I'm a firm believer that sleep makes everything in life better. After a blissful night of perfect sleep you can't help but feel awesome and start to think that you can get through your day with a bit more ease. If The Sandman didn't come your way even the tiny life challenges feel like they are weighted down with cement. All of you with broken nighttime sleep (work, babies, snoring bed partners, stress, insomnia, the list can go on and on) are probably nodding your tired head in agreement. Bottom line, a good sleep is where it's at. When life hands you crap, take a nap!
My husband and I have found something that works well for us, we trade opportunities for sleep and it works out really well for us. Since my husband prefers to have an afternoon nap and I'm more inclined to sleep in during the mornings we swap off sleep and parenting. The only glitch I've found is that I'm ever so slightly tit for tat when it comes to the amount of sleep we each have. If I've had an extra hour of sleep in the morning and he's had a +2 hour afternoon nap, I've been known to get a little bit testy. I blame this reaction on my middle child syndrome.
"After a blissful night of perfect sleep you can't help but feel awesome and start to think that you can get through your day with a bit more ease."
Once I woke up for good I lounged in bed and heard the morning chaos coming from the living room. A downside of apartment living is that you are all very closely living together and there are no separate floors to buffer noise. Which means the screeching baby in the living room is heard at the same loudness in my cozy bed. Nonetheless, I persevered (ha!) and stayed holed up in my bed for a bit longer all while listening to the happy screeches just outside my bedroom door.
This is what was going on while I had a lounging start to my Sunday morning. An art session for my creative little boy and baby chowing down on some breakfast. Just the usual weekend antics of my family.
Do you agree with me that sleep is where it's at?
10 comments:
I'm sleep obsessed. And both my husband and I get kind of grumpy if we feel we didn't get our fair share of sleep. We take turns letting the other sleep in until 8-9 on the weekends (up between 5-6 the other days!), but my only frustration with that is there is never the family breakfast time. This weekend we went all out since we are both feeling really exhausted lately and gave each other the full morning off. It was nice and we'll have to do that more often. I loooooved lounging in bed.
September 24, 2012 at 7:36 AMEven now that I'm no longer in a small place I still hear the kids all over the house. Loud little buggers :)
You are extremely fortunate to have such an ideal situation. Yes sleep is important and neither John or I get that opportunity. He may get more sleep in time on the weekends but as for me I just have to plow on through the days. I can function well for the most part but dealing with a tired, grouchy, stressed out husband is no fun and so sometimes I would rather him sleep than be awake, even if that means cutting into family activities (as bad as that is). So please enjoy an extra wink or two for me the next time you are cozy in your bed on a weekday morning! =)
September 25, 2012 at 8:51 AMOh, this situation only ever happens on weekends and never weekdays! Weekday mornings are nicely busy getting everyone up and out the door but I do really enjoy it when it happens once in awhile on the weekend!
September 25, 2012 at 10:06 AMAlso, I once read a study that reported men do not deal as well as women with sleep deprivation. Hence the tired grouchy stressed out husband who needs a nap. I see it ALL THE TIME in the labour room. The woman has been labouring and pushing and working hard for hours and hours...and guess who tells me they are so tired...not the new mama ;)
no doubt, I believe that one! I'm sure a good percentage of women have a picture of the sleeping husband on their hospital bed too!
September 25, 2012 at 10:50 AMI couldn't agree more about sleep. It has been really tough the past couple of years but I think I have a handle on it now. As it turns out, I've been blogging about this topic too.
September 25, 2012 at 1:56 PMoh how i agree! i need sleep to function properly through the day! however with a new newborn sleep will just have to wait! ha! maybe on the weekends i can get a few extra naps! ;) love the pictures of your son painting! so fun and beautiful!
September 27, 2012 at 10:16 AMif there is one thing that i could do better in life, it would be to get more sleep. i am so guilty of sabotaging sleep or putting sleep as the lesser priority and I KNOW that this is NOT cool. i am a sucker for trying to do to much in one day and sacrificing sleep to do it (especially being since being in school). i so know that i am a much better and patient mother when i am well rested. i do know that i am not a mid day napper though. makes me way too groggy. of all ways to get more sleep, i would prefer to go to bed sooner. although on occassion i do get the chance to lie in bed until after the kids have had breakfast. i like that.
September 27, 2012 at 10:18 PMImpossible to disagree with that statement! Our three-year-old has suddenly become a horrible sleeper, and every night one or both of us wind up on the uncomfortable cot in his room. And it's been my husband doing most of it so, I owe him (hate that ...). I'm a total tit-for-tat-er !
September 28, 2012 at 2:42 PMI remember when Ben turned 3 there was suddenly wolves in his bedroom at night and he needed us A LOT MORE. Which was hard because I was having a hard pregnancy and so we just played musical beds. Ben would come and sleep with me and my husband when to the little twin bed.
September 30, 2012 at 10:33 PMYes, that newborn sleep is so fitful! Oh, and all the diaper changes that happen at night..oi! Josie still wakes to nurse at night but luckily it is now all business and she literally eats and goes right back to sleep. I really hope you get that nap in one of these days.
September 30, 2012 at 10:34 PMPost a Comment