It’s a lazy day at our house since we just finished taking down all the Christmas decorations.  At our home, we do not have live tv, so we rely on streaming services to bring us shows and movies.  I was recently introduced to a brand new streaming service called Yippee.  We have been checking it out over the past week and have found many new favorite shows.

Yippee is a family friendly service and the only place to stream the brand new VeggieTales episodes, including The Best Christmas Gift and all 45 of the original classic VeggieTales.

There are so many amazing shows on Yippee, like:

• New VeggieTales
• 45 Original Classic VeggiesTales
• Jay Jay the Jet Plane
• Owlegories
• Timbuktoons
• The Adventures from the Book of Virtues
• And hundreds of other episodes hand-picked for your family!

I love having shows that are safe for the whole family.  Interested in checking it out?  Yippee offers a FREE 7 day trial so your family can see what is included.

 

Giveaway:

One lucky reader will win their very own Yippee prize pack!  This includes:

• 3 Month subscription to Yippee
• Yippee Coffee Mug
• Yippee T-Shirt
• Confetti Blaster

Simply fill out the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Each household is only eligible to win Yippee Prize Pack via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

These little books are so cute and can be made quickly!  You could put together some of your favorite Christmas memories for the kids in the books or just everyday pictures.

Head on over to Walgreens.com to put together your very own 4×6 PrintBook. Use the code BOOKWORM at checkout to get 75% off!

This deal expires 1/1.

What a great weekend!  We had a wonderful time as a family and then ended the weekend having some new friends over for a game night.  Found some new-to-us games that are now a favorite!  I’m planning to write a blog post soon about our favorite games for family game night.  Here’s what we plan to make this week:

Monday: Lentil Soup

Tuesday: Secret Ingredient Buffalo Chicken Casserole w/celery

Wednesday: Roast, black eyed peas, collard greens

Thursday: Steak, potatoes

Friday: 15 Bean Soup

Saturday: Grilled Chicken, vegetables

Sunday: Brats, veggies

WOW!  If you need new bedding sets, Walmart.com currently has several Mainstay Bed in a bag sets for $19.99! This includes all sizes, even King!

There are 5 different styles to select from at this price!  These sets include a fitted sheet, flat sheet, comforter, two pillow cases, two shams, and a decorative pillow. Twin sets include only one pillow and one sham while all of the larger sizes include two of each.

Head on over to Walmart.com to see the styles included.

Erin Condren fans can enjoy 20% off all dated 2020 planners and calendars. It’s the perfect time to stock up on must-have planners and Erin Condren products!

Last year I had an Erin Condren Lifeplanner and it has been my favorite planner ever.  I really like seeing things in print in front of me to plan my weeks.  The quality is top notch and you won’t be disappointed with your planner.

I have two of these soft essential oil carrying cases. I actually found it in the Plant Therapy Bargain Bin.  Right now they are offering 20% off the Bargain Bin with code CHEERS at check out!

Currently find this Soft Carrying Case for 16 2.5mL-30mL bottles for only $6.36 and FREE shipping with code CHEERS!  It fits all my bottles, including roll-ons!

There are also some fun oils in the Bargain Bin as well.

Plant Therapy has become one of my favorite websites for essential oils, so check out the rest of the items they have available.  Shipping is always free.

Well, last week didn’t go as planned.  My youngest ended up being diagnosed with the flu and my husband got sick as well.  We had plan to go to Dollywood for a few days with the family, cousins, and my mom, but instead the older 4 kids and I took off with Grandma for just 1 night.  Definitely wish we had a longer time there, but maybe another time.

The week ahead, I hope brings more health and less germs!  We plan to stay home most of the week, except for candlelight service at church.  Here’s what we are making this week:

Monday: Beef Enchiladas 

Tuesday: Cheese tray, veggie tray, salami, spinach dip, and other snacks

Wednesday: Ham, mac and cheese, rolls, green beans

Thursday: Black bean burritos

Friday: Dinner Out

Saturday: Brats, veggies

Sunday: Grilled Sandwiches, soup

Amazon has some great deals on scarves thanks to this awesome 50% Off coupon! Many of them can arrive before Christmas if you order soon with prime!  Check out these deals – 

Women’s Fashion Scarves – $14.99 – click the 50% off coupon – final cost is just $7.50!  24 different prints at this price!

Women’s Blanket Scarves – $16.99 – click the 50% off coupon – final cost is just $8.50!  10 different prints at this price!

Wow!  Right now on Jane.com you can grab Girls Muk Luks Matilda Boots for only $13.99 shipped!  These are available in 6 different colors and sizes 12-3 in girls!

Cute & fashionable knit upper features adorable button accents. Soft faux fur lining keeps little feet cozy warm. Wipe with a damp cloth to clean, no bleach, lay flat to dry.

I’m trying to not barricade my family indoors, especially now that my youngest has been diagnosed with flu B.  My kids are involved in various activities and church groups.  In our circles, we currently have friends with the stomach bug, flu, friends with strep, and friends with respiratory infections.  It’s the rough time of year when so many people get sick.  With a large family, it can take a while for things to cycle through.  Over the years, I have come up with a few ways to help keep my sanity when the kids get sick.  With my personality, I feel so much better when we are prepared for things that life throws our way.

 

Stomach Virus:

First off, I dread stomach bugs.  We had one when kid #4 was a baby that knocked our family out  for over 2 weeks!  It was brutal and everyone was so sick for several days each.  I’ve taken to keeping a stockpile of gatorade, crackers, applesauce, and gingerale on hand just to be prepared at all times.  During that illness, I was also sick and had so many sick littles that I wasn’t able to get to the store, so I always stay prepared now.

We carry gallon size ziplock bags in our cars so that way if someone gets car sick or something strikes suddenly, it’s easy to zip up and toss at the next trash can.  If you’ve ever cleaned a mess out of a carseat, you know how awful that can be.  This is a game changer!  I like to keep disposable vomit bags in the house so I don’t have to clean up bowls or trash cans or the toilet.  These just twist and toss.  So much easier than having a mess everywhere and helps prevent spreading of the virus.

 

Flu:

For the flu, we keep lots of lysol and bleach spray stocked so at any moment we can clean without having to run to the store.  At the first sign of anything, I also switch out the hand towels in the bathroom with paper towels.  We have found that this simple thing has helped keep viruses from spreading.  When someone is sick, multiple times a day, I will go through the house and spray things down with lysol or bleach.

Oscillococcinum is kept on hand for use when needed.  Elderberry spray and vitamin C is doled out every morning during flu season around here as well.  I like the elderberry spray because I can just line the kids up and spray everyone.  It tastes like raisins so no one complains.

Whoever has the flu or stomach bug gets isolated to one area of the house and assigned one bathroom.  No one else other than mom or dad are allowed to be around that child.

Strep:

 

I can’t always run a kid right to the doctor with every sore throat, so thankfully we are able to grab strep test kits off of Amazon.  They are fairly reasonably priced and work great!  I’ve confirmed strep with one of my children with this test kit, made an appointment and doctor confirms!  It has also save us from going when it was just a sore throat.

Lice:

One thing that we have fortunately been spared from this far is lice.  I’ve heard so many horror stories from other large families that have dealt with it, so we try to be proactive.  We use Rosemary Repel from Fairy Tales when we are around large groups of kids or when the kids are involved in plays and such.  Anything where everyone is close together and fixing hair.  So far, so good!

Final Thoughts:

These are things that we keep on hand at our house to try and keep the family healthy.  Of course, please check with your doctor to make sure these suggestions are right for your family.

Handwashing and staying home when sick is the best way to prevent spreading germs or catching viruses.  Lysol works well, but doesn’t get every virus, so using bleach or hydrogen peroxide to clean is important for our family.

Wipe down everything!  Remotes, buttons on the garage door clicker, washing machine controls, fridge handles, iPads and other devices.  Anything that can’t be wiped down, put in the sun for a few days.  Spray the couch with lysol if the fabric allows.  Change sheets.  Throw away toothbrushes.

In addition, when we are around large groups of people, we will come home, shower and change clothes, put our clothes right into the wash, and then spray lysol in the car.  Maybe this is overkill, but any illness can knock our family of 7 out for weeks by the time it’s done.  We’ve been there and it’s not fun.  

Also keep in mind that many times, you are still contagious with a virus even when you feel better. Don’t let your guard down too soon!

Do you have any tips or suggestions on how you keep your family healthy?