Adventures in Sleep Deprivation

Yesterday I had this blog idea to write an open letter to the Mamas and Papas of little ones who do not nap.  You see, after 3 weeks, three really, really good weeks of school and napping and sleep, I was beginning to think we were coming out on the other side and I wanted to be an encouragement to those who were deep in the trenches.  The ones who struggle every day to get their little to nap for even 20 minutes so they can sit down and just rest. The ones who wonder how everyone else gets things done because surely no one actually has a napper like all the books suggest.  The ones who go from Saturday to Saturday without a real shower, with real water.....not just a washcloth and dry shampoo.  I mean, yesterday I was able to clean and bake, yes, BAKE and have dinner ready in a timely manner.  I'm talking a real dinner with all food groups.  And not to mention in the last three weeks I have started a couple of "naptime" projects with dumpster dive finds.  Pinterest and I have gotten cozy as I dream of the dress up closet I am going to create from the discarded dresser I found on trash day. 

Thing 1 and Thing 2 were horrible nappers.  I logged so many miles on the Escape driving them all over upstate New York and North Carolina, just so they would be rested and not toddler crazies by the time my husband got home from work.  I dreamed of the days that not only would they not need a rest time, but they wouldn't need me to lay down with them at bed time either.  Thing 3 has been shaping up to be a good napper and an ok sleeper.  He had made progress on the sleep front recently, and was getting up to come see us at night rather then scream.  He was also only waking up once and sleeping until 7:30.  It was almost like this routine thing and the getting older thing were working out in our favor.

And then last night happened.  The toddler decided to laugh in our faces.  He screamed from 10pm until 12:30am, with me in THE BED NEXT TO HIM and then was up and at 'em by 4am.  I hear your check mate kid, loud and clear.  I'll throw my hands up and get rid of my smug attitude.  Humble pie it is for breakfast.  As it is I'm on my 5th cup of coffee by 9:30am.  I'll play your game my little one.  You are number 3. I have more tricks, including the one that is currently working now to keep you awake until this afternoon.  Your brother and sister are the best distractions and they work for me.  The goal is to keep you upright until at least 11am and then you only have until 2:30pm to rest, no more waking up whenever you please.

To those whose littles who struggle with sleep, I tell you that it does pass.  But you know that.  I also want to tell you that you get smarter and you get more confident with more tricks in your bag.  Stop reading the books and the blogs, and stop listening to the advice of others and listen to yourself. After you try everything you want to try to make sleep better, it's ok to throw in the towel and just do what works and gives you the most amount of sleep each night.  Go ahead and pat yourself on the back right now and say you are doing your best.

So, I raise my hand in solidarity with you to say we will persevere through the toddler years.  We will come out on top and we will rule this chaos!!  Until then enjoy that coffee and try not to fall asleep standing up while watching your 2 year old on the playground.....that is usually frowned upon ;)

Adventures in the First Day of School Year 2015-2016

Today is our first day of school.  We are ready.  More then ready.  After a year of schooling on the go, we finally have a space just to "do school."  Ahhhhhhh, my OCD, must have a schedule, need to be organized self along with my extreme desire to find what we need when we need it, is finally starting to heal. :)

The room is my favorite place in the house right now.  It's comfy and cozy with several working stations and a white board and calendar where hopefully my visual learners will start to understand how time (days, weeks, months, years) flows.  

We have already spent several hours in here this weekend.  Even Cha Cha joined us for a while! 

Today marks a big day for us as the big kids (did I really call them big kids!!) start their journey into first grade and kindergarten!  Two grades that lay a foundation of skills that will help them to become life long learners.  We have big plans for this year.  Most of them have to do with not killing each other and learning how to like our siblings most of the time.  Not like I am putting any pressure on us or anything ;)  

We are ready for this new school year!  Ready for new challenges!  Ready for new experiences!  Ready for new failures!  Do I sound a little like I am giving myself a pep talk?  If so, you are totally right and you might want to check in on us around noon.....

But first, in this quiet time before it all starts, I am going to relish my cup of coffee and time in the Word.  The chaos will begin soon enough!