I am fortunate enough to work from home, so a sick day can be as simple as setting the kids up with a pillow, blanket and a remote control.  Checking in on them with fluid and a thermometer from time to time gets us through the day.

So, in honour of the cold and flu season and the fact that I have already tested this out twice already this school year, I thought I would revisit our family’s Sick Bucket.  This handy plastic tote full of supplies means I am ready for a sick day.  Don’t assume your pantry or medicine cabinet will have what you need when you need it!

What goes inside?

It really depends on your family and the age of your kids.   First, I keep my bucket on a top shelve because I keep a small selection of cold medicine tucked inside.  I also keep gingerale, soda crackers, chicken soup, cough drops and jello.  My freezer has a bag where I hide a box of popsicles and freezies.   I also like to keep a few treats in the bin for the kids.  When they were small I had colouring books and crayons, now that they are both older I have books and word-search books.

Consider pulling together a few supplies so you are not caught when the kids wake up not feeling well.

Read Day 1 and 2 if you are just joining us in your quest to get ready for Christmas early enough to still have some holiday fun

Day 3…. Wednesdays is my project day. I like to use this day to get things done that I have either been avoiding or really want to get into. I stay up late once a week and this is the day! So, if you have any projects you want to get done before Christmas, consider making today your project day. If you are wondering what a project is - well anything that you need to get done (maybe a craft or homemade gift) or some extra cleaning. Having a late day each week means you have enough time to get into something and make progress. For me it is a big mess in the storage area of my basement and some of the cleaning I leave till later. I don’t do major cleaning at this time of year because I find when I put the holiday decorations away I like to do it then - I have more time (still busy with back to school settling in) and the new year is a great time to renew the house! So with the exception of the windows don’t feel you have to scrub everything down like your mom did - unless of course you enjoy that and January is not a good time for you!

Now - if you are like me you may have a list that is too long to accomplish overnight. So make the list and decide what you NEED and want to have done by the time the holiday season rolls around. Then break the tasks up into chunks that you can work with and starting tonight and until the end of November - make Wednesday night your project night!

For me…. tonight I will be pulling out a bunch of junk that we do not need in preparation for a yard sale we are having on Saturday. I am also working on my spice drawer and cutlery drawers - right now they are upside down and it is driving me crazy!

One final note - if your project lis is too long you might want to consider joining the CPO Clutter Control Club. The club gives you a step by step approach to getting your clutter under control. Click here to find out more….