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Sleep and Habit Forming

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This last week I’ve been setting my alarm clock a little earlier than normal. My attempt was to be up by five in the morning each weekday in order to work on the various writing projects I need to work on over the summer (in addition to the reading). I’ve been thwarted, however, by exhaustion. My wife and our son have been sick during the past weeks and apparently it was Dad’s turn. So my nose runs, I have a cough, there are headaches and droopy eyes. I don’t know why I intended to get up at five in the … Continue reading →

Monday Morning Funnies: The Bathroom Gestapo

Monday mornings demand extra caffeine, a little lollygagging, catching up with co-workers on the happenings and news from the weekends, and of course humor. Today’s focus in the Monday morning funnies is a humorous policy from a real company on how they dealt with workers taking too many bathroom breaks. The moral of the story I guess is to make sure you don’t drink too much before going to work in the morning. . .or choose a career you can do from home where there is generally free access to the facilities. The Bathroom Bank I cannot imagine what types … Continue reading →

Monday Layout Challenge: 30 Minute Layout

Scrapbooker’s often get into a rut when it comes to specific pictures. They envision this amazing layout, and the inspiration to create it just never comes. My hopes with the Monday challenges are that you get the pictures out of the boxes and onto the pages and not put so much focus on elaborate layouts. Today’s challenge is to create a layout in which you spend no more than 30 minutes on it. In order to create a layout in 30 minutes, it might be easier for you to use a sketch or scraplift from a message board. This is … Continue reading →

Moms Need Reminding Too

I’ve written about when our kids get into the “I forgot” stage, but it dawned on me that I definitely am NOT the queen of remembering things that I used to think I was. The more independent and active my kids become, the more likely I am to lose track of what’s going on. I can’t blame it entirely on adolescence, however, as I’ve had a tendency to have an occasional tough time keeping track of everything in a busy household with one parent and three kids for some time now… I need reminders. It helps if my kids write … Continue reading →

Can We Have a Little More Optimism, Please?

Unless I’m really dragging in the depths of despair—which doesn’t happen very often, I can be an annoyingly optimistic person. My kids have not always been on board with all that optimism and part of their adolescent rebellion has been to counter all my optimism with huge wet blankets of negativity. I’m not sure how much of their negative griping is reactionary, how much is to spite me, and how much is just typical teenage stuff. I’m hoping that none of it is “nature” as I seem to remember they were all three a little peppier and less doom and … Continue reading →

Forgetting to Remember: Part 1

Does your child forget easily? Do you have to repeat instructions or remind your child on a regular basis? Many learning disabled kids have the symptom of poor memory. Daniel, our youngest, falls in this category. The old saying, “You’d lose your head if it wasn’t screwed on”, pretty much describes his ability to remember things. We have a weekly chart to help him remember his daily chores, including tooth brushing and flossing, walking the dog, emptying the trash, etc. I strategically place post-it reminders in areas to help him remember to do whatever he needs to on a given … Continue reading →

5-Minute Retreats Finale

This is the last installment of the 5-Minute Retreats. I hope you have enjoyed them and most importantly that you are using the tips. If you can get the book, please do so, because it is chock-full of many more tips and general inspiration for moms. In the meantime, the next time you need a retreat try one of these great ideas: Take a short break from counting calories, grams of fat and carbohydrates and delight in comfort foods, just do so in moderation. Do something out of character— sign up for a line dancing, woodworking or other class, for … Continue reading →

Back to School: Is Your Child’s Sleep Pattern on Track?

With all seven of my children home from summer visitation, things are as lively and loud as ever. But the biggest problem I face may be trying to readjust their sleep patterns to coincide with their school schedules. I’ve got two teenagers who are now going to bed well after midnight, and waking after ten a.m. And even my younger ones seem energetic late at night, then wake late in the morning. With all their lazy summer fun, my kids have naturally shifted back into a late sleep phase. School starts in less than a week, and those early morning … Continue reading →