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Mackfam
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| Posted: Feb 11 2011 at 8:28am | IP Logged
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 Great job! And that quiet time is more precious than gold!!! Enjoy!!!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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stellamaris
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| Posted: Feb 11 2011 at 8:48am | IP Logged
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Hey, way to get up, Jillian!!  Have to share this little tidbit with you--my dad (known for stating the obvious in a profound way) once stumbled out of his room early in the morning, saying,
"Morning. It's the earliest part of the day."
No kidding, huh?  You don't know how many mornings I repeat his words to myself!
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In Christ,
Caroline
Wife to dh 30+ yrs,ds's 83,85,89,dd's 91,95,ds's 01,01,02,grammy to 4
Flowing Streams
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SuzanneG
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When you're re-adjusting and having to "push through" those days from early hours....It's important for me to have a PLAN for those early afternoon hours when I start to lose steam....b/c if I take a nap, then I have a harder time going to sleep at a decent hour.
So, having a list of things to do that give you NO OPPORTUNITY to fall asleep during those couple of hours where you would DO ANYTHING for a nap!
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Suzanne in ID
Wife to Pete
Mom of 7 (Girls - 14, 12, 11, 9, 7 and Boys - 4, 1)
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jillian
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| Posted: Feb 11 2011 at 9:05am | IP Logged
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Caroline, how true is that lol. I was so tempted to turn my alarm off and roll back over this morning but I didn't, I turned off my alarm and sat up, and didn't contemplate, just did it and got out of bed.
Suzanne, I was very lucky to have my husband home yesterday afternoon so I got to spend some good quality time with him while dd took her nap. Today I plan on getting a workout in if I can or getting some paperwork done that needs to get done.
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mamaslearning
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| Posted: Feb 11 2011 at 9:34am | IP Logged
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SuzanneG wrote:
When you're re-adjusting and having to "push through" those days from early hours....It's important for me to have a PLAN for those early afternoon hours when I start to lose steam....b/c if I take a nap, then I have a harder time going to sleep at a decent hour.
So, having a list of things to do that give you NO OPPORTUNITY to fall asleep during those couple of hours where you would DO ANYTHING for a nap! |
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Afternoons are SOOOOOOOOOO HARD for me! My baby nurses through his afternoon nap (we do ecological breastfeeding, mostly) so I lose a lot of energy sitting there. But, at least I'm resting and sometimes I read. Then it takes all the will power I have to get up and start back into cleaning or dinner preparation.
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Lara
DD 11, DS 8, DS 6, DS 4
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Feb 11 2011 at 9:43am | IP Logged
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mamaslearning wrote:
SuzanneG wrote:
When you're re-adjusting and having to "push through" those days from early hours....It's important for me to have a PLAN for those early afternoon hours when I start to lose steam....b/c if I take a nap, then I have a harder time going to sleep at a decent hour.
So, having a list of things to do that give you NO OPPORTUNITY to fall asleep during those couple of hours where you would DO ANYTHING for a nap! |
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Afternoons are SOOOOOOOOOO HARD for me! My baby nurses through his afternoon nap (we do ecological breastfeeding, mostly) so I lose a lot of energy sitting there. But, at least I'm resting and sometimes I read. Then it takes all the will power I have to get up and start back into cleaning or dinner preparation. |
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This is SUPER hard to motivate and get up after it's been all quiet and warm and snuggly. I try to make it sweeter to get up, like a little reward...so I might tell myself that I can have a cup of a favorite warm beverage and exactly 10 dark chocolate covered almonds for a snack when I get up....and while I'm snacking I peruse my list and mentally choose where I'll go next.
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Feb 11 2011 at 9:45am | IP Logged
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....or....if I'm getting up to do dinner....I reward myself with a small glass of wine while I cook. 
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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MNMommy
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| Posted: Feb 12 2011 at 7:12am | IP Logged
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I completely and utterly understand the need to have a schedule and get up early (I do both for survival with my crew), but I also wanted to throw a memory into the mix.
When I started staying home with the dc, they were 3 and 1, and they would cuddle with me in my bed before we all got up for the day. It was some very wonderful time for us.
Also, back when I only had my oldest, I used to take an afternoon nap with her almost every day. Then, when my oldest were 3yo and 1yo, the three of us took an afternoon nap together. Those naps and the cuddling that went with them are some of my fondest memories. Even today with 5 dc, I usually lay down with my current 2yo for 10-15 min nearly every day.
If you have opportunities like this with your dc (since I think you only have one 3yo, right?), take them!!!! Don't let your schedule get in the way. Often with 5 dc, my schedule does get in the way of cuddling, and I really, really miss the days when our homelife could be more relaxed.
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Jennifer
Tired mom to - 10yo dd, 7yo ds, 6yo ds, 4yo dd, 2yo ds
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TracyFD
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| Posted: Feb 12 2011 at 7:49am | IP Logged
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Thoughts of encouragement coming your way! I really miss those days too when the children were not so big and numerous. Enjoy this season while realizing that the rails you lay down now in your daily routine will be a great foundation when your family train is speeding along in the years to come.
Now if I could only get off my iPhone and get in the shower - good thing it's Saturday!
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Tracy
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1 absent-minded professor, and one adorable toddling terrorist.
Pinewood Castle
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jillian
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| Posted: Feb 12 2011 at 8:47am | IP Logged
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Jennifer, I agree, some of my happiest memories are cuddling up with dd in bed before she gets up from her nap or having her come snuggle in bed with me in the morning. Definitely not opposed to that still but I am a happier person when I don't feel awakened by a "chore".
That sounds terrible but I mean it in the sense that I have some time to wake up and time to gather my thoughts and prep for the day instead of having dd get up and have attention demanded immediately for breakfast and that sort of thing.....I hope that makes sense.
I let myself snuggle in an extra 15 minutes this morning and then joined dh downstairs. It's nice, I feel like I get some extra time with him now even though we do our own things to wake up in the morning.
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mumsrea
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| Posted: Feb 21 2011 at 5:14pm | IP Logged
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jillian you are not alone. (how's it going by the way?)
My dh gets up EARLY, often at 5:30 and i'm dragging myself at 8am. I know everything would be better if i got up earlier but getting out of bed early just aches so much i don't have the self discipline to do it. But i need to get me some. :)
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jillian
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We have all had really horrible colds the last couple weeks. We have been trying to sleep as much as we can so we can get healthy and get back on track. I am looking forward to getting back on track though.
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Angel
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Just curious (and trying to get my own self on track)... how many times a night are you early risers up with baby, other kids, etc.?
I lost count of how many times I was up last night and spent most of my "sleeping" time sitting upright holding a baby. At 6 AM I put him down and he stayed down, so I stretched out and slept a little... but considering the chaos that erupted about 5 minutes after I DID get up, I wish I had just wandered out to the kitchen at 6 AM!!!
I never know if I need to buckle up or if I'm only doing what any sane person would do in my circumstance...
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Angela
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mamaslearning
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Angel wrote:
Just curious (and trying to get my own self on track)... how many times a night are you early risers up with baby, other kids, etc.?
I lost count of how many times I was up last night and spent most of my "sleeping" time sitting upright holding a baby. At 6 AM I put him down and he stayed down, so I stretched out and slept a little... but considering the chaos that erupted about 5 minutes after I DID get up, I wish I had just wandered out to the kitchen at 6 AM!!!
I never know if I need to buckle up or if I'm only doing what any sane person would do in my circumstance... |
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My youngest is 5 months old - I am up between 3-5 times a night for nursing, but we have a family bed so I just roll over to nurse and go right back to sleep (usually).
The 2 year old is usually up at least once, but my dh gets out of bed as needed (although I wake up and hear what's going on).
The four year old has been having bad dreams recently, so he wakes us up once at night.
The seven year old is usually up at least once a week around 3 am complaining that she can't go back to sleep.
I think it all depends on what season of life you are in right now. Up until the babies are about 3 months old, I sleep ALL the time (well, at least as much as I can). I even nap in chairs while the others watch a movie. When the kids are sick, and we are up all night, we all catch sleep and let the routines go for awhile.
I didn't start my early morning routine until a couple of months ago. When I had less children, I didn't feel like I needed to get a head start on the day, but now I need that extra time.
I hope that helps put things in perspective. I just had a feeling a few months ago that I was coasting and not pulling my weight. DH was doing most of the housework and I felt it was time to step up and help. But, like I said, those first months with a new baby are non-productive housewise. I feel it's much more important to care for the infant, establish a good milk supply, and sleep (I also had other recovery issues to deal with).
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Lara
DD 11, DS 8, DS 6, DS 4
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TracyFD
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Angela, my 10 mo old still nurses several times in the night, usually between midnight and 3 am. Sometimes he cries our with gas pain (he gets stopped up with solids) and it is difficult to get good sleep even co-sleeping. I can usually count on sleeping well between 3 - 6 am.
Our 3yo is usually awake by 6 am even though she is not supposed to get out of bed until her CD alarm begins at 7 am!
In seasons like this I try, really try to get to bed earlier and get some quality sleep before midnight. This is difficult for me - if I have not crashed I long for some reading, knitting or computer time. But since love is supposed to be patient and kind, I realize that getting enough sleep to be patient should be a higher priority!
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Tracy
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Pinewood Castle
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jillian
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Angela, when dd was a wee one (under a year) she got up a good amount at night. She nursed till 18 months and would occasionally need a comfort nurse between 12 and 18 months until we weaned. Between 18 months and 2 years it varied, at least 3 times she'd get up because of a bad dream or being uncomfortable (she gets growing pains during growth spurts)
I have found when she was under a year we were up anywhere from 3 or 4 times a night all the way up to 10 or more times depending what was going on. Between a year and 18 months it was 3 or 4 times at least but usually no more than 5 times. 18 months to 2 years she would get up once or twice and need some reassurance.
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JodieLyn
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Angela, if you can't function because of lack of sleep then by all means you should be going back to bed and getting that extra sleep. What's the point in getting up early to make things run smoother when you're too tired to run anything anyway. 
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kristinannie
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I am completely in the same boat as you. My daughter wakes me up most days (or the baby via the monitor). I really need to get in the habit of going to bed earlier, but it is so hard for a night owl to reform her ways!!! I have found that if I get up every day at the new time for a couple of weeks, I start to get used to it and start going to bed earlier because I am tired. If I sleep in for a day or two, I have to start all over!!!  And no coffee for me since I always seem to be pregnant or breastfeeding!  (not upset about pregnancy or breastfeeding, I just miss caffeine!!!)
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: Getting a schedule down
