Mama Sick Days

For the past two weeks I have been very sick with some kind of nasty bug.  Fevers, chills, stomach issues, chest congestion and the whole weariness of it all.  My kids are older and sick days seem a lot easier than when they were young.  Now they are able to fend for themselves and clean up their own messes.  In fact, since the weather has been wonderful, they have been outdoors most of the time so the house has been relatively quiet.

There can be a lot of pressure on a young mama who is making three meals each day, training kids, homeschooling, and keeping the home in order as well.  When mama gets sick, she tries her best to keep up with the housework and cooking which wears her weak body down until she can give no more.  Mama stays sick longer and things get even further behind.

When Mama has a Sick Day 

There was a time not so long ago that my children were young and when this mama had a sick day, it was a bit more challenging.  A sick day could be a day where mama has a bad headache, a stomach bug, head cold, morning sickness, or it could be that time of the month.  At any rate, we have days that we just feel we need to rest and take it easy so we can recover quickly.

Everything is doable if there is a system in place!

I never allowed my children to watch a lot of movies so I saved that privilege for a day that I needed it the most-on my sick days.  The kids always thought it was so special and fun.  They would sit quietly around the television and watch movies all day long.  There is less chaos when they are sitting there quietly.

The following movies are some of our very favorites.  They are all family friendly and for a sick day, you can have the kids watch a whole season that day.

We always picked movies that somewhat related to the lifestyle and morals that we hold.  My kids found it very exciting to watch other folks living out in the country and running little homesteads.  We never did cartoons.  I just felt it was way too entertaining and also felt it would make the kids discontented and bored easier.  I know some families that will only let their children watch our homesteading dvds which really is neat to know.  I guess they feel they need to be extra careful of what their children are watching-which is a good thing in todays immoral society!  If you had the whole Homesteading for Beginners DVD series, they last over 10 hours.  It is both educational and entertaining.What about the meals?I always planned ahead for an occasional sick day.  I made sure I had a secret holding of some special sick day treats.  We typically make all of our meals from scratch here on the homestead so packaged food is not available.  Packaged foods are fun and convenient, so on a sick day, the little ones can enjoy feeding themselves.  Of course this will not work if you have little babies, but a two-year-old can bring you a little granola bar package and you can easily open it for them while resting on the sofa.

Here are some easy food ideas for…
Little ones (2-5 yr)…

• granola bars
• fruit bar snacks
• crackers
• fruit snacks
• fruit
• veggie sticks (baby carrots or celery sticks)
• slices of cheese

For kids (6-10yr)…

• sandwich bread with peanut butter and jelly
• sausage and cheese to slice
• hard boiled eggs
• crackers
• fruit
• veggies
• yogurt cups
• granola bars
• breakfast cereal with milk 

For older kids (11-14yr)…

• breakfast cereal
• frozen pizzas
• mac’n’cheese
• sandwich bread with meat
• peanut butter and jelly
• popcorn
• oatmeal
• cheese and crackers
• chips and salsa
• yogurt cups
• fruit and veggies
• granola bars

Oh, and do not forget to have paper plates, plastic cups, and plastic table wares!!!  This will be a way easier cleanup for the kids

If you have some easy, snack type foods stowed away, you can set them out early in the morning and they can easily fend for themselves for the most part.  My husband had to take care of the kids and I for over 9 months while I was recovering from a bad accident that disabled me.  He made boughten packaged food that was easy for him to fix. 

• He toasted bagels for breakfast and spread cream cheese on top.
• He made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with store bought bread
• For supper, he bought frozen pizza and romaine lettuce.  

The kids never complained and they were always fed.  He had paper plates which helped with the mess.  To this day, he will buy frozen pizzas about once or twice a month just because he likes me to have a night off from making a big meal.  It is not the healthiest thing, but in moderation it is a fun treat.

It is fun when mama is sick!

Hey, my kids have fun while I am sick.  They enjoy the snacks and movies and I enjoy the simplicity that it brings while I am not at my best.  A day once in a while where they watch movies all day and eat packaged foods will not hurt them.  Moderation is key!


I rest on my sick days sipping tea, drinking lots of water, and taking my various herbal concoctions while cuddling up with the kids to watch movies.  The family is happy and I usually recuperate a lot faster when I am able to take a break.  I hope this tip is helpful for some of you who need a break once in a while:)