Play-Learn-Grow-Repeat

I will be the first to admit, I am a bit of a germ-o-phobe. I have gotten better as Brady has gotten older. But still, I do cringe when he slides down the McDonald’s slide and then puts a finger in his mouth (or nose). This year especially, I worry about germs, sickness, and the holidays! On one hand, Brady certainly can’t stay locked up at home all day every day. But on the other hand, I don’t want Brady sick for the holidays.

For some reason, the holidays (and January) have always meant “SICK” in our family. One year I remember a few of us had the stomach bug about December 20^th. More family members were sick by Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years. So, we decided we would wait it out and celebrate Christmas with my immediate family (sister’s family and parents) on January 25^th. Well, the day came and we were all feeling great! About 30-minutes after we ate, my dad got a look of paleness over his face and ran. Yup, the stomach bug hit him also. It was kind of funny, since we all only had 24-48 hour bugs. We still talk (and laugh) about the Christmas of the stomach flu. While it is funny to think back on, I will do EVERYTHING possible to avoid a repeat.

So how do you (or I) protect our little guys (and girls) from all of those germs? If you have any ideas, feel free to share. Here is what we do. While we don’t stay in the house, we do avoid food places with play areas. I have rarely (if ever) seen our local ones cleaned up. Thankfully we have a kid’s gym nearby and a lovely (pay) child play area at one of our local malls. So I have bought us winter memberships to those places. This is because I have seen both of them going around with their spray and wiping off all of the toys.  They also have sanitizer machines located all around within the complexes. Of course we also wash our hands, wash our hands, and did I mention…. Wash our hands. I make a point of going outside (even in the bitter cold) for some fresh air every day. But what else is a mommy to do? A kid has to get out and about. Thank God for sanitizer wipes!