How to Protect Your Kids from Ebola

We Moms Are Freaking Out But Seriously, Should We? 

First let me say I am not a doctor and I don't play one on TV. So therefore it follows that this advice is just one mom trying figure out this Ebola threat to her cubs and sharing what I know. 

Next let me say that I am writing this post from my iPhone bc my computer flipped out on me again today and looked like this...

which was thoroughly thrilling to say the least. 

Of course the first appointment I could get at the "Genius Bar" was not until Friday so I schlepped over to Millenia's Apple store, briefly stopping at the Microsoft store and wondering why the Apple store looked so different and was so empty. 

Once I realized I was a total airhead I found my way to the actual Genius Bar which is not very ingenious if you ask me since you can't get by the guard dog without am appointment. Yes I know MB you have connections but I don't and I had to use my charm which at my age is not as easy as it was just a few years ago and...I was dealing with trying to charm a twenty-sometjing girl NOT a twenty-something guy who at my age is surprisingly easy to charm.

I was able to get by the girl guard dog by explaining that my computer was the means to my paycheck and I needed to try to get it fixed ASAP and long story short, I was able to drop it off. They think it is a bracket of some sort but if not that, it's the hard drive again and they will have to wipe it clean. 

Luckily I have two back ups (maybe) and I'm hoping to be off of this phone tomorrow and back to my MAC. 

So...give me a break with any typos as these 46 year old eyes are not what they used to be and as usual, I cannot find my glasses. 

Whew. So Anyway Back to Ebola

I had drinks with my girls LJ and Amy K today after work and my girl LJ who has three kids was a bit concerned about how exactly to go about protecting her kids from the threat of the a Ebola virus. I have not really seen her so concerned before over a possible threat to her kids. 

The funny thing is, she just recently started to pay closer attention to the mainstream media and it is freaking her out. 

Now I think there are two sides to the hype that is out there about Ebola. First, it is scaring the holy hell out of moms and dads, and possibly kids, across the country. This is not good. It serves no purpose. 

Next, the media hype surrounding the Ebola virus is hopefully giving people the information they need to protect themselves and their children from the virus. And from what I can gather, there are three ways we can take personal action to currently protect ourselves and our children from this virus and it's the same orecautions we are already taking to protect ourselves from many viruses out there. 

How To Protect Your Kids from Ebola

1. Wash Those Hands - According to the the CDC (Center for Disease Control) website, Ebola is spread through direct contact through broken skin or mucous membranes in, for example, the eyes, nose, or mouth. Help your kiddos learn the importance of proper hand washing. This is imperative to get them to do througout the day and especially after returning from school or being out of the house. This is an easy behavior to model for them and I believe this is the #1 thing we can do to protect ourselves and our kids from the threat of Ebola. Also, keep any cuts or boo boos covered with a bandaid. 

2. Up The Resistance - Keeping the entire family healthy by building up their resistance is a must. There are lots of ways to do this and I am sure you have your parental arsenal at your fingertips. Elderberry supplements, eating a healthy whole food organic diet (Lord knows this is a tough one for my kiddos especially when I find myself running to Panera    instead of cooking), vitamin D supplements if your doctor agrees, exercise, and trying to decrease stress are some ways to work to increase resistance to illness.

3. Sleep Sleep Sleep - My favorite thing to do in the world (well almost) is an adjunct to #2 but I feel it is important enough to stand alone. Again, this is one I struggle with but my little bit is going to bed early tonight because she has a bit of a sore throat and I want to nip it in the bud before it gets worse. Sleep is exceedingly restorative not only for our parental sanity, but to keep illness at bay. 

You can check out the CDC website for more information at http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/?mobile=nocontent (sorry for the ugly link but I'm mobile and have no idea how to hyperlink) but you know I like to do my own research and I encourage you to do the same with an eye on keeping the hype in check. 

Finally, if your kids are having trouble fighting off a fever even with medication, run them to the doctor. There are a lot of "bugs"out there right now and it makes sense to stay vigilant without scaring the hell out of our kids or ourselves.