Blog Posts by Yahoo! Contributor Network

Freshen up with makeup even when you're feeling sick.

When you're stuck at home with the flu or just aren't feeling like yourself, take good care of yourself by freshening up your appearance. Even though you might not be feeling 100 percent on the inside, a few updates on the outside can help you feel a little better and help you get through those tough days of recovery. Making sure you take your time to get better is essential. You might need more sleep or naps than usual, will need to drink more fluids, and will also need to eat healthy and nutritious meals to get your energy back.

Try some of these tips for looking your best when you're under the weather:

Keep Tissues on Hand

Take care of a stuffy nose or watery eyes by stocking up on plenty of tissues for the bedroom, living areas, and your car. Keep tissues on hand for those mini-emergencies so you don't have to keep running to the restroom. Use moisturizer-infused tissues to prevent your skin from chafing and flaking.

Freshen Up with Makeup

A little bit of

Make sure your child's backpack is stocked for cold season.

Achoo! Achoo! Sniff, sniff. With cold and flu season almost upon us, I've already started to hear those dreaded sounds coming from my children. In my house, it's never just one child with a cold, either. One child passes the cold on to another who passes it to Mom or Dad who passes it to another child who passes it to the remaining parent. This is when the cycle starts all over again. Managing kids with colds is a fine science-we keep our house, and their backpacks, well stocked with what we need to give the kids a (cold) fighting chance.

Anti-bacterial hand sanitizer

We've learned that it's a good idea to keep a small bottle of anti-bacterial hand sanitizer in my daughters' backpack during the school year. If possible, look for a keychain bottle that you can hang from your child's backpack so that you don't need to worry about spills. Encourage your child to use the hand sanitizer after they cough or sneeze, if they forget to wash their hands after using the bathroom, and

Set up a nail-painting station.Every girl likes to be pampered, and your daughter is likely no exception. Having a spa night at home with your favorite girl is a fun and relaxing way to spend an evening, and doesn't have to cost very much. With a few simple ideas and some easy preparation, you and your daughter can enjoy a calming night at home, while you chat, bond and get pretty in the process.

Here are a few ways you can turn your home into your very own mini-spa:

Set the mood -- If possible, try to send your spouse and other children out for the evening so distractions can be at a minimum. Turn the lights down, light a few scented candles and select some soothing music. My 11-year-old daughter suggests downloading apps on your phone or music player that allow you to play relaxing sounds, like waves crashing or rain falling. Or, you could opt for more upbeat selections -- remember, you want to relax, not fall asleep!

Get comfy -- Get into your fluffiest robe and slippers, or slide on a pair of sweat pants or

Bedtime can be difficult when everyone is sick.From headaches to tummy aches, fevers to flu, when kids get sick, parents kick into gear. We know that when our child is sick, the one thing they need the most is plenty of bed rest. This is easy to do when one family member is down for the count, but what about when the whole family is sick?

When mom and dad, as well as the kids, are under the weather, keeping a consistent family bedtime routine is not easy. Here are five tips to manage bedtime and ensure everyone - kids and parents - all get the rest they need:

1. Plan ahead for bedtime - Depending on your child's age, prepare them to be as self-sufficient as possible. Gather a nest of materials around them before bed, including tissues, ice water, a trash can, or any other items they may need. Prepare books, magazines, the remote control, or other items within reach, so that they can keep themselves entertained if they wake up early, without disturbing other family members still sleeping.

2. Switch bedrooms when needed - When the

French onion soup can be prepared in advance.

There's a lot to look forward to on Christmas Day, but spending hours in the kitchen isn't one of them. Why not break up your Christmas dinner preparation into two days and leave yourself more time to enjoy the holiday with your family? Many of the traditional holiday dishes can be prepped the day before to greatly reduce your kitchen time on the big day. In fact, for many dishes, allowing that extra day for flavors to develop and meld can make them taste even better. Here are some smart, healthy versions of America's favorite holiday sides and desserts to keep you out of the kitchen and with your family where you belong.

1. French Onion Soup

French onion soup is a favorite first course for my family, and is a great choice for cold and flu season. Did you know that onions are high in flavonoids and vitamin C? These boost the immune system to help ward off colds. This recipe substitutes the butter for the healthier fats found in olive oil. It also uses less cheese than

Make sure your kids brush their teeth!As a mom of two tweens, I'm well-aware of the battles good hygiene habits can create. It's pretty much a given my 9-year-old son will attempt to race out the house each morning without brushing his teeth. And my nearly 12-year-old daughter would be perfectly content not showering for two days, despite her hair's lanky appearance. Hygiene? It's just not on the radar for either of them.

While peer pressure about grooming -- and the willingness to impress the opposite sex -- usually kicks in when kids become teens, younger children often don't see the point of good hygiene. That's why it's important to remind your kids daily about the importance of keeping themselves clean, and to make the entire process fun. The less of a chore it is, the less you'll have to nag. And I promise, your house will smell a lot better, too.

Here are some key hygiene areas your child should be aware of, and ways you can help encourage an interest in good grooming:

Daily showering
Why it's important --

Even young kids can handle simple bathroom chores.Once our preschooler started becoming more independent and helpful, we started realizing our little one was old enough to begin helping around the house. We started with simple activities like carrying dishes from the table to the kitchen, but it wasn't long before we found other kid-friendly chores he could handle, from straightening his bed sheets to even helping in the bathroom. Here are a number of bathroom chores that kids (even the youngest) can handle:

Restocking the toilet paper - Keep your extra supply of toilet paper in a place accessible to your kids. Since our little ones tend to use the most paper anyway, assign them the responsibility of restocking the toilet paper on the roll whenever it runs out.

Picking up their bath toys - Parents know that when you have kids, your bathtub easily becomes overwhelmed with toys. Rather than sweeping them all to the back of the tub or gingerly stepping around them when you want to take a shower, kids can handle the chore of picking up

Throw a cookie party just for kids!

I've seldom met a kid who didn't love cookies. Even those who don't like eating cookies still seem to enjoy baking and decorating them, especially during the holidays. My kids especially love making Christmas cutout cookies in the shapes of snowmen, reindeer, angels, Christmas trees and of course, Santa. One of our favorite holiday memories includes a batch of our homemade Christmas cookies and a very mischievous Santa Claus who bit only the heads off each cookie and left the rest for us to discover on Christmas morning!

As much as we love baking holiday cookies, it's even more fun with friends. If you are considering planning a cookie party for your children and their friends, here are some tips that will make the event extra special.

Baking together or apart?

Decide ahead of time whether you want to bake together, decorate pre-made cookies or simply have guests bring cookies for an exchange. All these ideas make for great parties, but you need to be specific about which