Photograph Credit: Flickr (Qwikrex)

For the past week, our family has been operating in survival mode. Paul and I have been battling end-of-summer colds. Between little sleep and lack of energy, we have managed to feed our kids and have clean clothes to wear. Everything else has been on hold.

The goal was to get rest and return to good health. Thankfully, I had a great day yesterday. After arriving home from dropping off my son at school, I was able to accomplish the following:

• Clean off the kitchen counters
• Load the dishwasher
• Hand wash milk jugs and crock pot
• Make ice tea
• Feed sourdough bread starter
• Make baby wipes
• Water plants

I then enjoyed about an hour playing restaurant and tea party with my daughters. We added to the disaster in our living room and had a blast. My girls needed Mommy to play, and Mommy needed to recharge after exerting so much energy getting the kitchen cleaned. In using time wisely, I chose to focus on my girls. My house can get cleaned later, but my little ones will be off to school way too soon.

Though I enjoy a clean house, I operate differently during times of illness. These seasons of rest are needed to rejuvenate and recover. Once over the sickness, I am ready to get back to order. My house gets picked up rather quickly, and I can return to active duty.

Life is full of ups and downs, and illness is just part of the journey. Your survival mode will be different from mine, but just letting everything go will help you recover. I know it is not ideal to look at a messy house. In fact, it drives me nuts. But once your energy returns, you can catch up and return to your household duties. With allergy season in the near future, I wish you health and, in times of illness, rest as you operate in survival mode.

Question: What does your survival mode entail? Please add your answer to the comments.