When a Big Family All Gets Covid

It just keeps going and going and going

With a big family, sicknesses tend to play out the same.

What should take a week of recovery turns into a month-long episode in our house. When the first person gets sick, it trickles down one by one kiddo over the next several days.

I’m usually able to hold out to the end, so I can care for everyone (it’s a mom’s superpower).

I load them with teas, tonics, and natural healing remedies while putting special emphasis on nurturing foods. And usually, just when I think it’s coming to an end, it hits me like a ton of bricks.

Thankfully the first person is usually recovering by that point so they can take over.

So when my kids tested positive for Covid, I knew what we were in for.

In my big family, privacy is not really a thing. We share most everything. If we need alone time, we can purposely create it, but it’s never a given. When someone is going through, well anything, we’re all pretty much part of it.

It’s just our normal.

So I had no doubt we’d already exposed each other. All I could do was prepare to hunker down.

I knew how this was going to play out.

Since my daughter and I still felt good, we started preparing simple foods and fresh juices. I wanted to stock the fridge and freezer so there was something ready and available.

I’m a big believer in preventive living and do my best, but when sickness hits, there’s not always a lot that can be done. So I try to focus on nourishing, hydrating, and of course, resting.

I’ve been preparing elderberry tea and warm ginger and turmeric tea each day. We also take a tablespoon of fire cider each morning — a folk remedy packed with lots of healing goodness. And of course, elderberry syrup.

But Covid packs a powerful punch.

The kids have all reacted a bit differently, some worse than others. We’re quite a sight right now. We laid an extra mattress in the living room and made it up into a bed. It’s pushed up to the sectional so we can watch movies together when we’re up to it.

We’ve been working on some trilogies.

The dishes are piled, and now, even the dog seems sick.

Once I finally got Covid, trying to keep up with cleaning went out the window. But the house and everything else I’m behind on will eventually work itself out.

We’re just doing black and pinto beans in the instant pot. I had already made the salsas (they freeze wonderfully). Two minutes of effort and it feeds us all. Simple.

Being sick always reminds me of how much of a blessing health is and what truly matters in life. Having a big family does entail more time and effort for most everything. And yes, it can be crazy, chaotic, and oftentimes overwhelming. But the closeness and connection are priceless.

Covid has only emphasized how important family is in every single way.