Gone for an undisclosed amount of time.

Last week my children all had the stomach flu. Fortunately, it was only a 12 hour bug. Unfortunately, all 4 children were struck. Prior to that, Bentley has suffered with Strep Throat 4 times since July '10. He now gets to visit an ENT for further options/treatment.

This week, I have both boys who tested positive for Strep, & both girls who tested positive for Influenza A. I have not been tested, but oh believe me, I gots it too. Ü After spending approximately over $510 on drs. visits & prescriptions (just this week alone! Monday-Wednesday), a priceless amount of suffering, an undetermined amount on cleaning products/laundry detergent/Ibuprofen - I now have a new priority.

My family is not sick often (Bentley aside - but he also has the worst eating/sleeping habits in our family), other than the occasional allergies/colds, but after this bout, I feel like there is something I am just not doing right. I could be wrong, but I'm going to devote a whole lot of time trying to find a solution to help my children/family. I'm not confident that what we are experiencing is normal, or not normal. I tend to believe we fall in the 'not normal' category.

I have tried diligently to cook more from scratch, incorporate more fruits & veggies, implement adequate sleep, offer daily vitamins, etc. That said, there just seems to be no improvement.

Over the years, I have gone from cleaning with commercial products, to tossing all of those chemicals & going 'green' (I even purchased books to help me transition), then switching back to commercial products. Currently, I'm in between. Some things I use are commercial, others are natural.

I read somewhere, & had a friend confirm via Facebook, that maybe I clean too much. Maybe not "too much" per say, but too thoroughly, if that makes sense. Being I use commercial products that kill this bacteria & that germ, possibly I'm not leaving enough bacteria behind, so my family can build a resistance. To be honest, I have no idea, but with all my might, I hope to find out. What I do know for certain is that I will be transitioning back to all natural products - not only is it less expensive, as we all know, it's much healthier for our bodies (lungs & cute noses, just to name a few). :)

I have felt quite a bit of guilt because I just haven't been able to update my blog as I'd like. I have so many posts to do (including Mercedes' 3rd birthday photos), so many that I want to do, but getting my family healthy takes precedence to my blog. I have to know that I have done everything in power to help them, even if I'm not successful. I'll be able to say I tried. Ü

I know I don't have many who read & I'm so ok with that. But I also know I have a few regulars who check in, only to discover that yet again, there's no new post. My hope is that you'll hang in there with me (I'll still Twitter & Facebook - those don't take as long). And while you're at it, if you have any cleaning tips or vitamin suggestions (or anything else) you can toss my way, bring it & thank you! I have received much advice on Facebook, some I'm implementing, some I'm still researching, but I'm so thankful! I am not a proud person & I will certainly take any & all advice/suggestions you can offer. :)

Thanks for understanding but most importantly, I hope you all stay healthy! I cannot tell you how absolutely horrible these illnesses have been. Do everything you can, too, to rid the bacteria & germs! But be sure to leave some. Teehee. Off to take my Tamiflu! Ü

Bon Voyage!