This is a sponsored post on behalf of Clorox.
One winter I missed 3 holiday parties. 3 parties. Just a little background on me: I’m an introvert, but I do love a good party. Whether it’s a sit-down dinner with friends, or a legit dance party, I have a heart for it. So, when I had to miss 3 holiday parties due to the flu, I pretty much felt like all the fun things were happening without me.
First party FOMO situation was during my friend’s Ugly Sweater Party. I had the perfect sweater, and was excited about seeing old and new friends. That party was on a Thursday. Next was a small get-together with a few work friends. We were planning to bring the kids together, eat appetizers, and spend a few hours laughing over past work experiences. We do this one a few times a year, but the holiday version of this party is always the most fun. Last was my husband’s work party. I’ve only met a handful of his work buddies, so this was going to be the party to create a nervous excitement. And I had a pretty dress for it.
What happened? I got the flu. I mean, I got it bad. You know those flu situations where you feel like you’re dying just a little, but not enough to roll out of bed to go to the hospital? Yeah, that kind of flu. The worst part was that I had 3 little ones in the house, including a months old baby. Not only did I have to quarantine myself in our tiny apartment, I had to instruct everyone to keep all surfaces clean.
While I love having some couch potato time, I was literally stuck in bed for 3 days. I watched movies on the television and on my tablet, I played a few games on my cell phone, I also avoided social media as much as possible. I logged in once, saw the fun photos from the Ugly Sweater party, and logged right back out. Ugh! They looked like they were having so much fun. I cursed the flu for 72 hours. I also slept. Sleep is great, unless you’re sick. Sick sleep is NOT peaceful.
I called in the big guns to keep everything disinfected. With a healthy and very able husband around, he grabbed a canister of Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, and cleaned every doorknob, counter, light switch and remote in the place. I even kept a canister with me so I could wipe down the master bathroom and my own remote. That is, when I had the energy to do so. Why does the flu zap ALL of your energy?
Anyway, since missing all of that fun, I’ve grown wiser about FluFOMO. Brandon and I now have “clean up drills” during the cold & flu seasons: we grab Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, and go around the house, wiping down the things we touch the most. Also, I use the Sickweather app and the FluFOMO tracker on the Clorox website. It shows me if there is a high or low risk of the flu in our area, so we can prepare our bodies for what may come.
My goal is to never miss a holiday party ever again. OK, that’s a lofty goal, but I would love to be healthy enough to attend anything we may be invited to. Now, I’m off to clean the remotes again.
