My 11-year-old daughter is home sick today.  My 13-year-old son was home sick yesterday.  It appears we have some kind of a New Years bug in our house.  In a furious attempt to make sure I don't get whatever bug they have I have been taking tons of Fast Acting Immune Booster from my favorite get everything healthy store, Whole Foods.  I've relied on this to get us through the winter for a couple of years now, feeding it to everyone in the house when anyone shows a sign of being sick. Whole Foods calls is Powerful Echinacea for the Whole Family.  My family calls it the good stuff.  This is by no means a commercial for Whole Foods (they don't need one in my opinion). I'm just telling you how we fight the bugs here.

With these two sick kids home, my productivity level is a little less than I'd like.  My son is a young teen, and mostly interested in me as a source for food and transportation these days.  Having him home sick was actually pleasant yesterday.  He wasn't miserably ill and was content to lay around, plunk himself on the sofa near my desk and visit, chatting about everything from the eighth grade play to world travel.  I enjoyed the chance to listen to him and to hear what was on his mind. 

Now today, my daughter is home sick.  She is a sweetheart, but she is also a tween.  Boy, can she whine.  She isn't quite as pleasant of a patient as my son. She is a needy sick child full of requests, the less sick she is the more outrageous her requests. An hour ago she "needed" Shredded Mini Wheats, in a mug, not in a bowl.  You get the idea. Needless to say, my productivity today is lacking a little as I jump through hoops to keep my little patient content.

Days like today and yesterday make me grateful that I work at home. My kids aren't seriously ill, but they don't feel good.  What would I do if I had to dash off to an office, instead of heading a few steps to my desk in the library in our home ?

Sick kids present a major issue for working moms.  Some of us work from home or have flexible working conditions that easily allow us to stay home with our kids when they are sick. However, I know that some of us don't.  As my parents get older, I am hesitant to expose them to the germs my kids bring home, so asking Grandma and Grandpa to cover may not be a feasible option, even if they aren't in Florida or another sunny spot.  Perhaps some of you are better than me, and have a stash of last minute, day time sitters available.  I never had that, so it is a darned good thing I work from home !

Working from home certainly has its challenges, but yesterday and today, I was grateful for the flexibility it provided me.  I was able to take care of my pressing work and still spend time with my kids, who were under the weather and needed their mom.

How do you handle sick days at your house ?