Have you ever had a week that just took you out? One where you wanted to throw the whole week away and start over again. Well, about two weeks ago I had one of those weeks.

It all started on a Wednesday night, or more accurately early Thursday morning when the rest of the world is usually sleeping. If this is your first time on my blog in a previous post I explained that my son is not sleeping through the night. So, I’m up late at night and through the early morning several times throughout a typical sleep cycle (if I can even call it a true sleep cycle). But back to the story.

So, like any other night my son has woken up 2-3 times, and since this is typical behavior I was not surprised when he woke up again. But this time when I picked him up he was also burning up! He felt like a mini heater! The poor little guy had a fever, so I gave him some ibuprofen and put him back to bed.

Luckily, the ibuprofen did the trick. The fever was gone, but lord and behold what did I see next… a few bumps around his mouth. And in that very moment I knew exactly what was going on. I knew what my baby had, and how he got sick.

Every two weeks I attend a moms group. I attended one meeting the day before Remy got sick, and another two weeks earlier. Unfortunately, after our meeting two weeks earlier several of the children contracted hand, foot, and mouth (HFM). At the time I was so thankful my little guy dodged the sickness, but as you see now that was not the case. If you are unfamiliar with HFM it is a virus that is highly contagious and can result in a fever and cold sores/bumps on the outside & inside of the mouth, and can appear on the hands & feet. Unfortunately, there are no medications to treat HFM, so all you can do is treat the symptoms, stay inside so you don’t infect others, and let the sickness run its course. So, that’s exactly what we did. We isolated ourselves. The only other changes he experienced were bumps spreading to his hands and feet, and being clingier than usual but that was to be expected. Luckily, after the second day his fever did not return and he continued to eat and play like his usual self. I was quite impressed with how my little guy was handling being sick for the first time. He was a champ.

So, three short days after we found out Remy had HFM… yours truly gets sick. I didn’t have HFM (thank goodness) and NO I didn’t get the Coronavirus either even though that’s all we’re hearing about these days! I still don’t know what I had, but it was something.

My day started out like any other Sunday. I went to a yoga class, did some grocery shopping, and then came back home. As soon as I walked through the door it felt like someone hit me with a sledge hammer. My skin was hot, I had chills, my ears were clogged, throat was sore, and body ached. I was not in a good space AT ALL. Now I’ve been sick before, but I’ve never been sick as a mom. Being a sick mom is a completely different kind of beast because you don’t feel well, but you still have to keep another human alive all at the same dag on time.

And to add a cherry on top of our nice sickly sundae Remy was waking up five times a night.. yes FIVE times so guess who wasn’t getting any sleep either? If you guessed me, you’re right. Come to find out mosquitos are already out and about, and he had a huge bite on his leg.

The night I found the mosquito bite I said out loud, “You have got to be kidding me. Not this week Satan! You’ve really been trying me!” First it started with Remy getting HFM, then I came down with something, and now this mosquito bite is keeping him & me up all night long. I was threw! Satan tried it, and he almost got away with making me have a terrible week but I had to put a end to it. So, I started focusing on what was in my control and what was not. The power of choice and what you can/cannot control is so powerful to me so this concept is going to show up in several posts so just a heads up.

These are a few steps I took to take back some control around my sick household.

1. Stay inside: I am a firm believer in keeping my germs to myself so we stayed put and did not leave the house. As someone who likes to be out and about this is usually a hard task for me, but because I felt so bad and the weather was terrible I had no desire to be anywhere but my house anyway.

2. Do the bare minimum: To ensure Remy’s survival and to help with my recovery I did the absolute bare minimum. I made sure we were dressed (in lounge clothes or pjs), fed (whatever was easy to make like soup), hydrated with water & warm tea, and spent a lot of time snuggling. No cleaning, no extensive cooking, I limited how much I was talking, and didn’t chase Remy around (which is one of our usual games).

3. Rest: When you are sick its important to take some time to just rest. I’m usually pretty active, but not this week. Working out was thrown completely out the window, and I played with Remy as much as my body would allow.

4. Get motivated: When you start feeling better find a way to get back into your old routine. I did this by making my bed in the morning, getting myself together by putting on a cute workout outfit, doing my hair, putting on mascara, getting Remy completely dressed, doing a workout, cleaning my house, and making a good dinner for my husband.

These steps were helpful for my family and I because at the end of the week when Remy and I were feeling better my husband got sick. Go figure, huh.

I feel like several people in my immediate and distant circles were sick around the same time as my family and I, and now we’re all dealing with the Coronavirus. So, I’m hear to say, Not Today Satan. Not today, this week, month, or year!

With the current Coronavirus scare please stay vigilant, but I encourage you to be mindful of your peace and well being as well. If you find yourself in a emotional space that is not pleasing to you, you might have to take a moment to set boundaries around the conversations your having, media you’re consuming, and thoughts you’re having. Your thoughts are extremely important.

It may be helpful to whisper to yourself, not today Satan. Do not let him consume your thoughts, feelings, or actions.

Not today Satan, not today.

Stay peaceful out there,

❤Patience

If you need any additional support as you navigate motherhood schedule a 15-minute consultation with Patience today. You are not alone mama.

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