Surviving the winter, flu

Winter in Minnesota means many things. First, it is going to be cold; second, there are no mosquitoes; and third, it is flu season.

Generally, I consider myself a healthy person and do not get sick frequently, at least until this winter.

With Allison in school and the other two kids in daycare a couple of days a week, it seems as though everyone in our house is healthy for about a week. Then, someone comes down with something, and it takes about two weeks for everyone to get it and then get better. This cycle has been on repeat since November 2025.

In the past, Jason and I have usually fared pretty well when the kids get sick. They were usually sick for just 24-30 hours, then back to normal. Jason and I made sure to wash our hands frequently and drink orange juice.

This year, I do not know what strains of the flu are out there, but it seems like a lot of more severe ones are in our area anyway. This flu season, Jason, the kids and I have all been getting sick for days on end.

Being a mom and getting the flu is much different than being a kid and getting the flu. As a kid, you can lie in bed all day and literally do nothing. As a mom, this is not an option. I still had to get up and clean house, make meals and clean up when the kids got sick.

When I was pregnant with each of my kids, I was nauseated for my entire first trimester and sometimes longer. However, it worked out that, during that time, none of the other kids got so sick that I had to clean up additional messes.

I cannot blame it solely on my kids being in school and daycare because I know families that homeschool, and they said their kids keep getting sick this winter, too. Either way, I am sure that I speak for all moms out there when I say I cannot wait for spring to be here.

To help keep the kids occupied during these long winter days, I am reading a lot of books and teaching them about the different holidays as they come and go.

Of course, Christmas was a big one, and I tried explaining Thanksgiving to them, but it did not seem to sink in. Allison really got into Halloween, but Carson and Madison were not that excited. After Christmas, I think their next favorite holiday is Valentine’s Day. My guess is that it has to do with the hearts everywhere, since the older two like to draw and color hearts. It is a very recognizable shape.

Ever since we took down our Christmas tree and decorations, the kids have been asking if it is Valentine’s Day yet. I am pretty sure it is not the candy they are excited about; rather, I think they are happy just to have something to celebrate. Kids are all about big emotions, and I told the kids that Valentine’s Day is when we show the people important to us that we love them. The older two kids made lists of who they want to make a valentine for. I am still on the fence about whether using glitter to make our cards was worth the mess.

I have come to the conclusion that we can choose to make a big deal out of any holiday. Personally, I, with my adult brain, had only been paying attention to the main four holidays: Easter, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas. If the kids want to deck the house out in pink, purple and blue hearts for a couple of weeks, why not? I have green construction paper on hand if they want to cut out green clovers next month.