Sleep Struggles of a Mombie
Can you imagine the feeling of over exhaustion, worn out by the never-ending hours of handling errands, taking care of the household needs and/or work functions? Are you gulping down coffee or taking in the kids’ snacks or sneaking in sweets to keep your eyes open long enough to handle the next task of the day? Does this sound like a fictitious story or more of a daily reality? Let’s take this a step further. Do you ever count the minutes until it is bedtime, hoping to catch up on sleep, to find that when it is actually bedtime, you keep yourself awake as much as possible to squeeze in “me time?” If this sounds like your day, you may possibly be experiencing the sleep struggles of a mombie.
A mombie is known to be a sleep-deprived mom who somehow gets through the day, powered by sugar, or caffeine, the kids’ hugs, or whatever it takes to stay awake (even partially), to accomplish the day’s to-do list (or as much of it as possible).
I am a night owl by nature, even before kids. My quiet and productive time is at night when all is asleep through the house. So that’s when I work, watch Netflix, eat any treats I didn’t want to share with the kids, and exercise (if I have the energy to do so).
Then morning comes…and I feel like this!
And the cycle begins again the next day… Yes, I complain about it, but the routine doesn’t change. Because although I have tried sleeping when the kids do, my day just doesn’t feel “finished.” Plus…(raise your hands if this happens to you)… there are also times you feel sleepy throughout the day when the kids are awake and are just counting down until it’s naptime/bedtime, and then the moment they knock out, that is when the sleepiness fades. Which brings me back to my “me time/mommy time” routine.
I will say that my saving grace is a good afternoon nap with a kid or the kids. Eventually, all of those sleep deprived nights catch up to me, and I decide to choose sleep over anything else.
Then I can feel like this again…
Let me know if this is something you go through, or if you have tips to help come out of your mombie stage.
What has helped this chronic mombie:
1. Routine & Checklists
Teaching the kids the routine for sleeping, and what to do in the morning after waking up, has definitely been a learning process. Routine is definitely key. It throws us all off when something is out of routine. One trick I’ve learned that works for our kids (and probably for myself as well), is to use checklists. I’m a very visual person, and the visuals definitely help the kids, especially when they are at pre-reading stages. Below is an example of what we use for bedtime. I just typed up a list, printed it out, and slipped it in a sheet protector to hang on the wall. The kids LOVE, and I mean LOVE, marking it off with the whiteboard markers. It makes them feel “official” and you can see on their face a sense of independence and accomplishment. Another bonus is, it decreases the need to give orders, or to nag, or to use the phrase “How many times did I tell you to..”
2. A handy dandy, kid-friendly alarm-clock
Our morning routine was definitely fine-tuned even more this year, especially with having a baby. The older two daughters would be so excited to see me and the baby in the morning, they’d leave their room, and try to cuddle with us or they would decide to play right next to our bed. Although they were semi-quiet, it still would wake me up (as I am a light sleeper).
I discovered this Talking Alarm Clock & Night Light
and it has been such an amazing addition to their bedroom! It shows both digital and analog time. It has been a helpful teaching tool for the kids to learn time. Another major bonus is it has a night light setting set by a timer, so parents can adjust it to have a night light turn on at a certain time, and for it to have a green light turn on when it is ok for the kids to wake up and leave the room. (THAT is the part that we have enjoyed the most!). This clock helps us who have kids who are early risers, or even when daylight savings kicks in, and the kids don’t know yet if it’s ok to get up or not. While I’m definitely not saying this has allowed me to sleep in until 10, when the kids were awake since 7, it definitely has prevented my 4-year-old from coming into our room at 5:30, thinking it is time to start our day. Check it out here if you need one in your life too!
Feel free to share any other tips you have to help with sleep or wake-up routines.
