Today, PediaCare asked me to write about the activities I do with my kids when they are stuck at home sick. You know, to pass the time in a productive fashion. Yup. Head nod. Mmmmhm. Of course.
Immediately, I thought of all the amazing projects Mazzy and I accomplished a few months ago when she stayed home from preschool with bronchitis. From the second Mazzy woke up feverish and hacking up a lung, I was determined to make sure each moment was more creative and action-packed than the last.
What better way to start a sick day than with strawberry banana pancakes created entirely out of felt!
Photo Source: Lisajhoney on flickr
After breakfast, Mazzy ran around the apartment collecting the excess fabric I have lying around the house for such an occasion, and then, between snotsucking and nose wiping, I sewed all the material into what I call “GET WELL WINGS”.
Photo Source: Handmade Charlotte
When Mazzy skipped her nap due to the discomfort of excessive phlegm build-up in her throat, we passed the time making a chrysanthemum mirror out of 300 plastic spoons.
Isn’t it beautiful? And not tedious at all!
Photo Source: Addicted2Decorating
What? You don’t do this sort of thing when your child is home ill? Please don’t tell me you let them sit on the couch all day covered in snotty tissues with their glassy little eyes fixated on the television! You don’t have all three Toy Stories cued up on the DVD player, an iPad with 50 todler apps at your child’s germy fingertips and a season of Dora the Explorer playing on a loop…
DO YOU????
Nope, sick days are an opportunity for parent/child activities and kid-friendly crafts! At the end of the day, you should have something to show for it! I was just kidding about that whole television thing. You would NEVER do that.
When Mazzy gets sick, instead of parking ourselves on the couch in the living room, we spend the time in our fully-supplied craft room full of ribbons, buttons and all the materials one would need should we have the sudden urge to decoupage.
You’d be surprised how often the urge to decoupage arises. Usually right after a particularly bad stomach bug. I always say— if you are going to have bodily fluids coming out of both ends, you better have a container of Mod Podge at the ready!
If you don’t have a beautiful craft room full of supplies, that is no excuse. You can make very simple crafts out of household garbage. Like these easy-to-execute toilet paper roll silhouettes.
Photo source: Anastassia Alias
If you don’t feel comfortable handing your three-year-old an exacto knife, especially when she is delirious with a fever, don’t worry— there are tons of toilet paper roll crafts you can create with one hand while using your other hand to take your daughter’s temperature or wipe her sweating brow.
Like these pasta toilet paper roll bracelet cuffs!
Photo Source: Hostess with the Mostess
Worried that the fumes from the spray paint might not be what the doctor ordered?
Well then, how about this simple toilet paper roll family:
Not only can you spend hours deciding on the perfect outift for each family member, but when you are done you can use them to reenact scenes in which the children are sick and begging Mom to watch Curious George on Netflix and Mom is like, “NOOOOOOO! Let’s do more CRAFTS and EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES! SICK DAYS ARE WHERE MEMORIES ARE BORN!!!”
Still too difficult? FINE. Have it your way. Make a toilet paper mummy and then turn on Calliou.
Just don’t expect Pediacare to call on you to document your day.
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PediaCare® Multi-Symptom
Cold Plus Acetaminophen is specially developed for kids (ages 4-11) and provides
safe and effective relief for your child’s cough, cold, and fever. It is an over-the-counter solution and comes in kid-friendly grape flavor.
Use the symptom checker at PediaCare.com to select the right product for your
child and be sure to consult their simple dosing chart. You can find ideas for sick day activities and useful information about childhood illness at Facebook.com/PediaCare.
This is a sponsored post by PediaCare but all thoughts on crafting are my own.
When my kids are sick, we repaint the living room ceiling, ala the Sistine Chapel, create elaborate puppet shows – complete with cardboard cut-out theater, and act out our favorite scenes from the Bible. I always get stuck being Job. Or…I tell them that sick kids need lots of sleep, curl up next to them on the couch under a blanket and try to catch a few Zzzz’s after cueing up the Sprout channel on Demand. One or the other.
http://amysreallife.com
Loved this post — I have three kids and am an Art Director and Illustrator by training. And the truth is that I still have to talk myself into breaking out the glitter/paint/Modge Podge on a good day, never mind a sick day. (is it bad that I know the havoc they can wreak and default to board games?) I think I might wait to try out that chrysanthemum mirror until my kids have, em, left for university. 🙂
Wow, truth in blogging! LOVE YOU.
This post is hilarious!!!!! When we are sick, heck even when we’re well, we just veg on the couch most of the day. No shame!!!!!!!!!!!
I really want to make that mirror out of spoons.. but where do you even find blue spoons?!
Most dollar stores have various colored spoons in the party supply section. 😉
Who has time for crafts? When my kids are sick we use the extra time for important stuff like roof repairs and repaving our driveway. Your kids have not lived until they have hung some new shingles or poured cement.
Confession… I pinned the toilet paper family. Sick days be damned! Not actually though. Sick days are for drinking Sprite and never leaving the couch or turning off the TV – even as an adult.
Gasp! You didn’t hand-sew individual feathers on those get-well wings! Methinks someone’s getting a tad lazy! 😉
School? Crafts? Doesn’t that cut into wallet making time? Their fingers are so nimble at that age.
Heh heh heh. This was awesome!
What? You weren’t going to paint them yourself? LOL!!!
I just tried to teach my girls to sew recently (which made this post even funnier, if that’s possible). And they were healthy when I tried it. I think beating my head against a wall for four hours would be a lot more fun. Pins, scissors, and having to take turns on a sewing machine do not make a fun day for young girls. And PS.: Sewing is NOT a spectator sport. So glad we didn’t try this when they were sick to boot.
Hilarious post as always! Thanks for the belly laugh!
i’m dying reading this b/c I took my kid to the craft store yesterday to have things on hand to do on sick days. But it’s like shrinky dinks and coloring books. Clearly I undershot.
You know, one of the many things I love about you is the fact that even when you’re being paid to write about something, you aren’t “for sale”! I’m pretty sure pedialyte didn’t expect such total and complete sarcasm when thy invited you to write about the Fun! Things! You! Do! When Mazzy is sick. Seriously, Iliana, I SO needed this today. Had a bad allergy morning with the kiddos and this helped lighten my spirits immeasurably. Rock on, girl!!
OMIGOSH! I sooo needed that post! We are on day 3 of snot and hacking whilst glued to the TV. I *actually* thought to myself – maybe I should try to do a craft or something with them today… hahaha…
I can’t even get my kid to draw a picture of Clifford when she’s perfectly healthy, much less make a chrysanthemum mirror out of plastic spoons when she’s sick. Who the fuck are these so-called “crafty” moms trying to kid, anyway? And come to think of it, who ARE these crafty moms and WHERE do they live? Because I sure as hell have yet to meet one in real life.
Thank you for saying that! I really do try to put my readers first when I write these things. My argument being— if you guys don’t want to read the post than it’s not going to be very effective for the brand. And I have to think, if a brand is reaching out to me, they like my voice and I should make sure I keep my voice in there.
That being said, every time I publish a sponsored post, I get scared that the client is going to be pissed. But it’s never happened. They always think it’s really funny and tell me so. I was really scared with my Cottonelle post last week but they loved it.
I’m a fan of PediaCare or else I wouldn’t be writing for them— I actually checked with a pediatrician before I decided to become a brand ambassador. I’m sure they just meant for me to have Mazzy use a coloring book or something similar as an “activity”, but that would be the most boring post ever!
HAHA, as if making a wreath of already colored spoons wasn’t tedious enough.
If you click the link under the pic, there is a full tutorial. You’ll find that she uses plain white spoons and spray paints them.
Well, I hope to one day be able to reap some monetary rewards from my blog (in addition to the joy I have writing it and the awesome people I’ve met through it) and I can only hope that if and when I’m offered paid gigs, I can keep this wisdom in mind. You handle it well! By the way, LOVED the Cottonelle post! I’m afraid you and I are in the same boat – I had no idea I was supposed to use wipes after…um, going! Guess potty training 33 years ago wasn’t done as well as it should have been. Think I need to call my mom and voice a complaint… 🙂
You are awesome. You had me at “get well wings.”
Ahhh spray paint! Brilliant.