As many of you know, the flu is banned from my house.  If Madison gets sick with the flu, we most likely end up in the hospital.  That is why I try to do everything possible to keep my family cold and flu free.

1.  Flu shot.  Flu Shot.  Flu Shot.  This is the #1 way to avoid the flu.  The kids and I get flu shots every year.  This was the advice of both Madison’s geneticist and pediatrician.

2.  Vitamins.  My kids take a daily vitamin.  (If you have a kid like my son Will who won’t take them, keep looking for a character one.  I recently found a Spiderman one and now, no more fighting!)

3.  Eat healthy.  Try to get your kids to eat healthy balanced meals.

4.  Hand washing.  That is the number one to stop the flu in its tracks.

5.  Lysol is my friend.  When the fly hits the schools hard, I often find myself Lysoling all our door handles and anything else everybody touches.

6.  Wash bedding more frequently.  I try to make sure that everyone’s bedding gets washed at least once a week during the flu season.

7.  We don’t share cups.  This is the easiest way to stop the spreading of germs.

8.  I also try to keep chicken noodle soup on hand. It is something like to eat when I start feeling like I’m getting sick.

9.  I also try to keep lemons on hand.  I make myself hot lemon drinks when I feel like I am getting sick.  It’s a combination of lemon juice, hot water, and sugar (you just keep adding the sugar till you can stand the taste.)

10.  Lots of sleep.  I also try to make sure that everybody gets enough sleep during flu season.  I think sleep can help ward off most illnesses.

What do you do to keep the flu and colds out of your house?  Do you do any of these tips or do you have any of your own?  Hopefully, we can all remain flueless this year!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Lysol blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.