Things I hate: Cold and Flu Season!

Since my son started school at the end of August, we have had a different bug floating through our family every week.  We just recover from one and soon another new nasty is invades us.  Lysol and hand sanitizer has become my new best friends.  Woman's Day Magazine named six of the germiest places as he first floor elevator button, ATM keys, your desktop, the playground, the cutting board (more germs than your toliet seat if you can believe that) and shopping carts.  In a recent study 80 percent of the shopping carts tested positive for E. coli! I'm going to add my own germy place to the list, fast food resturant high chairs.  I always wipe them down before sliding my little into one.  Touch a dirty high chair, touch the food, food goes into mouth...instant trip to the doc's office.

I did some research on ways to stay healthy during this virus infected season and came up with these the most: Keep your hands off your face. It's a major way for the nasties to get into your body.  Stay hydrated. Stay warm.  Dress in layers, keep socks on your feet.  Carry sanitizer with you at all times and disinfect, disinfect, DISINFECT!

I found some really cool "make your own" hand santitzer recipes on The Soap Queen's blog:  http://soap-queen.blogspot.com/2009/11/natural-hand-sanitizing-recipes.html .  I haven't tried them yet, but I'm going to.  If I don't, I'm going to have to get a second job to cover the cost of cleaning supplies. 

On, a brighter note, me being...well, me...I found away to tie in some fun with all this ick (for lack of a better word).

I saw the cutest little tissue cozies on Martha's the other day.  I decided to whip up a quick one to show you all.  When I say quick, I mean quick.  It took about 10 minutes, give or take.  Now mine is kind of plain, but depending on your creativity level, the possiblities are endless. 

It was real simple to do. Just cut out a 6 3/4 by 5 7/8 inch square. 

Fold up the two end so meet in the middle and sew the ends close. 

Martha sewed her's on a machine and pinked the edges.   I sewed mine by hand with a blanket stitch or you could use a whip stitch too.  I added some felt roses and leaves, but you could use buttons, sequins ( make it really jazzy), felt circles, squares, flowers, beads.  Like I said, the posiblities are endless.

Give someone a "be healthy" basket for christmas.  Fill it with tissues, some homemade hand sanitizer, lysol, clorox wipes and there you go.  One less present to worry about. And it's a gift everyone just about anyone can use, especially teachers.