Autumn Leaves

There are lots of things I like about Autumn, the nights drawing in; sitting snuggled under a blanket with a hot chocolate in front of the Fire, watching Strictly Come Dancing. Taking the children to stomp through the leaves in the park, woolly hats and jumpers! I just like to feel cosy in my own little bubble.

What I hate about Autumn is the number of illnesses. It's only early Snotober (the name for October in our house) and we've already had three colds, several coughs and one bout of Croup. I used to think it was only Sicktember that was bad but it definitely carries on.
I know kids get coughs and colds, I know its a normal part of life and in the long run it bolsters their immune system; but I'm afraid I don't find those facts reassuring at 3am as I lie listening to whichever child coughing up a lung in a night that never seems to end.

I don't enjoy being coughed and sneezed over and then calculating roughly how long it will be till I have it too; and as for the sensationalising news articles about the latest vomiting bug or this year...dysentery! Well they just drive me to distraction...cue the preparations of the sickness kit. Yes we seriously have one of those.

I used to love Autumn and everything that came with it, the build up to Christmas and Halloween and Bonfire night, but now more and more I find that I count down to March, the start of Spring and the lighter nights.