No Sick Days for Mama

I'm coming down with a cold. I thought I dodged the bullet when my daughter caught a cold several weeks ago. I never caught it, then Tuesday night I started to feel run down. I chalked it up to being tired and pregnant. Yesterday, I didn't feel like doing anything and after taking Boogie to preschool, I took a nap on the couch. I woke and realized it might be more than feeling tired. When did I know? When I walked out the door to pick up Boogs from preschool, looked at my van and realized that I had left my daughter napping in her bed. I went back in, woke her up, and took her with me.

I went straight to bed after the kids' dance classes.  I had called my husband earlier in the day and warned him that was what I was doing. I also asked if it would be possible for him to work from home the next day so I could rest. Unfortunately he has a presentation to give today and it doesn't look possible.

I'm okay, not severely sick. Stuffy, sneezy, and runny all at the same time. Nothing that a day in bed wouldn't cure. But if I keep running around, my conditions will only get worse. So I've decided to stay in bed as long as possible today.  I've made myself some hot tea and brought all of the things that I can do in bed with me (computer, thank you notes, crocheting, etc.) in the hopes that I can rest until I have to take Boogs in to school. It's a rainy day and that usually means my kids will sleep later today. It's also Thursday and they are exhausted from Whirlwind Wednesday and again, will sleep later today.

I simply am not allowed to get sick this weekend. My BFF is coming over this weekend with her girls and I can't wait to see her. We've planned this weeks in advance and I refuse to give up this day with her.

But seriously, what do Stay at Home Mamas do when they're sick?

When my daughter was 3 months old, I caught a stomach bug three times in a row, with several days of being well in between. Hubby had already taken paternity leave and simply could not stay home with the kids.  I spent days in bed with Boogie watching PBS, with my infant daughter between us. In between nursing her, throwing up, and emptying my insides, I managed to feed him and sleep. I don't remember if he ever got out of his jammies on those days. He went to school Mondays and Tuesdays. By Wednesday I was sick, had gotten over it by Monday to drive him to school and was sick on Wednesday, yet again. Come to find out, some of the kids in his preschool had gotten it and their parents kept bringing them in even if they weren't 100% better. And because preschool kids love to share, Boogie kept bringing it home with him. Thank goodness he never got it, he was just the carrier.

I remember crying to my husband on the phone begging him to take time off so that I could be sick in the bathroom all day and not worry about the kids.  It just wasn't going to happen.

However, when Hubby is sick and has to take a sick day he calls it in and stays in bed. I wake up and tend to the kids, and shut our bedroom door. I usually don't even tell the kids that Daddy is home so that he can rest. By late afternoon, even though he's not better, he's had enough rest that he can come down and be part of the family.  And I am jealous!

It usually takes me longer to get over any illness because I don't get to rest as long as he does, unless it's on a weekend.  So Mommies...what do you do when you are sick? Do you turn on PBS and veg with the kids, does Hubby come home from work so you can rest, or do you power through your day because you know that no one else will be able to help you?

Today is going to be PBS day in our house so that I can sleep and I'm calling Hubby to bring home take out for dinner :)