The Prepared Home: Sickness
An author I love recently said that a wise woman is a prepared woman, and it really stuck with me. Even Proverbs says that a wise woman builds her house (14:1). And I think that the homes that feel the most warm and welcoming are the ones that have been thoughtfully stocked for all sorts of scenarios — surprise visitors, impromptu cookie nights, and yes, even sickness.
I don’t know about you, but I know a lot of people who are sick right now, or have been in the last month. Not only is it the normal winter nasties, but we’re two years into a pandemic that keeps evolving. And we have a few months of winter left yet!
In our family, we spent most of December passing a very severe cold to one another, so much so that we cancelled all of our Christmas plans. Griffin is in preschool, which basically means near-constant runny noses and rounds of colds. Hooray for developing her immune system and bringing it back home to all of us! LOL
I was talking to my bestie recently, a mother of 4, and she said she’s not treating it like an if but a when, regarding the sickness we’re all talking about these days. And ya know, as sad as that should be, she’s really thinking ahead and prepping accordingly. If you’re a mother, you know that if you get sick, you don’t exactly get days off (as I’ve learned over the last month!) You may need to be taking care of a whole sick household while you’re in it yourself.
A wise woman, especially these days, prepares for sickness.
So I’ve been spending the last few weeks thinking through what I’d want and need in my home if me, or anyone in my fam, gets the Roni or a[nother] round of winter sickness. I’ve gathered and prepared, and want to share with you in the case you want to do a bit of prep as well!
Tissues - We’ve been going through tissues like crazy over the last month, so I’ve made it a point to just pick up another pack of 4 any time I’m at the store. And honestly, the kind with lotion and/or Vicks are just better! When you’re sick, you don’t want to be stuck without the good stuff.
Broth/Stock - Because you know soup is all you really want when you’re sickly. You can stock up (heh) on the boxed stuff at your grocery store (in which case I’d go with organic bone broth due to its concentrated nutrient value) OR you can easily make a few quarts at home! About once a month I will roast a whole chicken and use the bones and drippings to make my own broth (I use this recipe). It is super nutritious and yields a ton of broth that you can freeze and use as needed.
Teas - It sounds like it wouldn’t do much but it REALLY does! My favorite brand is Traditional Medicinals, and I particularly love their Throat Coat, Breathe Easy, and Echinacea teas!
Local Honey - Yep, get the local kind, and put it all up in your teas. You can also put honey in hot water, and mix with fresh lemon juice, ginger, and a bit of cayenne, for a delicious, instant-relief therapy if you have a sore throat or congestion.
Fresh Ginger/Turmeric - These are nice to have on hand to incorporate into main dishes (especially if you make asian/indian foods), soups (any soup, as it really boosts the flavor, but here is one of my fave chicken soup with turmeric recipes!), and teas, as a defense and also as a support if you do get sick.
Supplements - First, Zinc!! Just do it. We take it every day to keep our immune systems strong. We take Emergen-C, which you can get to also include Vitamin D which I highly recommend! We also take Elderberry syrup once a day. I want to say something about the best defense being a good offense — I think it applies here! Don’t wait until you feel sick to bolster your system with immune-boosting vitamins! And you’ll also REALLY want to utilize them if you do get sick (we ordered the ZStack brand to take in the scenario of getting C-roni).
Frozen Foods/Meals - Because you won’t want to cook when you feel like trash. A friend gifted us several Daily Harvest meals for me to enjoy postpartum and I 10/10 would purchase those again, especially the smoothies and soups! When you’re making meals in the next few weeks, freeze a little of the leftovers, if you have any, to have on hand in the event of sickness. Pre-made frozen lasagnas (we love Rao’s), pot pies, and comfort foods are great too.
Medications - Make sure you have plenty of Ibuprofen, Tylenol. Robitussin, Theraflu, etc. Also consider Nasal Spray (we use Xlear), Vicks Vaporub (we like the lavender version), Vicks Shower Tablets (heavenly!) and throat lozenges (I like these ones with Elderberry in them!). Be sure to stock up on children’s versions of these as well! We also got prescriptions for some medication in the case we get the Roni, because if/when we do get it, we want to nip it in the bud.
Essential Oils - These are great as a preventive and also as a therapy when sick. We use Young Living but honestly you can just get the oils at Whole Foods, and they’ll do just fine. We diffuse Theives (or similar Defense blends) pretty consistently in our home to assist in keeping sickness at bay. While we were sick, we used this, as well as the Raven blend (basically a blend for when you have any type of head/chest congenstion) and Gentle Baby for the kiddos.
Did I miss anything?
How are you preparing for the winter and the sickness it often brings? Any tips and tricks to share?
Sending you all my love and prayers for health, wholeness, and hearts sprinkled with a bit of levity in the coming weeks!
Sam
P.S. - I’m thinking of doing a small series on the Prepared Home. Are there any specific parts of the home you’d like to cover? Let me know, I’m all ears!
