With the change of season, comes many changes in health, germs and sharing amongst family members.  We have discovered that attending many functions can spread germs and create illnesses that ultimately will affect the whole family.  With the kids home for the holidays it is still important to remember to wash your hands, cover your mouth when sneezing or coughing, and throw away used tissues.  Disinfect areas that have been contaminated with germs.  Be careful not to rush back into activities to avoid boredom or being “stuck in.”

A child can still be a carrier to illness after symptoms subside, as evidence in families where one is sick and then another member of the family gets sick a few days later.  As annoying as it is, play it smart and stay inside instead of sharing your germs.

The CDC has some great tips on holiday health issues.  Doctors recommend keeping your child away from public areas or group settings when a child has had a fever or diarrhea or a runny nose with yellow mucus in the past 72 hours.  Of course there are other symptoms such as coughs, chills, abnormal activity level.  However, fevers and diarrhea are active germ carriers and can cause the spread of a virus.

My tween came down with something the last day of school but didn’t say anything because she didn’t want to miss out on the parties.  The result: a weekend inside, and my husband catching whatever it was.  My husband’s trick to knowing if the kids are really sick is asking, “do you want….(whatever their favorite food is)?”  If they respond yes, they aren’t usually sick, if they decline they usually have come down with something.

The best advice is to play it smart.  Get seen by your doctor and plan on a week inside just in case it runs it’s course through the family.  Many health things going around this season are viral and do not have medications.  It’s a waiting period.  Take advantage of your pajama family time and stay inside!  Catch up on your sleep and use the holiday break not only as a vacation but to catch up on health appointments.

Any health advice for this holiday season?

The first year we lived here in NC we traveled home to Ohio for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Needless to say, that 13 hour drive twice in a row like that was brutal. That was the last year we did that! We politely explained to our families that if they wanted to see us on Thanksgiving, they would need to come to us. That is just what they have done for the past seven years.

Our home away from home last Thanksgiving

Each year we rent a beach house on Emerald Isle big enough for everyone…..my parents, Kerry’s parents and our siblings. It is a mini vacation just down the road for us and after the past few weeks we have had…we all needed it more than usual this year. It is a time to sit on the deck, watch the water and take a dip in the hot tub. Throw in my mom doing the cooking and a glass of wine and it is as close to perfect as it can get.

While we plan to move next summer, I am hopeful we can continue our beach house Thanksgivings. Everyone loves them and you can get a great deal on a beautiful house since it is off season. We will hit the road for Christmas and I am already gearing up for that car trip. For now, I am settling back in to our usual schedule with laundry and packing lunches and wishing we were back at the beach again already.

What do you do for the holidays? Any special places you visit?

As you may know from earlier posts, we had a recent trip to DC. You may also know from previous posts that we visit often. My brother and sister in law live right in the city and we take any and every chance to head up 95 for some culture and history. This last visit was a little different than those before, but just like always, it was great.

A new experience for the boys..Mount Vernon

We had a chance to tour the White House this trip and while what we would see was limited, it was neat and I am glad the boys can say they walked right out the front door of the President’s house We took a different approach than usual this trip to where we stayed and it paid off…I would suggest that any families who have already had the chance to stay downtown try staying somewhere like Alexandria (like we did this time) to avoid some extra charges.

At first the boys were a little disappointed we would not be right in the heart of everything, but it was a short 30 min metro ride away and we saved big by avoiding parking and internet fees. Our hotel was one mile from Old Town Alexandria and we had a chance to show that area to the boys…something they had never seen. Traveling with kids can be so expensive…it was really nice to have a great stay and save some major money too. We saved close to $75 in extra charges by staying outside of the actual DC.

We will be back in DC by summer I am sure for another visit. There is always something new to see and do. When we do make our plans I will put places like Alexandria at the top of my list for places to stay.

What about you? Any tips when visiting other big cities to save money on accommodations?

Between the bad economy, having kids, paying education off and debts, Staycations are becoming the new family vacations for a lot of families.  For our family too.  With holidays coming up, long weekends, and a husband who will be working through the holidays, we are trying to figure out if we should go visit the closest family to us, which accumulates to 2 travel days or just to stay put and relax.  Where we used to jump up and head off to Myrtle Beach for a weekend away, we now translate that into extra payments, house improvements, etc.  We decided to put our childrens’s opinions to the test.

Both our oldest children said, “we love family, but we don’t like being in the car all day, we never see Dad, we’d rather be home when Dad is at home.”  Now we are weighing everything out and making decisions.  We need to guard our family time.  Last weekend we were all out on the trampoline and loving just laying together and looking at cloud shapes.  It was free family fun!

In an recent Psychology Today article by Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D, she states the many benefits to families about stay-cations.  For the full article, read here.

One of the points she makes is that travel advertising and media often lure or appeal to us with statements that make us believe we ‘have’ to see certain monuments or ‘experience’ certain things.  However, even the Mona Lisa is listed as people’s most disappointing thing in Europe.  SO, instead of being convinced that vacations have to be bigger to be better, stay put and explore your community, rest, relax, work together and have fun!

With approaching holidays, are you making plans to skip town or are you staying around to save money?  What things do you enjoy doing on your stay-cations?

“Who’s your favorite princess?”  was what my daughter used to ask me.  Now that she is a tween, she recently asked me the dreaded question, “who’s your favorite child?”  While we were on our annual summer vacation, my tween and I had several opportunities to ride rides together.  The stand in line time was priceless to catch up and talk.  We were waiting in line for a ride and the people before us were dancing, talking and having a great time.  It was a mother and her 2 teen daughters.  Their conversation turned to who’s your favorite in jest.  To which the mother turned to my daughter and asked, you would never ask that would you?.  Not being familiar with rhetoric yet, my daughter asked as soon as we had finished our conversation and the mother had turned back to her daughters.  My daughter asked, “Mom, who is your favorite child?”

This is how I responded….well, you are all my favorites.  Cliche?  Not really.  My tween is my favorite because she made me a mother (plus, so many other reasons).  My son is my favorite because he made me a mother to a son, my only boy (plus, other reasons).  My youngest is my favorite because she was my last biological child (plus, so many other reasons).  Each of my children are favorites because of what they individually have taught me.  Each are gifts from God.  Each are unique, thus making them special and my favorite.

Since I have 3 favorites, I need to give them each that special time that reminds them why I love them so much.  I need to connect with them in their own ways.  I want each of my children to know that they are special and never to feel as though one of the others is more preferred.  It made me realize that I have been given the blessing and stewardship and responsibility of helping 3 special kids feel just that, that they are each my favorite.  So, without joining any debate, I am declaring that YES, each of my children are my favorite!!!  I may show that love differently, but that’s because they are different!

Has your tween asked whose favorite yet?  Do you feel like parents favor children?