My two youngest have just recovered from a cold?…the flu? …..H1N1 (formerly known as Swine flu)? A friend of mine said that her pediatrician told her that in our area H1N1 is presenting itself as a mild, upper respiratory, low grade fever kind of flu. That’s exactly what the boys had. Fingers crossed!
But that still doesn’t ease my mind about getting the vaccine (I’m still undecided) or if we should get the regular flu vaccine (which I wrestle with every year, decide not to and then sit on pins and needles all season worrying that I made the wrong decision) or if this last thing that passed between them (daughter and husband still healthy, I just had the achies for a day) will come back to haunt us in just one more day. Hold on, guys! I know you can do it!
You see, Halloween is a big deal in our house. Probably because we don’t keep candy in the house or even eat candy that much all year-round. But at Halloween we let them have a free for all, eating as much as they want for the week or two. Eventually, they forget about the candy (I’m not kidding) and I can toss the leftovers and they never ask what happened to it.
But when they’re sick? No candy. No sugar. My husband (Chinese Medicine Man) calls sugar “Rocket fuel for a cold.” And having to give up sugar at the only time of year we let them eat candy with abandon would be torture in this house.
Plus, I remember a Halloween not so long ago…ok, 40 years ago…when a sweet little girl had to miss Halloween. She missed the Halloween parties. She missed wearing her costume to school. (Remember when you could do that and not offend anyone?) She missed….trick or treating. She had the chicken pox. And all she could do (because she felt fine, her skin just decided to try on a polka-dotted costume that wouldn’t wash away) was stand about 18ft. from the front door and watch all the trick-o- treaters come and go. She had a very dear friend who carried around an extra plastic pumpkin to fill for her. But it wasn’t the same.
So, fingers are crossed. Toes are crossed. We’re eating Flintstone vitamins like, well, candy around here. 
Hope everyone out there has a safe AND healthy Halloween!
Theycallmejane's Blog 
Aw, I hope it works out! My kids always got to wear a costume to school in NJ, but on the Vineyard they don’t. Except at the HS kids come dressed up, which is really fun. This year they were told NOT to come dressed as a pig or as the H1N1 virus. Seriously. What? do they think that will offend someone????
Fingers crossed for your family. I love Halloween!
I miss Halloween. We don’t really get any kids that come to our house. None of our friends have Halloween parties. I just gave up on the whole thing and I miss it.
That is so sweet that your friend carried around an extra plastic pumpkin for you, even if it wasn’t the same.
Here’s to hoping you don’t have to go house-to-house with buckets collecting candy for your kids!
Oh, I feel for them…and you!
And once, 35 years ago, there was a little girl in snowbound North Dakota, feverish with pneumonia, who wore her koala costume and waved her sister, who carried an extra pumpkin, out the door.
I like halloween. We’re headed to Weston’s class party shortly…Star wars stuff…I’m princess Leah, Wes is a clone trooper and Liam is Yoda. 🙂
My costume this year is the H1N1 virus. 🙂
Did you and the kids carve the pumpkins in that photo? If so, very nice!
Yep, gorgeous pumpkins. We got flu shots (H1N1) yesterday. My arm hurts. My kids wore costumes to school today — haven’t heard any stories about people getting offended yet. Hope your little pumpkins can consume enough vitamin c to hold out until Sunday. Nobody feels much like eating candy when they’re sick anyway, I don’t think.
Hope they’re feeling better in time to enjoy their annual treat. Apples and oranges may be much better for the immune system but they just don;t cut it with kids as Halloween ‘sports candy’.
Keeping My Fingers Crossed:)
Evan has gotten sick the last two Halloweens. Now he’s on preschool, and I’m on pins and needles to see what he brings home tonight.
i live in australia (but am from california) where halloween is completely under appreciated. it’s almost enough of a reason to move home.
good call on not getting the vaccine!
My youngest missed 3 Halloweens in a row because of illness and on the next one when she was well… it rained.