A Mother's Sleep

For the briefest of moments last night I thought about blogging about how nice it was this weekend to get some nice, deep, restful sleep. Then I went to bed.

What is it about becoming a mother that totally destroys your sleep?

It starts in pregnancy when you can't get comfortable no matter how you position the pillows or which side you lay on. Even before the belly shows up you wake up to morning sickness which makes you dread going to sleep in the first place.

Then you give birth and we all know what sleeping with a newborn is like. You hear every sigh, every squeak and every whimper. That's not terribly restful sleep either.

Now in my case I had my children back to back so I have stayed in newborn sleep mode for four and a half years. All the children are sleeping through the night now so what do I do? I switch beds and rooms and roomates and disrupt the whole thing. So we're back to broken sleep.

Friday we had a really busy day of being outside and running and playing and carrying on so everyone slept like the dead. Saturday we had a similar night. So it's not a surprise that as I laid down last night I was thinking that maybe the end was in sight. Maybe I would get to go back to sleeping through the night in a deep and comfortable sleep in my own bed.

Nope. 1:30 AM Orangutan calls me into their room to tell me that Marmoset woke her up by singing. Marmie looked up at me and said, "You sing too Mama?" So I ended up laying down with her until she started to drift off. Once all was quiet again I went back to my bed and snuggled in.

3:30 AM Rhino taps me on the nose and tells me that Marmoset is trying to climb into his bed. I check all the beds and she is sound asleep in hers. When I got back to my bed to tell Rhino that he was dreaming he was sound asleep sprawled all over my pillows and wadded up in the blankets.

6:45 AM Orangutan calls me from her bed that she's ready to get up and get ready for school.

And another night is lost to being a mother.

Mom Tip Monday: Housework 101

Now I know you all want me to tell you that Housekeeping 101 starts with "Hire a maid!" And then reality sets in and you realize that with everything else going on with the economy, a maid is probably a lottery winners pipe dream. That means we have to come to grips and try to streamline it. Here's your favorite (I am your favorite right?) Zookeeper's Housekeeping 101.

#1. The Bathroom.
How many times a day are you REALLY in there? And I'm not talking about the occasional pit stop. Probably twice that are of any consequence, right? So here's the tip. Stash a roll of paper towels and some Windex under your cabinet and keep your toilet bowl cleaner of choice in the linen closet. When you are done with your shower, shoot the toilet with the cleaner. Finish your morning routine at the sink. While you are brushing teeth, clear the counter top putting everything where it belongs. Spray it down with the Windex and give it a wipe. Give the toilet brush a quick trip around the bowl and voila! You're done! Is is perfect? No. But imagine how much less you have to do on Saturday when you do a "deep clean." In the evening just clear the counters.

#2. The Bedroom (s).
Just make the bed. I mean it! Just the bed. It makes your room look clean and tidy even if it's not perfect. Now I have a bad habit. When I make the bed it is natural to toss the shoes in the closet and make sure the laundry is in the hamper. But really! How much does that add to my routine? Nothing!

And don't think that children can't make their own beds because they are too young. Mine are 5, 4, and 2. Mo and Tuck make their beds and Munch is in charge of laundry round up. It can happen. And it only takes 5 minutes when everyone is cooperating.

#3. The Kitchen
I hate cleaning the kitchen. It never ends! There is always a meal going on or cooking for the next meal. It's the most cyclical room in the house and it drives me crazy! But here's a little trick I learned. Load the dishwasher all day, run it at night, and unload it during breakfast in the morning.

Here's another one that works for me. I run a sink of water before I even start cooking. Then as I cook I can wash and let dry. If it can go in the dishwasher guess what? The dishwasher is already being loaded with dirty dishes so I can just toss them in there. If all your prepware is done while you are cooking it's incredibly easy to throw those dinner dishes in the dishwasher, fire it up and you're done!

But that's just three that work in our house for Housekeeping 101! Do you have a handy housekeeping tip? E-mail me at ineedthezoo(at)yahoo(dot)com and maybe you'll see your tip here in an upcoming Mom Tips!

And while you're sending me mail, toss me your challenges. Next week we're looking at menu planning and simple dinners so look into those pantries and let's see what I can make with YOUR ingredient list.