I'm going to forward on a new email that includes "to realize the value of 30 minutes ask a sleep deprived mom".
(Don't judge my homeless looking children this is what I wake up to in the morning. See the couch crusted in food?)Let me explain how mornings work over here. Be warned that you may scratch your heads and think you need to advise me to stop procreating. And in response I will scratch my head and think "silly you, you could have atleast 30 minutes of extra sleep!"
When the older two wake up in the morning I(on Saturdays insert David's name here) plop them on the couch with their respective cups of milk and turn on the longest commercial free show I can find. About 20 minutes later Ashton yells down the hallway "more milk PLEASE!". I roll out of bed put some more milk in both of their cups put on a new show and then put some semblance of breakfast in their laps. This morning it was a bowl full full of honeynut cheerios, without the milk (I'm not that crazy), and little veggie sausages. Then I return to bed. 20 sometimes 30 minutes later Ashton will yell down the hallway, "More Thomas" or Elmo or whatever they were watching that has now ended. 90% of the time this is where I get up and stay up but on that blessed 10% of the time I can go back to bed for the third time and get another 20 minutes of sleep.
Those extra 30 minutes of sleep are glorious. I can fall back asleep instantly. The only downside is that when I come out for the day I have to clean up crushed cereal and bits of sausage from all over the carpet and couch. But a price I gladly pay over and over again.
This morning I came out to find Ashton's face covered in chocolate. I have to admit I was kind of proud that he had ventured into the unknown. Our kids are not the kind that can trash the house in the 2 mins while I leave the room. Hannah's not a "true" toddler in the getting into things sense. I'm convinced I didn't have to baby proof a thing because this girl pretty much follows me (or Ashton) around and is simply content with just having some company. Ashton is at the point where I think he's afraid to get into things because he knows better. But this morning he found a piece of chocolate bliss on the counter. Chocolate is the one thing this boy cannot refuse. I knew he didn't have the dexterity to unwrap it so I'm pretty sure he ate half of the foil and threw the other half in the garbage... I checked. See am I earning some credibility back as a decent mother?
While I may not win mother of the year... I'm pretty sure I'll win smartest mother of the year for taking advantage of a time that I have two kids that are pretty content watching Elmo for an hour. This probably wont last for long and I'm not ashamed I'll take advantage of every minute of it.
7 comments:
That extra sleep in the morning is important! That's why we just taught Cohen when he was around 2 1/2 what buttons to push to get his shows started, put cups of juice or milk on a low shelf in the fridge and cereal he could reach in the pantry. He became very independant, and I didn't even have to get out of bed a bunch of times!
Don't worry your not the only one! The rest of us are just in the closet about it :) Thats pretty much how our morning...ok lets be honest, all day goes when I am in my first trimester!! Your doing great :)
LOVE this post!!! I'm glad I'm not the only one who takes advantage of those early morning Sprout shows!!! Hey, 'whatever works' is my motto!!!
I always cheat and throw a sheet underneath little couch snackers. It hides the evidence.
Genius. I fully intend on using your 30 min plan when baby 2 gets here! Whatever it takes right?!
Oh yes - this is my life too :)
I do it, too. Except I have dogs that follow the kids around and clean up my floors. Of course, then the dogs turn around and vomit on the floor from eating so much junk. Oh well. :)
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