Sick Days…

Well, the ick has finally reached our house…I have been out of work twice in 2 weeks due to sickness.  That is absolutely unheard of in my world, I am never sick!  I don’t know about you guys, but my school has been hit hard by the norovirus, flu, and an upper respiratory crud.  Based on the number of sick kiddos I have been missing from my class, it was only a matter of time before I caught something.  And since my brain has been about as effective as a pile of soggy towels lately, I decided I’d write my next post on what I am focusing on currently: being sick.  Or rather, how to manage being sick as a #teachermom.

Really, I should count myself lucky that it was only a sinus infection and not something involving bodily fluids. (ewww!) Moms can’t be sick, and TeacherMoms certainly can’t!

Step 1: Sub Plans

Being sick sucks, being sick as a teacher sucks even more.  It never happens on a day that is relatively normal.  Nope, it’s on benchmark testing day, or field trip day, or really any day that something unexpected is going on.  My solution to this problem is to have a set of emergency sub plans at the ready for days such as Wednesday-when I just couldn’t make it in.  Some teachers use a bin, some use a binder, some just have a file.  Whatever you use, just have a set of plans that are easy to follow and copies that correlate so that someone can walk in and get right to business.  Pick some review material from the beginning of the year, mostly independent work, so that it is easy for the sub to manage.

Teachers know: you never know what kind of person will be subbing for you.  If I weren’t so polite, I would say, “you might have a total moron in your classroom.” We have all seen it.  They may not have any experience in a classroom, so just make sure your plans are as foolproof as possible.  This ensures that an emergency sick day won’t completely derail your class, and you won’t be up at midnight, sick as a dog, writing sub plans to e-mail to your administrator for the next day.

Here is my emergency sub plan pack that I use.

Clicking the pic will take you to my TpT store

Step 2: Sick Day Survival

Ok, now that the kiddos at school are covered, time to take are of YOU!  For many of you, this simply involves going to the Dr, getting a perscription for a Z-pack and heading to bed.  Well, congrats to you guys!  I, however, am still nursing my daughter.  So there is a limited number of medicines I can take.  Actually, here is a picture of the list of drugs I can take:

Yeah there’s no picture, because I can’t take anything, really. 🙂   Which is fine, I love that I have been able to breastfeed this long (19 months!) and that my body continues to produce enough to keep my munchkin healthy.

The flip side, though, is that you have to get creative to find some relief when you are under the weather.  I have had a long standing love-affair with both apple cider vinegar and turmeric, much to the chagrin of my husband, who has encountered many a yellow stain on our dishes because of it.  I loved turmeric before it was cool!  The first I learned about drinking Turmeric tea was from a friend and her husband.  They are from India, and they talked about how widely it is used in India and the benefits of it.  I am no doctor, but there is a lot of evidence supporting the benefits of curcumin-the substance found in the herb itself- including this study cited from the med-india website:

“…Jagetia and Aggarwal at the Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA, reported, “Interestingly, curcumin at low doses can also enhance antibody responses. This suggests that curcumin’s reported beneficial effects in arthritis, allergy, asthma, atherosclerosis, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and cancer could be due in part to its ability to modulate the immune system.”

All this to say, I have been drinking turmeric tea every night, as it is really the only relief I can get, and I do believe that it helps my immune system.  All of the ingredients are known to promote health in various ways, and I stay generally healthy so it must be doing something.  It can’t hurt, anyway!

My recipe for this “tea” has evolved over time, and I will warn you that turmeric has a strong flavor that many describe as “acquired.” Because of that, my tea adds in some other flavors to taper the taste a bit and make it more palatable.  Honestly, I really enjoy the flavor!  The lemon gives me a nice dose of vitamin c, and the honey coats my throat- I have been coughing like crazy!

Give it a try and tell me what you think!

My Turmeric “Tea” recipe:

A small mug of hot water

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (I love this brand , a bottle lasts forever)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

sprinkle of cinnamon

1 teaspoon good-quality turmeric (I use This One)

splash of orange juice to taste

1 tablespoon raw honey (or to taste)

A dash of cayenne pepper (optional, but helpful when congested!)

Directions:

Heat water, add all ingredients, stir well! Adjust to taste.  I like to keep a little spoon so that I can stir it up as I drink.  If you have a blender, you can add all ingredients together and blend to really mix it well.

FYI- I don’t measure any ingredients when I make this myself.  I actually use a bit more turmeric in mine.  Once you try it a few times, you get the hang of how much of each you prefer.

Stay healthy, teacher moms!  Cold and flu season is coming to an end, soon! (I hope!)

Disclaimer: I do not have a medical degree, guys 🙂 Please talk to a doctor if you have concerns or questions about your health!  This is just something that has helped me feel better and I want to share it with you!