Tag Archives: sleep deprivation

November’s Dreamer in the Spotlight

30 Nov

The young woman that I’m featuring this month is truly an inspiration!  Her name is Katie Davis and  I ran across an article about her story last month in the Tennessean.  She is a perfect example of how God can use each of us to do extraordinary things if we will listen and be open to whatever He asks.  Easier said that done, right?  I’m sure a lot of people were skeptical of her plans and worried about her, but she is making a difference and shedding God’s light on so many lives!

Please click on the following headline to read the online version of “At 22, woman is mom to 13 Ugandan children”.

As the article mentions, she also has a blog called Kisses from Katie and recently released a book by the same name.  I’m looking forward to checking it out when I get some time.  She makes me think about how amazing it would be if all of us embraced God’s plan for our lives! The bible verse “Yet not as I will, but as YOU will (Matthew 26: 39)” is the status on Amazima Minstries‘ Facebook page!

(photo above courtesy of africa via http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1803)

_________________________

Side note:  I realized after I published my previous post, that I forgot to include a main part of my sleep deprivation story, so I’ll include it below.  This is just a perfect example of my mommy brain in action!  Here we go…

As I mentioned, I had a week where I was very irritable and unpleasant towards Adam.  That Saturday, while Adam was working, I cleaned the house and did several chores while watching the girls.  I even had time to make dinner.  I felt like I was being a good wife/mother and wanted Adam to feel relaxed when he arrived home.  Of course, shortly after he walked through the door, my attitude and moodiness overshadowed my good intentions and homemaking skills as my exhaustion kicked in after a long, busy day.  I made sure Adam knew what a heavy load I carried and complained about all of my responsibilities.  So much for him relaxing, huh?

The next morning, we went to Mass and the first reading was from Proverbs 31.  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing!  I felt like God was specifically talking to me and I started to cry, because I wanted to be a good wife and was ashamed of how I had been acting.  I had been blaming Adam for not helping me, when I should have been asking the Lord for grace and strength to deal with a tough time.  Sometimes it can be discouraging to just “suck it up and deal with it” when mothers have to continuously sacrifice, but I know that it is a privilege and a blessing to be called to marriage and to be able to raise children.

The sum of all of this is:  Husbands, help your wives get sleep and they won’t be so psycho and will be more appreciative of all of their blessings!  I know Adam has seen the benefits of a more rested wife already!

Advertisement

Tired Mommy on Board – Stay off the Road!

26 Nov

I can’t do it all… Shocking news, I know!

The past month has been a challenging time mostly due to sleep deprivation because my 7-month-old has decided to wake up like a newborn throughout the night again.  I’m even struggling to organize my thoughts right now to write this blog post that has been floating around in my head for a few weeks.  This is the first chance that I’ve really had to start typing it all out…

First of all, I hate when the time changes and it is pitch black outside when I get out of work in the evening.  It throws me off my schedule and puts a major kink in my routine with the girls.  This year, it happened to coincide with “Little A” dropping her late afternoon nap, which equaled the perfect storm of disrupted sleep for baby AND mommy!  Adam was also on the road for two weekends in a row, so I was not able to catch any extra zzz’s and my sleep debt continued to accumulate.  Needless to say, the value of quality sleep is not to be underestimated – just ask my husband!  He had to deal with an irritable, moody, impatient Stefanie every night for a week straight.  There is a reason that sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture!  I, apparently, wasn’t the only one being tortured!  “A happy wife is a happy life”, right?!

Anyway, after sending Adam some articles on the effects of sleep deprivation and him convincing me to leave work early to take an afternoon nap, I have started to slowly return closer to “normal.”  At least I know I’m a little less dangerous on the road.  (Driving while sleep deprived is about as risky as driving drunk!)  Adam has been great with the girls and has let me sleep in for a couple hours for a few random days recently.  I am even going to a nail salon later today with my mother, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law for a manicure and pedicure – something I never do.  It will be nice to have some time for myself and relax for a couple hours!

I want to thank those of you who have been keeping up with my random blog posts.  My hope one day soon is to have a routine day each week that I post.  This is one area that I have given myself permission to let go for now, since I have so many responsibilities and things to juggle on a daily basis.  It’s helping my sanity right now to sleep instead of blog!  Hopefully, I’ll find time to squeeze in November’s Dreamer of the Month in the next few days before it’s too late!