Moments Of Sanity

 Resting before the next wave of terror fun

I really thought I was better. I managed to end up sick this weekend and on Monday. By Tuesday, I was feeling better. This afternoon, I started feeling bad again, and it is only getting worse. I can’t be sick, I have too much I need to do this weekend.

I now have my washer and dryer in the house instead of that little room off the garage. I can now keep up with laundry without being afraid of being swallowed by giant nasty snakes tortured by thoughts of evil creatures COMING OUT OF MY DRYER! (Thanks R, for that lovely image.)

This was funny, and reminded me of yet another reason I am overjoyed that I had a hysterectomy this year.

 

Dear Kotex, I recently noticed that the peel-off strip of my pantiliner had a bunch of "Kotex Tips for Life" on it. Annoying advice such as: Staying active during your period can relieve cramps. Avoiding caffeine may help reduce cramps and headaches. Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day to keep you hydrated and feeling fresh. Try Kotex blah blah blah other products… Obviously the individual behind this was someone who has never possessed a functioning set of ovaries. Go ahead and tell a menstruating woman that drinking 6-8 glasses of water will help keep her feeling fresh. Like we need more fluid inside our bloated bodies from hell…but go ahead…I triple-dog-friggen-dare-ya… See what happens and report back. I’ll wait. While you’re at it, dump out the coffee at work and remove the chocolate from the vending machine. I garan-dam*-tee you that the first responders will be females who just ovulated. Staying active will relieve headaches & cramps…well guess what, the only activities that interest me is eating..sleeping..bitching or crying for no apparent reason.. …and oh…does ripping someone’s head off count as a friggen’ activity????? Look, females don’t need or want tips for living on their feminine hygiene products. Younger girls are already hearing "helpful" crap like that from elderly relatives. Veteran females have already concocted their own recipes for survival, many containing alcohol & barbituates. Printing out crap advice while sneaking in ads for the brand that was already purchased is just plain annoying, not to mention rude, and is enough to send a girl running to the Always brand. It’s not a fun time, but DO NOT try to cheer us up by adding smiley faces or bunnies or flowery cutesy crap to your products or the packaging. Put the crap in a plain brown wrapper so we can throw it in our carts discreetly and have it blend in among the wine and beer. There is nothing more annoying than having a blinding pink package announcing your uterine state to everyone in the store. Why don’t ya just add an in-store microphone to the damn package& announce that…helloooo, another female in the store is on the rag!!!!! (one of my pet peeves.) So take your tips for living and your cute bunnies & the smiley faces and shove them right up your a**! P.S. How about adding a free sample of Pamprin & maybe a shot of Vodka to your packages instead?

This is in response to Tertia’s post about tiredness. I am aware that CIO (Crying It Out) is a touchy, not for everyone subject. Believe me, I didn’t agree with it when I started out on this parenting gig either. I actually stopped seeing a doctor that recommended it. If I had only had a single child to deal with, I don’t think I would have done it. I didn’t have a single child though, I had twins. I don’t attempt to ever encourage someone to CIO unless I have an idea that this person is absolutely desperate, and then they have to bring it up. Quite honestly, I believe there are better ways, especially if you start them at the beginning. However, I was young and stupid, and didn’t know better, and therefore didn’t start the better ways early enough. Since there was no going back, I moved on, and adapted my thinking. Mostly, because Tony and I were both losing our temper…….with the kids, each other, other people, etc. When I lost my temper to the point I actually had to put my kids in their cribs, turn the monitor on, and go walk around our complex in order to cool off, I realized then, something had to change immediately. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I ried the gradual method. Things don’t work that way with my kids. Nothing we have ever done was gradual, starting with labor and now including potty training.

I started CIO at nap time. I spent a great deal of time crying it out myself. I did our bedtime routine, put them to bed, and sat just outside their room crying my heart out. Once they learned to sleep at nap time, I started on bedtime. I swear that AJ cried for 3 hours several times. I quickly figured out that every time I went in to "comfort" him, it made everything worse. So, again, I would do the bedtime routine and then go sit outside their room crying. You know what, they actually did learn to sleep through the other kid crying. If something is really wrong, they can sense it in the other and they will either wake up or fuss in their sleep. For general things, the "I don’t want to sleep" they will almost always sleep through the other kid’s crying.

We have had to redo the CIO thing numerous times. Almost always, it is either because of an illness (when they are sick, the sleep rules don’t apply) or because as parents we have deviated from the sleep routine in some way. Then, we have to start all over. It kills me every time. I still end up sitting by the monitor crying. I just can’t help it. I can’t handle hearing them cry.

One of our biggest mistakes has been giving them milk or water at bedtime. They are now using as a sleep aid. Without it, AJ has trouble going back to sleep at night. *sigh* Since we are seriously beginning to do battle over the potty, I have to stop this now.

One of the key factors for me in deciding to CIO was when I read this book. I grew up with sleep issues. I still have them. By nature, I am a night shift person. I function best then. I always have, and suspect I always will. I never had a clue on how to get myself to sleep until I was 14 and started therapy and learned self-hypnosis. I didn’t learn the importance of adequate sleep until I started having joint pain that was later diagnosed as Fibromyalgia. I also learned at 18 that children/people with ADD also have sleep disturbances, and that they may even contribute to the ADD. I grew up having night terrors, and am one of those lucky adults that still has them. I was a kid that slept with my parents. I still, to this day, have trouble sleeping in bed by myself, especially at night.

I figured out that it could be argued that enabling your child to not learn how to sleep or go to sleep can be compared to neglect. Sleep affects so incredibly much of our lives, in ways we don’t begin to realize until we aren’t getting enough. If you are one of those parents who can handle your kid sleeping with you, good. Due to the incredible pain I have, I couldn’t handle that at all. None of us slept well when we tried that.

My advice for any new parent………..routine. No matter what sleep method you use, they all work better with a pre-bedtime routine. Almost every single sleep book I have read (And I have read almost all of them) encourages that bedtime routine. My first recommendation is never CIO.  The first book I recommended is great. The newest one, the one for toddlers doesn’t seem to work as well. I actually use a combination of the two ideas, the no-cry solution and the healthy sleep habits. It is what works for us. Neither method was ideal alone, but together, it’s perfect for us. You have to find what works best for you and your family. There is no one perfect sleep method for all.

I totally suck as a friend. I tend to remember everyone’s birthdays, anniversaries, etc. I mark the dates on my calendar well in advance. When the date arrives, I totally forget to say something. My mind has gone to complete useless mush since I became a SAHM. I rarely see a calendar, so marking the dates is useless. I am not seeing a doctor every few weeks anymore, so I rarely use the date book. I usually remember what day of the week it is, but the date, it just escapes me.

I give up. I am totally going back on Weight Watchers. It worked the last time. The only reason I got off it was because the kids had a birthday and there was all that damned cake. And yes, I do believe I will go to hell if I throw cake out. Especially birthday cake. Fortunately, none of the birthdays between now and the twins usually has a cake.

I am giving myself through the week to remember how to do it. Then, I am going to start it this weekend. I am also going to start walking again tomorrow. I think I need to start doing that in the mornings. It’s just too hot in the evenings. I am also thinking I may start cooking dinner in the mornings, and then doing a much lighter, cooler meal for true dinner time. That will help with the eating problems too.  

I have gained all the weight I lost back, except for 2 lbs. That just can’t continue. I can, I will, I am going to lose the weight.  

I am working on several posts right now. I don’t know yet which side they will go on, or if they will be private or public. I know they are involving sensitive topics. I am, for a change, trying to consider someone else’s feelings on these posts, so they aren’t something I can just let go and write. Give me a day or two and they should be up.

I totally stole this from Meira because I thought it was fun. Thanks!

 The first is me now at 30, the second is me at 17. I thought the comparison would be fun.

Some I can see a resemblance, others………no. 

The ONLY thing getting me through the day is the knowledge of just how much tequila is left in that bottle.

 

You know how I said it has been a difficult day? It never got any better.