Really, really, my baby does not like to sleep. She is six and a half months old, and on a typical night she wakes up about five times. I cannot let her "cry it out" because I feel bad, but also because of the fact that my older daughter is in the same room; she gets woken up after two minutes of baby screams. Rubbing her back, shaking her booty, and gently stroking her nose and forehead do nothing for my little one, believe me I have tried that and more. I have no idea how to get my infant to sleep through the night; I am pretty sure she just hates sleep. I am the one who wakes up with her most of the time, and I am beyond tired. At this point there are no words to describe the amount I crave uninterrupted shut-eye.
But, there is a silver lining here, and that is why I am writing this blog tonight. I have come to many realizations over the past few weeks that I need to share. They are remarkable.
1. Sleep deprivation directly effects brain cell function. The other night I was driving home with the two girls in the back seat. It was raining; I am not the biggest fan of driving while precipitating. For some ridiculous reason I thought that if I put my sunglasses on I would be able to see better. After fitting my face with my glasses, I started to look at the road and wonder why it was SO dark. Did they forget to turn on the streetlights? Is there a power outage? Is this some new money saving idea from the department of transportation? Ah, and then, after about three miles, I realize....I AM WEARING MY SUNGLASSES AT NIGHT!
2. Lack of sleep causes hallucinations. In the middle of the night a few days back, my husband got out of bed to use the bathroom. When my 5'11" husband was at the doorway to our bedroom I looked over at him and he looked like a giant. Seriously, like a giant from a sci-fi movie. At that moment, I thought (no joke) that no one will ever mess with me, my husband is a freakin' giant!
3. When your body is not getting the proper rest, it goes numb and resembles a sort of gumby like character. I notice this when I go to my Jazzercise of Clinton class to get my workout. Sometimes I am nervous attending my fitness class because I think, how will I be coordinated enough to follow the instructor when I can hardly focus on making breakfast? Turns out though, my body actually turns to a sort of clay like device. Somehow, I am more flexible when I do not sleep...go figure!
4. I am ALWAYS hungry because I am ALWAYS awake. I get to eat all the time since I am never lying down and in effect calories are burning....total bonus to a foodie :)
5. The very best way to stay awake during periods of sleepiness is to pretend you are sleeping in front of your young children. My almost four year old HATES to see me relax in any way, shape, or form. Never mind the fact that she LOVES fantasy play; that game is simply not fun when the fantasy involves me pretending to sleep.
6. The very worst thing you can do during episodes of sleep deprivation is get one full night of sleep. This will only cause further exhaustion. Do not attempt. Rather than being thankful for the one night of uninterrupted sleep, your body will totally hate you for the cruel joke you played. Everyone knows you will not get a second night directly following the first night of sleep. Do not confuse your body. It has to be one or the other...you either sleep every night or never.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
The Clean House Conundrum
So I have a child who does not like to play independently. My almost four year old is not the type to go off into a room and play with a toy by herself. She likes company, and if you ask her why she does not like to play alone, she will tell you that she does not like to be lonely. How can I argue with that? There are personalities in this world that are more social, and enjoy the presence of others.
In truth I should feel good that my child wants to play with me, she likes me! Yay, I am doing something right! Not to mention the fact that this too is just a stage that will come to an end, and won't I feel like an ass if I let this phase pass by and then it is too late? She will not want to play "Princess" with me forever.
As much as I love playing with my daughter, the reality of the situation is that we do own a house that requires some attention. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, organizing...blah, blah, blah. So after much deliberation I have come up with some ideas on how to solve this dilemma. Main idea here is that I do not want to hurt my daughter's feelings, I hate saying, "No, I do not want to play with you." I feel like that is offending.
Here is my list, ways I get things done without using the words, "No, I do not want to play with you:"
1. I pretend I am "Cinderella of the Castle" and the evils make me do all of these chores all by myself :( My daughter then saves the day by helping me do the work. We pretend to be princesses who need to finish their work before they can play. Worked every time so far!
*This scenario can be changed to fit the like of your own child. You can be superheroes that have to save the land from the mess monsters, or house doctors who have to make the sick house feel better.*
2. I compromise. I tell her I can play for some amount of time, then I need that same amount of time to do "Mommy Work." This is a great way to teach the balance of relationships, you are after all how your children learn to create their own accords.
3. I do housework during her quiet time. This can be challenging if you have more than one at home, you have to bank on them both being quiet at the same time...YIKES!
4. My daughter has a chore chart. This in detail is a new blog post on its own, but in short, she has to do two chores a day and gets paid for her work. I conveniently make her chores convenient for me :)
5. We make dinner together, she loves helping in the kitchen. There are so many kitchen tasks for little hands, and she is learning so much. And of course, the quality time is invaluable <3
I am not claiming to have this whole clean house, totally organized thing down to a science. There are plenty of times when I should have mopped the floor yesterday. We also have eggs for dinner a lot. However, I can say that most of the time we have things (slightly) under control :)
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