down on my bedroom floor and had an ugly cry about it all. And then I felt much better.
(Kind of like I did when we had lice this summer. Apparently when I reach my breaking point, I sit on my bedroom floor and cry. Ha.)
I've been trying to keep up with some Christmas prep in spite of all this, and last night, I did a little fun craft/artsy thing with Sonia (this was before she started running a fever!).
Aren't they beautiful?? You can read all about how we did this right here.
Yuck, sorry to hear it. Hopefully nurse mom stays well!
I don't celebrate Christmas so that's not a thing for me, but I have a baby in the NICU so I'm terrified of germs this season. My 2 and 4 year olds have a fever and runny nose and I'm so scared I'll get it and won't be able to visit my son. 🙁
Ugh, that would be worrying! I hope that you manage to stay healthy.
I'm eating vegetables like they're going out of style and making sure to get lots of sleep (fortunately my sickies are sleeping at night!), so hopefully I will be ok...
Oh, how miserable! So sorry.... 🙁 I used to be a dean and all the girls would get deathly ill at once. It can be exhausting! Hang in there, I know they are thankful for you being their nurse. Such a cute tree in spite of the plague! I like how it looks so natural.
Fortunately we decorated the tree long before we got sick! Otherwise, there's no telling when we'd have gotten out to buy one. 😉
I'm sorry you're family is sick! Hopefully you'll be able to resist the sick germs and stay healthy for the holidays. Sometimes a good cry really helps!
Yikes!! I had a time like that last year - a cold, turned into bronchitis, I was off work for a week with dizziness and wasn't back to normal for a month
Here's to hoping you don't get it.
I may have sat in my car and cried yesterday.......even though I have put the Christ in Christmas and not stressed much about gifts......it is extra tasks that can overwhelm anyone. And my son is moving from NY to CA right after Christmas. That may have been part of it. We all need to cry. I think it helps. Good Luck with the sickness. Hopefully you will stay healthy! Merry Christmas!
Never underestimate the power of a good cry!! Hope that helps to "flush" out any potential toxins as well. Our ds, 17, is down and out good with the flu. He had a flu shot but, apparently, the strain he managed to contract was not covered by this year's flu shot. Lovely!
I spent a good part of last night awake and worrying about what we will do if the flu blows through our house. Because, obviously, worrying about it and losing my own sleep, will keep it from happening. Sigh......
Praying you are all 100 percent soon and the sickies stay FAR away from the few of us left standing.
Merry Christmas!
Oh yuck. I hope everyone feels better soon. There is a particular torture to family illnesses when you're just waiting for the next person to get it. I am very grateful (and knocking on wood as I write this) that we have avoided the early December norovirus that often fells us. And the lice epidemic that's circulating around my son's school. Any scratching has turned out to be psychosomatic. We are almost to vacation!
Oh my gosh, the psychosomatic scratching! Seriously had that going on here when our kids had lice. My husband and I kept scratching our heads and we were sure we had lice too, but we never got them.
It's never fun to have sickness tear through the house, but it's especially hard at Christmas. I hope everyone is healthy again soon. You make a good point--nothing makes us appreciate our good health like a dose of illness. I hope the worst is over for your family.
So often when my kids were growing up this would happen to us, too - everyone except me would be sick. I think the adrenaline from the stress and worry gives moms' immune systems a boost!
Okay, I hope that didn't jinx you.
May you all be well enough to enjoy Christmas day. And if not, a day in lieu at a later time.
I hope this stays true for me! I will be sad if all my hand-washing was for naught. 😉
I was hesitant to say the same thing as jenny_o, but it has been the same for me so many times. I like to think God gives extra grace sometimes when mom's are needed most.
Oh, Kristin, I'm so sorry! I hope everybody is well soon!
If it's any comfort...one day this will be a Family Memory. When I was in high school, the stomach flu hit my family at Christmas. All 6 of us were so sick that my grandma, who was living us while undergoing chemo, was the one taking care of us. Now, 30 years later, we talk about it..."Remember the Christmas we were all so sick that nobody even wanted to open presents?" I had bought my sister a Cabbage Patch Kids-themed pillow (she was 4, and they were So Cool then), and I made her open it so she could have it in bed.
In the meantime, hang in there! When you come to the end of your sufficiency, God will be there for you.
I can't tell you how many times I escaped illness when my whole family was down with it. It was like I just DARED it to hit me...ha ha hope you're as lucky, and I bet you will be. Seems like you'd be feeling it by now...so here's hoping!! Take vitamins and drink water like it's going out of style.
What I love is that even though you're up to your eyeballs, you managed to make time with Sonia to create something beautiful and then you shared it with all of us! Yup, if that isn't cheerful, I don't know what is. Thank you for blessing us all year long.
If I could grocery shop, cook meals, do the laundry and clean your house for you, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I hope the plague skips you and that everyone bounces back soon.
Boo sickness! I hope everyone is on the mend and that you have a wonderful Christmas.
Prayers to all of you! I think it's the kale for you. 🙂
I hope everyone feels better, soon! I tend to get sick around Christmas and I don't even celebrate it, but the nice part is that the world slows down for 2 days, and you can rest and take it easy--especially your husband who might otherwise be in a hurry to get back to work.
When I was a child I loved the book series "All of a Kind Family" by Sydney Taylor. It was about a Jewish family of five children in the early 1900's in NY. One story was about the kids getting chicken pox or measles right around the Jewish holiday of Passover. In those days they quarantined families when someone had a communicable disease. But the story was sweet about how they celebrated the holiday with four of the five children in bed. It might be a nice read for your younger ones this week.
I hope it is a healthy and peaceful Christmas for you all.
Aww... so sorry. I pray everyone gets well and that you do not fall ill too.
On a lighter note, lol, I nominated you for the sisterhood of the world blogger award. Here http://tandullce.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-sisterhood-of-world-blogger-award.html?m=1
Once again, wishing everyone quick and full recovery
I know what you mean Saturday night my 13 year old spiked a 103.6 fever. I took her to the ER because she has asthma and she came up positive for the flu. Monday night I started feeling sick today I saw my doc for Tamiflu and mt husband has symptoms also.
How terrible for you! Silver lining: no school planned.
Get better soon, everyone.
Yup, definitely thought of that-at least we're not falling behind on schoolwork!
I hope everyone is on the mend soon and that you continue to stay healthy. I think sometimes the fear of becoming sick as well can be worse than actually being sick (or maybe that is just me). I may or may not have had a few ugly cries recently as someone in our house has been sick since the last week in September. This was made worse by the fact that one of my daughters has many serious health issues, one being epilepsy, and illness makes it easier for her to have seizures.
I am so sorry, Kim! I remember reading about your sweet little one. I hope that you all make it through this season of illness seizure-free!
Oh, sorry you got upset, though I think a cry is cathartic and holidays are emotional anyway, I always feel over-stimulated somehow, though I don't overspend or anything...but I often cry this time of year.
I thought I was getting better but spiked a 104 fever today so hope I'm not developing pneumonia. On the good side- countdown 1 week and 2 days and I'll have health insurance!
On the bad side I missed work- but no way I could have driven let alone sang today...it couldn't be helped but I hate letting people down : (
Hope your family is feeling better very soon.
Oh, 104 is just so rough! My husband was really really not feeling well when his fever got that high. I hope you feel better soon.
So sorry to hear you've had such a tough week. I've never commented before but love your blog and enjoy reading every post. Wishing you and your loved ones a speedy return to feeling better so you can enjoy the special time that these next weeks are.
Nancy
I'm so glad you came out of hiding and commented! : ) I always love to hear from my readers.
Kristen - I have had everybody down for the count at Christmas and that is no fun! Hope you guys are all better soon - and hope you don't catch it!
Once when my boys were small we didn't make it do celebrate with my parents until mid-January after being knocked out by a stomach virus. They left up their Christmas tree until then (it was an artificial one!)
Boy, that's one time you'd be glad to have an artificial tree! Fortunately we weren't supposed to go anywhere tomorrow, and we usually hang around in our pjs all day on Christmas. So, I think we will all at least be up for that. 😉
Thank you Kristen, been a bit of a nightmare but it makes me glad I understand 'frugal medicine'...I've shopped with enough friends who 'only trust Tylenol' etc etc to know illness is no excuse for ignorant spending!
Hope you ( and I ) are all well in 2015...
One thing they don't always tell you about pneumonia is that recovery is usually really slow. You get over the hump fast enough, and mostly better doesn't take *too* long, but full recovery can be months. I had almost-hospital pneumonia and it was about 6 months before I had all my energy and stamina back.
Good luck to Mr. FG.
Oof, that is bad. But good to know!
He's definitely way better than he was just a few days ago, but nowhere near normal for sure. I'll remind him to be patient with himself as he recovers from this.