Am I Invinsible?

The answer is "no", but I must have thought so the last couple of weeks by the sleep deprivation that I have allowed to go on. I'm not saying that I have had any control over the 2-3 wakings during the night with kids, but I DID have control over the very late nights. I have actually been staying up as late as midnight most nights and for no apparent reason - other than having some time to myself or hanging out a bit on the back deck with my husband. While those things do have merit, I also need to remember that my biggest enemy is my tired self that has lowered patience and is much more irritable. I have been on a good streak for at least a couple of weeks and have been feeling extra good about being home with the kids. I have had more patience, and though not always perfect, have been able to give myself a little extra credit for being the parent I want to be. I have not been blogging much, but I can address that another time (as it is probably a piece of the puzzle as well).
Anyway, last night I did the same thing and finally got up to bed around midnight. The last thing I did was to feed the baby and sort some laundry - then off to sleep. Up around 3:00 to feed the baby (who doesn't actually need to eat that often) and then up again with our toddler. I just went into his bed. The bad news on that front is that he now only wants "mommy" in the middle of the night. Yippie for me. Nursing one and just the top pick for the other. Something will need to be done about this. Anyway, when it was time to get up with them this morning at 6:45, I knew right away that I was depleted. I was fast to act when I saw my babysitter on Messenger....

I have never done it before, but I asked her to come over so that I could nap! I kept the baby up until she got here and that is exactly what I did. I fed him and we both crashed and it was WONDERFUL. I woke up to a quiet house and came downstairs to find our toddler asleep in his fuzzy chair. He seriously never falls asleep in his chair when he is with me, but anyway. The moral of this story is that I recommend doing this. I do, I do, I do.

(1) Find a babysitter who lives near you. Even if they are a bit younger, it is okay if you can trust them as a "mother's helper" to help you out when you are home. They will also gain experience with your kids and be able to do more as time goes on.

(2) Ask them to come over when you know (or pray) that one of your children will be napping.

(3) NAP YOURSELF!!!

I give PAYING A BABYSITTER SO YOU CAN NAP ON A WEEKDAY MORNING A 10/10