Sick Kiddos

Have you ever read the book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day? It's one of my favorites, because, like the book says, "...some days are just like that." I awoke this morning to one little boy in my bed saying, "Mom, me no feel good." After 20 min. or so, another came in with a stuffy nose and a request to cuddle (highly unusual for that one, so I knew he didn't feel good). My youngest slept til 9, which is highly unusual for him, and I soon realized it was due to him not feeling well either. I could tell, it was going to be a "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day."
Now Mondays are "clean up from the weekend" day, so I couldn't just ignore the mess surrounding me. My boys (though young) still are asked to help with clean up. It may seem "mean" to have my poor, sick children picking up toys and putting away their clothes, but I assure you, they would not have laid quietly on the couch and relaxed! Today I gave them candy for helping because I knew they were not feeling "up to par," and I definitely didn't require as much as I would on a typical Monday. I want them to learn that a cold is not the worst thing in the world, and that the "show must go on." :)
Now, that being said, I would like to add that my boys still have plenty of time to be "kids." With all the sickness, there was more reading books instead of building forts, watching DVD's instead of playing outside, and using Play-Do instead of jumping on the bed. However; the problem with sick boys is that it makes them more grumpy! Though I tried to do some housework and have fun activities for the boys, my youngest seemed to cry "at the drop of a hat" and my middle son had a few tantrums when things didn't go his way. By lunch, I was really needing a break!
At 2pm, I declared it was nap time. My older two boys happily went to there room to read books for a few minutes. I then held my youngest in the rocking chair as he took his nebulizer treatment. As I looked around, I realized there were no toys littering the living room, the kitchen table was cleaned off and dishes were in the sink, and I had somehow managed to do four loads of laundry. Whew! There's plenty more that could have been done, but as I glanced down at my 2 yr old, who was sound asleep, I remembered how much more valuable he was than a mopped kitchen floor.