There's a new Sheriff in town.

There's a new Sheriff in town, and his name is "Hand Sanitizer."

I am so tired of being sick.  The excitement of the Puffs Plus with Vicks has worn off.  I'm no longer looking for a reason to blow my nose, thanks anyway.  Instead, I'd be happy with just one day of feeling like my old self.  I long for the days when I'd look outside at the bright sunshine and actually have a desire to be outside working, getting dirty, doing something.  I think I've spend the tail end of the summer inside, cursing the heat, feeling just under the weather enough to not want to have fun.

And now, here we are, two days away from my 20-year high school reunion.

I've been trying the apple cider vinegar trick.  I started taking some vitamin C.  Nothing.

We knew putting Caleb in daycare was going to inevitably lead to some runny noses and coughs; we did not realize it was going to wipe out our family tree as it spread like wildfire through the house.  Much like the game "Operator," each version of the bug we get back is a little bit different than the last, and wipes us out all over again.

We figured Caleb might show some wear and tear; we never thought about the rest of us.

Considering Caleb still kisses with an open mouth, it's time we start taking some preventative measures around here to wipe out colds and germs before they stick.

I bought a Shark Steam Mop yesterday from Lowe's, and went to town steaming and sanitizing the floors.  Today, the word of the day is going to be "Lysol."  Barring any unforeseen chemical reactions, the word for this afternoon might be "bleach."  I just don't know what else to do.

I curled up on the couch last night, Nook in one hand, two bags of throat lozenges ("with vitamin C added!") in the other.  Before I even got to the couch, I stated I was heading into the bedroom to grab a sweatshirt.

(Reminder:  We live in Florida.)

I couldn't find a sweatshirt, but came back out decked in my old Army sweats (the PT uniform before they got so high-speed) and a 20-pound Victoria's Secret terrycloth bathrobe that could warm a polar bear.  I slept in the whole get-up, too, underneath a lightweight blanket plus a down comforter.

I woke up this morning around 4am, parched.  My head felt like it was lodged in the crack of someone's couch being squeezed by fat people from all angles.  I willed my husband to wake up by staring at his side of the bed.  "Please wake up," I thought to him.  "I need some Gatorade."

He either didn't hear me or chose to ignore my telepathic plea for liquid, and I think it was the latter.  He's relatively sneaky like that, plus I went to bed on a bad note after making some kind of crack about him not hearing Caleb cough on the monitor.  I think I said, "Can you turn the tv down so you can hear Caleb when he coughs?" and then I went on to add, "He is your child too, you know."  Meaning, hey, I'm burning up over here on the couch, feeling like I'm about to enter Dante's ninth level of hell, ... could you maybe get up and tend to the baby when he cries?

Like that.

Now you know why I think he was faking at 4am.

How do you deal with cold and flu season?  What's in your arsenal?  Opening up the house?  Fresh air?  Lots of orange juice?  Extra rest?  I know we can't be the only household passing the germs, so how do you keep your family feeling good after the back-to-school germs start their endless trek?