Flu season is in full swing, and along with colds, strep infections, ear infections and a myriad of maladies, even the healthiest families can sometimes be waylaid by an innocuous bug. If you survived the holiday season intact, then good for you! Only two or three months to go (depending where you live).

Mommies never get sick, right? Unfortunately, sometimes we do, and a little advance planning can make it easier on the whole family.

First, right now, while you're feeling fine, take inventory of your medicine cabinet. Does everyone in your family have a different preferred cold remedy? Are bottles nearly empty? Do you have at least three days' worth of everything you might possibly need if the entire family all got sick at once? Prepare for the worst-case scenario now and avoid having to drag a sick child out on a snowy day to get more Children's Tylenol.

Let's not forget about the other remedies in your cupboard. We depend on hot cocoa to soothe a cough in our house, and herbal teas to comfort all sorts of symptoms. And while homemade chicken soup is a tried-and-true flu remedy, sometimes it's just easier to heat up the canned variety in the microwave.

Speaking of easy, now's also the time to make sure there are a few meals in the freezer, ready to heat and serve. This isn't the time to be trying out new recipes. Remember, if you're the one who's sick, you won't feel much like eating, or convincing your kids to try something new, either. Stick to comfort foods your family loves so mealtimes will be effortless, and you can go back to bed and rest some more. Just so they're not living on peanut butter and jelly until you get well.

Another way busy parents can plan ahead is to get together with friends and form a support network. If you're active in your son's hockey league, a Room Parent for your daughter's classroom or just the perennial car pool Mom, make a pledge to be the back-up for your friends' responsibilities, and vice versa. Knowing that all your commitments will be taken care of at the touch of an email will really take a load off your mind. And you won't have to scramble to find a ride so your little hockey player doesn't have to miss the big game.

Another way to build family harmony (and peace and quiet for the sick ones) is to have a contingency plan for household chores. There won't be any fighting about who has to fold the laundry if it has all been decided ahead of time, and written down for all to see.

So how do you take care of the littlest ones if both Mom and Dad get sick? Give yourself a break and relax the rules on TV and videos. Gather as much supplies as you can in one place, and plant yourself and your pillows and blankets on a comfy couch, surrounded by books and games and finger foods and sippy cups for the kids. Of course, if you're too sick to change a stinky diaper, then it's time to call in Grandma. Have her bring over a pot of her homemade chicken soup, too.

Here's hoping all your careful planning is totally unnecessary, and you stay healthy and productive all season long. But a little extra vitamin C wouldn't hurt.