When a sick day comes up, there is rarely any warning. You put a healthy child to bed, and when you wake them in the morning, they are burning with fever, stuffy, and miserable. There is nothing sadder than a sick child, but sick children are also bored children, especially when their sickness is only something "mild" like pink eye or a cough.

They can't go to school, but they also can't just sleep all day. So what is a busy mom or dad to do?

There are many activities that kids can do when they're sick that don't require them to run and jump and play, but will also keep them reasonably entertained and not too bored. Here are 10 ideas for sick day "fun":

There's nothing quite as miserable as fighting a cold or flu bug during the winter, is there? That is unless you add in a house full of kids who are stuck inside and want Mom, Mom, Mommy to actually hang out with them! You start to ask yourself which one is harder to deal with: the miserable virus in your head or your dear, darling children.

Surviving a bad cold when you are trying to take care of your kids is hard, but as I sit here in recovery mode from one of the worst bugs I've battled in a good long while, I promise you, it's not impossible:

About the only thing worse than trying to sleep when you have a cold is trying to sleep when your child has one ... because we all know if they aren't sleeping, you aren't sleeping. Luckily there are lots of ways to help ease their stuffy little noses and get them a decent night's sleep, so you can toddle off to dreamland yourself.

The first thing you should try is to elevate their head. This keeps all that mung from pooling in their heads and making them even more miserable. No need to stick your child in a chair for the night; just add a couple of pillows to their pile or stick a few thick books underneath the head of their mattress.

We're already in the throes of flu season, although from the looks of Google Flu Trends (yes, that's a thing), we're experiencing low flu activity in the U.S. and Canada so far this year. That means it's not too late to get a flu shot for your kids, because they probably have not been exposed yet.

Here's what you need to know if you still need to get your kids vaccinated this year:

During cold and flu season, the gym is a breeding ground for germs. However, just because you have the sniffles yourself doesn't mean you have to swear off working out.

Before you dive in to your sweat session, evaluate: If your symptoms are below the neck -- such as nausea or upset stomach, chest congestion, hacking cough, body and muscle aches, or fatigue -- then you may want to take some time off from working out. While having a runny nose or sore throat isn't exactly a walk in the park, these ailments are a sign you can probably still sweat safely.

Think you're ready to take on the challenge? Check out these four great exercises for when you have a cold:

Coming down with a nasty cold -- or worse, the flu -- is never fun. When you're pregnant, though, it's really the pits! Not only do all of those unpleasant symptoms seem magnified (like you weren't already queasy!), it's like there's nothing you can do to make yourself feel better. All the usual tricks of the trade, like knocking back a nighttime decongestant, are definite "don'ts" when you're preggers.

But don't get too dejected -- you're not doomed to have the most miserable winter of your life. There are some ways to make yourself feel better when you're sick and expecting, and they really do work. Really! I've tried them.

You wake up in the morning feeling like crud: Your throat hurts, your nose is runny, your muscles ache, and all you want to do is crawl back into bed, pull your covers over your head, and sink into a deep, deep sleep.

But how do you know if what you've got is a cold or the flu? Both are respiratory illnesses and share many symptoms, making them very difficult to tell apart, but the flu can sometimes lead to more serious complications, like pneumonia or bacterial infections, which can be dangerous.

Air O Swiss 7144A humidifier can be the best way to combat the dry skin, chapped lips, and scratchy throats that come from living in the warm, dry air your furnace is churning out right now, and it's a great way to ease discomfort from a stuffy nose.

But which humidifier should you buy? Well, as with most things, you get what you pay for ...