Has your family been hit by the flu or cold yet this season? It seems every time we seem to start feeling better, either the girls or I come down with something, and the pass it along to one another. I am still trying to figure out how my husband never gets sick...but that is a different story. :-) But, whenever the girls are sick, because of their young age, they can't take just any OTC medication, nor do I want to pump them with drugs. After going through cancer treatment in 2008 and running my list of medicines with my doctors before and after treatment, I found that I was taking medicines I really didn't need to take. So, as a result of this personal re-evaluation of what I was putting into my body, I started to say yes to less medicines. And, the same holds true when my girls are sick. Unless they really need it, I would prefer using natural medicines, like those available from Little Remedies to treat their aches, pains, tummy troubles, sniffles, etc.
So many of the OTC medicines available contain ingredients that I feel are just added in to a medicine as a whole, but aren't really needed. And, if we really knew what was in drugs for say headaches or colds, would we still take them? This questioning makes me leery when it comes to offering up OTC medicines that I am not aware or comfortable with, when giving medicine to my girls. The only brand I know and truly trust is Little Remedies. I especially love their nasal sprays and gas natural remedy. And, when the girls had colic as a baby, their tummy trouble medicine worked like a charm, without adding unnecessary chemicals or drugs to their bodies. I love the ability to sooth pain and discomfort with natural remedies, especially when the cold and flu season roll around.
When I am not telling the girls to wash their hands throughout the day, including before meals, or having them sneeze into the crook of their arms, I am trying to teach them ways to prevent the spread of germs. I also make a point to have a humidifier or air purifier going in different rooms in the house, and also have Lysol on hand to spray when needed. Tissues are a must when sniffles or sneezing creep in. And, if they girls are fighting a cold or bug, I make a point to wash all bedding, blankets, toys, etc. in warm/hot water to kill any bacteria and prevent the spread of the germs. There are so many things we can do to teach our kids ways to cut down the chances of spreading germs, or picking up bugs/colds that are always going around. Right now, I am working on having Bella keep her hands out of her mouth. It is hard as she is teething, and either uses her binkie, which drops and picks back up to pop in her mouth, or will chew on her fist. I find that by having wipes available, I can quickly sanitize her binkie, wipe and keep her hands free of germs, in hopes that she doesn't get sick. As you know it is tough when you have a little one sick, and they can't tell you how they are feeling, or let you give them medicine, either prescribed or natural remedies, like Little Remedies.
So, while I am on the kick of saying yes to less. this past Thanksgiving opened my eyes to another thing my family needs to work on saying yes to less of....
So, after seeing this, I sat down with my family and told them that we needed to make changes. These changes came at a good time, as I was invited to participate in the "Say Yes to Less" campaign from Little Remedies, where for every pledge made, they will donate $1 to Make-A-Wish.
I told my husband that for my our family's pledge, we would "Say Yes to Less Distractions." What distractions? We needed to stop using mobile devices of any kind when together as a family, including when we sit down for dinner. No television, no phones...just the family enjoying a meal together and good conversation. And, when it came time to spending quality time in the evenings, on weekends, etc., we would make a point to turn our phones off, and leave the tablets behind. With all the technology available to us, it is understandable how my family and probably yours as well has been pulled in and feeling like we need to stay connected at all times, or our lives would end. I know for me, if I forget my phone in the call or run an errand without it, I feel lost, and find myself rushing home to get it. And, when my husband comes home from work, instead of playing with the girls and reconnecting for the day, he tries to zone out after being stuck in traffic during his 1 hr. commute, by picking up his phone and playing games. But, each and every time we do this, we are losing precious time that could be spent with our families. Like they say, kids are only small for a little while. And, I want to make every point to be present in their lives and enjoy every second of it -- without the need or feeling that I have to check my emails, etc. These distractions need to go, and starting now and as part of our 2014 resolutions, my family is taking the "Say Yes to Less" pledge to less distractions. Do you think we can do it? It is going to be hard, but I know that we can, and that the benefits of spending true quality time with family are worth fighting to overcome our technology addiction.
Once you take the pledge, Little Remedies will set up a "Say Yes to Less" Pledge Page customized to the pledge you and your family took. This page will you keep track of your progress, as you visit and check in daily to note your progress, share updates on your social media pages with family and friends, and remind others to take the "Say Yes to Less" Pledge. Here is an example of what your "Say Yes to Less" Pledge Page could look like (you are looking at my Pledge Page):
Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Little Remedies. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.
This is a good idea for a news years resolution. I think most of us could use less technology and more family time.
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