Dear Friends,

It’s that time of year again! Germs are everywhere! What is a mom to do to keep her family safe from these colds and stomach bugs.  A few germs is always good to help us build up our immune systems. There has been research done that says children who are raised in perfect homes have more asthma. That is one good thing about being messy; we will never be guilty of having a home that is germ free.

We still need to get into good habits to keep our family safe from those nasty bugs.

1. Wash your hands often with hot soapy water.
2. Wash your hands when you get home. Everyone in the family.
3. Change your clothes.
4. Clean door knobs and light switches often.
5. When you turn on heat; start humidifying the air.
6. Wipe down faucet handles too with hot soapy water.
7. Don’t use one hand towel for the whole family.
8. Have plenty of tissues on hand.
9. Take your supplements! I love my vitamin C. Research it for yourself.
10. Get plenty of sleep!
11. If you are sick! Stay home!

Washing your hands: This seems so simple but we forget to do this. We do this after we use the bathroom but washing your hands when you get home is another habit to practice. Wash them while you sing the Happy Birthday song. I also wash my hands before I go to bed as I sleep with my hand on my face. I have a little ritual that makes me smile. My hand soap is Jergens. The smell reminds me of my grandmother. As I wash my hands I smell my granny and I thank God for giving me a Godly Grandmother who influenced my life. Getting into the habit of washing your hands and all the little hands in the family will keep the germs from invading your sanctity of your home.

Change your clothing: The outside world can be a dirty place. Our children are taught to cough into their sleeves. Does this work? Check out Myth Busters for this. What this means to me; is our clothes are contaminated. Change them when you get home. This means your children too. Get them in the laundry.

Clean door knobs and light switches often: It does not take long to run around the house with a purple rag and some hot soapy water, your favorite disinfectant, or just rubbing alcohol. In two minutes you can clean all your door knobs, light switches, and faucet handles. If you use a purple rag make sure it no longer has any dye in it. I like to use my oldest purple rags for this.

When you turn on your heat; start humidifying the air: Our noses are the best filters to help stop germs from getting into our bodies. When our sinuses are dry and irritated from our heating system, we need to put some moisture back into the air. If you have a wood stove, place a steam kettle on it and check it every couple of hours. I have one on my cooking stove and use it quite often. I know from past experience that I have to set a timer to keep it full of water. I have even put spices and orange peel in the water to make it smell good. Don’t let it run dry. Use your stove timer to remind you. At night I have a cool mist humidifier in our bedroom.

Wipe down faucet handles with hot soapy water: Think about this! You turn on the water in your bathroom with germy hands. You wash your hands and then touch that nasty faucet with your clean hands. That just grosses me out! Here is a thought! When your hands are all soaped up; use them to wash down your faucet handles.

How to Sanitize Your Home

Don’t use one hand towel for the whole family: I like to use individual white wash cloths to dry hands. This keeps from spreading germs from one person to another. I have a little basket where I keep them and another hamper where the dirty ones go. When the hamper is full, I do a load with some bleach water. Another good thing about using individual cloths; you can wipe down those faucets, counter-tops, and dry out the sink for your daily swish and swipe!

Have plenty of tissues on hand: Keep a box of tissues in every room in your home. That way when you feel a sneeze or cough coming on; you can grab a clean one. Also have a trash can in each room to accept the discarded tissues. Empty it often.

Take your supplements! I love my vitamin C. Research it for yourself: Many years ago I read a life changing book called, Doctor Yourself. This is where I learned about vitamin C. There are lots of resources out there to give you the facts. I looked at all of them before I started using vitamin C to keep me healthy. I rarely get sick with a cold or stomach bug. I love my vitamin C. I buy it in bulk and put it in my water every day. It tastes like I have lemon in my water. Put a bowl of oranges and tangerines on your counter for your children to eat. They make great snacks and you can get a some vitamin C in their little bodies.

Get plenty of sleep: When we are exhausted, our immune system gets depleted. For me when I travel my routines get out of whack and I am aware that I need more sleep. This helps me. If you are up a lot with sick children then please sleep when the babies are sleeping. The last thing you need is to get sick when the rest of the family needs you. I know we have two speeds: ninety miles an hour and dead stop! Don’t do this to yourself! Practice taking breaks! Pace yourself! Your immune system will thank you!

If you are sick! Stay home: This is my biggest pet peeve! The other day I wrote a personal recommendation for a dear friend of mine who was changing jobs. They had never missed a day of work. I talked about their work ethic. What I really wanted to say was that they would come to work sick and take out the whole company! I didn’t do that but that can be a big problem for businesses. If you have the ability to stay home and not get fired then by all means please stay home if you are sick! Nobody wants your germs. If you do have to go to work, quarantine yourself as much as possible.

I want you to be healthy this winter! Follow these recommendations and you can eliminate some of those nasty colds.

FlyLady