Winter's here. I'm starkly reminded of this every morning by the absence of chirping birds, the obvious reluctance of the sun to get up and the sniffles and sneezes I hear coming from the bedrooms around me.
Which is fine, we can deal with their colds. A day under mother's care and they're usually right as rain (which is probably what made them sick in the first place, silly kids).
It's when we're hit by the so-called "common cold" that things start to go pear shaped and the usual workings of the household grind to a sudden halt.
So to get you back on your feet as soon as possible we've compiled a list of ten essentials you need to have if you're going to beat your cold quickly.
1. Tissues - Obviously. The softer the better.
2. Baby Bum Crème - Because no matter how soft your tissues are your nose is very sensitive.
3. Strepsils - Will help you keep your voice and stop sore throats. Some of them don't taste too bad either.
4. Water and Vitamin C - And lots of it.
5. MedLemon - My least favourite item on the list, but in terms of effectiveness it's right up there.
6. Hot Water Bottle - Because you'll be in bed, may as well get cosy…
7. Chocolate - What makes you feel better than chocolate?
8. A few good DVDs - Take your mind off your ailments and let the medicine take effect.
9. Or a book - If like me you're more that way inclined.
10. Contingency plan in place for cooking and cleaning. You don't plan on being MIA for too long, so make sure when sickness strikes the hubby and kids and prepared and ready to take up a few extra duties on your behalf.
While this last idea may be a foreign concept to many families, simply explain that you need the rest; they'll eventually understand.
The main thing to remember is that you NEED rest to get better. You can't carry on like normal being supermom, superwife, and superemployee without feeling the effects tenfold later on.