Sleep Deprivation and sanity

Once in college, I had been up for days on end, studying for midterms. My dorm roommate and I were living of chocolate international coffees and chocolate candy. We had many challenging classes and were truly suffering from sleep deprivation. As we crossed the campus I was trying to tell her the reason we were so giggly and silly acting was that we were suffering from sleep deprivation........instead I told her "Dawn, we are sluffering". As sleep deprived as I was then, I did not know that it was preparing me for the future when sleep was a precious commodity to be hoarded at all costs. As a mom, just trying to hang on to my precious sanity some days due to lack of sleep; I wonder what that single young woman was thinking. She had no responsibilities other than classes and a part time job. She was free to take naps any time she pleased, go to the mall or out "with the girls" any time she wished. Ahh, so was it bliss, maybe so BUT maybe not. That young woman had yet to have butterfly kisses or sticky handed hugs. She had yet to experience a love that goes beyond description. She did not know that one day she would willingly leap from the bed (albeit very groggily) to search somewhere in the back reaches of a a child's room, under the baby bed for the beloved binky that was lost during sleep. She did not know the pleasure of singing sweet lullaby to her child in the wee hours and watch those trusting eyes in the moonlight, began to flutter and fall closed. She did not realize that daily as a mom, she would question her very sanity some days due to lack of sleep. That sometimes the world between sleep and awake is a strange place to be where you hear your child call out to you or think she is standing next to you, only to come to, and realize it was a sleep deprived hallucination, called hypnagognic(sp?) images. Yeah, I learned that in college. Basically. you can hallucinate, sounds, scents, images and much more in the land right before sleep or when you become so sleep deprived your body is demanding you sleep. So somedays, when I can't carry on a conversation or my sanity seems in question, it is just sleep deprivation, brought about the stage in my child's life called TEETHING of the molars. So, yes I am sane, I just need some sleep. So if my blogs make little to no sense it has less to do with my abilities to blog and more with my ability to try to "sleep" with my eyes open while caring for my kids and my home. In other words, the ULTIMATE of multi tasking. So hopefully, my sleep will return soon and the nice little sleep fairy in her pink sparkly tunic....wait I am falling asleep again..... zzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Wait I must not sleep for the children or awake and the 14 month old princess has just grabbed a marker........hmmmmm, will nap time ever arrive? oh and did you just see that pink elephant fly by with the purple kangaroo, they are going to fix lunch for me and let me sleep........no rats......that is not happening, and I am not losing my sanity....I just need a nap too.

(somewhat) Wordless Wednesday

sshh....we dont want to wake up. and Yes he eats the fruit medley baby food out of the jar, he likes it, he isn't allergic to it, he can handle the texture, and it is healthy. But we don't tell ANY of his friends he eats "baby food".

More than a mom

Someone told me I needed to be more than a mom. That by being so focused on being a sahm I would lose myself and my ability to carry on intelligent, thought provoking conversations. But seperating myself from my self as a mommy is an impossibility. I once read we should live our passion, be true to ourselves. My passion is my family. I find true joy and fulfillement from being a wife and a mother. Now I am not saying it is always easy. No one likes to get up in the wee hours of the night and hae a miserable baby, or a diaper explosion to clean up. However, knowing my family is loved and well cared is like the biggest thrill to me. I guess you could say I am addicted to my family. When my family is happy and well cared for, I feel "high" so to speak. Watching joy and contentment on their faces brings me great joy. Teaching my children about God, their world and so much more is like music to my soul. Just as a great artist paints a beautiful piece of work; my children, my husband, my family, my home is my canvas. I can choose what I put into it. I can put in joy and peace with the words I say and the actions I do. Or, I can put in fear and darkness the same way. Oh I make mistakes and I have to go back and work to correct the mistake or start over on that section of the canvas. But one day when I look back a masterpiece will come together. With the help of my Lord I am able to do things I didn't think I could ever do. He gives me strength on the days I dont want to pick up the brush. So despite naysayers, I am a stay at home mom and I love it. It is my passion, it is my art, it is my calling. I am more than a mom because what I put into my children, my family and my home requires so much more of me than just being a mom.

Friday's Faboulosly Funny Photo

This picture was taken on a friend's goat farm when we lived in Lakeland, not long before Jennifer was born.

OOPS, a Little HELP puhleeaaaaaase!

Flashback to the past

Hannah as a newborn.....taking her daily sun bath because of jaundice. found this today going through photo cd's. I will put some more pics up later but this was just too sweet and brought back so many memories.......my how Hannah has grown and I think her and her sister are spitting images of each other.......LOL.



I can't believe she is almost 4!

This was taken when she was 1 week old.

Wordless Wednesday

If you give a baby a cookie

If you give a baby a cookie then she is going to need two because she must have one for each hand. If she gets two she is going to need a sippy cup of milk to go with it. When she gets the sippy cup she will try and carry the cookies and the milk into the other room. When she gets to the other room she will have to lay one cookie down while she eats with one hand and plays with another. She will need to go from one toy to the other spreading crumbs and stickiness. She will then remember her milk and go back to it, pick it up, throw her head back and take a swig. When she throws her head back she will see the rocking chair and decides she wants to eat and rock at the same time. She will climb into the rocking chair spreading cookie gookie as she goes. When she gets into the rocking chair she will remember she forgot her milk and will point at it and "ask" you to get it for her. When she gets her milk, she will see her sister heading for the cookie she left behind. This will cause her to squeal and scream and she cries out for her forgotten cookie. She will scramble down and grab the cookie just as her sister goes to eat it. This will cause her sister to protest that the baby wasn't eating it(despite the fact she already ate all her cookies). You will explain that she cant have the cookie. This will make the baby stand in front of her sister and triumphantly cram the whole thing in her mouth. When she has finished her cookies you will try to clean her up with wipies. But this will remind her she does not like being wiped down and she will try and get away and she will see the cookie crumbs she dropped at the same time her sister does. This will cause an all out cookie riot and you will have to sit each girl down and clean up the mess. The baby will then see her milk and want that again. You will hand it to her as you go back to the kitchen and she will follow you. She will see the cookie bag and chances are.......if she sees the cookie bag she is GOING to want a cookie for each hand.