I felt the magic of swiss herbs in Ricola Herb & Throat drops as part of a sponsored post for Socialstars. #swissherbs

It's official, the holidays are behind us and it's time to get back to work. Sometimes I consider calling in when I'm well, rather than sick - a la Ferris Bueller - to give myself a deserved break. When you call in due to illness, it's no fun. I remember the sick days of old; days I spent in bed, resting, hydrating and dreading going back to work and tackling all of the things that piled up while I was out of the office. Every once in a while, I would call in sick when I wasn't really sick because I didn't want to waste all of my sick days. Now that I work from home, a real sick day is non-existent because I can bring my laptop or tablet into bed with me and work through the sniffles. However, I really miss those "Call In Well" days!

December was an incredibly busy month, and if you're a regular reader, you'll recall that I spent the last few weeks bouncing around from Costa Rica to Los Angeles to New Mexico. Some of that travel was with friends, some was for work, and some for family, and while it was a fantastic month, it left me feeling a bit under the weather. I keep Ricola® throat drops close at hand, no matter where I go, so that I can knock out those pesky symptoms during the cold and flu season. Between lack of sleep, eating not-so-healthy foods, breathing in a ton of recycled, germ-filled air during flights and just generally being exhausted, I was so thankful for my Ricola Herb Drops and Emergen-C packets! I was carrying around the Ricola Extra Strength Cough Suppressant Drops due to a scratchy throat that just wouldn't go away, and they came in handy when Angeline started getting sick in New Mexico! I have even started keeping them at my desk! I love that they're individually wrapped so that I can throw a few in my purse, the car and send along in Angeline's backpack for school too!

Ricola Extra Strength Cough Suppressant Drops are made with carefully-selected natural Swiss herbs including Chrueterchraft. I've shared in recent posts the herbs that make up Ricola's Magic 10 Herbs - such as peppermint and wild thyme - and how each helps to restore and boost your immune system, while soothing sore throats and nasal passages. These herbs are cultivated from over 100 farms contracted throughout Switzerland.

Fun fact: The first Ricola herb drop was born in a bakery!

I keep a variety of Ricola herb drops in my purse and travel bag, a few in the car, and some in my nightstand so they are readily available whenever we need them. It's always best to be prepared! Pop a Ricola herb drop in your mouth as soon as you start feeling icky so that you can go about your day.

As the cold and flu season hits its peak this month, Ricola^®, the leading manufacturer of soothing herb cough drops from Switzerland, is encouraging consumers to trade in their sick days for well days by inviting them to "Call in Well." Now through February 28, 2015, consumers can call 1-855-4-WELLDAY or text RICOLA (22122) to share what fun thing they'd do if they took a "well day" off. Tell Ricola how you would spend a free day off of work and you could win a trip to Switzerland! You can find out more here.

5 FUN Things to Do When You CALL IN WELL

Go play in the snow. Throw on your gloves and jacket and build a snowman, have a snowball fight - do something FUN and get your blood pumping!

Of course, this only applies if you happen to live somewhere that actually has snow. The point is, go outside! When you're feeling well, you shouldn't waste away the day indoors. If you live near the beach, go for a swim or simply relax on a lounge chair and soak up the rays (after applying sunblock, of course).

Take a Hike. Go for a walk, take a hike, explore a new nature trail.

Put your feet up and RELAX. Most of us spend so much time trying to do it all that our days are non-stop.

On your CALL IN WELL day, sit down and take a moment to relax. Enjoy not having to be anywhere or do anything - just sit and do nothing.

Read a book. I love to read but my love of reading falls second and third to everything else in my life. The only time I ever make time to read is on flights without WiFi. I spent an entire day last week laying on the couch reading a new novel by one of my favorite authors. I forgot how fulfilling it is to just sit and read the written word.

Make a lunch date! Whether it's sneaking away to meet up with your spouse during the work day or getting the girls together for lunch, take advantage of your well day and treat it like a weekend!

What would you do with your "Call in Well" day? Don't forget to take advantage of the Call in Well promotion with Ricola and call or text them with your idea: 1-855-4-WELLDAY or text RICOLA (22122).

You can learn more about the Ricola line of herb drop here!