I thought it was safe to say that we were leaving all of the vomit and coughing behind in 2013, but alas, the best laid plans of houses filled with 15 people and a boatload of germs are often filled with more bouts of stomach flu, so I am entering 2014 amidst a wave of nausea-filled anxiety and tears.

“What do you mean we aren’t doing anything today? AGAIN? I want to do something! When are we going to DO something? Why can’t we do anything?” —My children, every day, for the past eight.

Well, *I* did a lot of things this week, I don’t know what they are complaining about. I lysol-sprayed and wiped down the same toilet 11,300 times. I did 814 loads of laundry. I prepared several dozen bland meals. I fetched hundreds of drinks. I opened many windows. I washed my hands until they were raw.

I watched many episodes of Jessie and Austin & Ally. I even watched that Jessie and Austin & Ally mashup episode. Twice. Maybe thrice.

We had some actual lovely things planned to do while in Atlanta spending time with grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins and friends. Aquariums and Coke museums and skating rinks and malls and movies and meals out. But without being in possession of those yellow biohazard Outbreak suits, we aren’t going terribly far, or anywhere where there might be crowds. And let’s just say that the few times we tried ended, uh, vomity.

So this is how it came to be that my word for 2014 is DO. 

If we ever see the day that this nasty virus is behind us

—please please please please please let that day be soon—

you won’t even believe how much DO there will be.

We are ready.

As soon and we can stop hurling…