2.21.2014

The Elusiveness of Sleep...


Wednesday night was frustrating...but it finally got to a point of being laughable.  Sometimes you just have to laugh in order to get through, right?

It had been a semi-rough day anyway and I was looking to unwind.  A few magazines, the winter olympics, and a glass of good bourbon helped me settle and I was ready for bed at 9:30.  I was almost asleep when my husband came to bed...so I was shaken out of my almost asleep phase as he settled in and got comfortable.  Thankfully, I drifted off pretty quickly and slept in my bourbon coma for about 4 hours...

...until I was awakened by the sound of the dog puking.  Yay.  She sleeps in her crate in our room and normally it's a great situation.  I don't handle puke well (not that anyone does, but I REALLY don't), so my husband was kind enough to drag the crate outside and we decided she would sleep on the deck the rest of the night (out of the crate).  It was 60* (yah...in February), so she would be fine...

...we settled back into bed and the barking started...she's pretty obsessive and any little noise at night will set her off, so it may have been a small animal or it may have been the wind...but either way, she wasn't giving up.  Once again, my kind husband settled her back in her crate, this time in the laundry room...at the opposite end of the house from our room.  I was feeling really ill by this point and despite my best attempts, couldn't get the sound of the puking out of my head.  (mouth sounds really bother me.) I tried to focus on anything else and drift off...

...and she started whining...so loud that I could hear it all the way back in our bedroom, despite the noise machine and the noisy refrigerator.  Then the neighborhood dogs started barking...and she heard them, so she started her "inside" bark...which is not a full blown bark because she knows she will get in trouble if she does that, but she can't help but commiserate with all her canine friends.  Apparently, none of this is disturbing my husband, as he is now snoring...

...as I lay in bed, rolling my eyes and starting to feel the giggles at the situation, I realize that I am dreadfully hungry and my stomach makes such a loud grumble, I'm not sure if it's actually my stomach or the snoring...

...still can't get to sleep and it's after 3:00 a.m. now...I've scanned facebook, instagram, goodreads, checked the weather multiple times, checked e-mail (all on my phone) and I'm thinking about reading on my nook for awhile...but my eyes were tired, so I decided to try sleeping...

...I had almost drifted off, when my daughter started coughing.  She's been struggling with cold symptoms for about a week and night-time has been the most difficult.  The coughing continued and it became obvious she was going to need something to help.  My husband was tired enough to sleep through it all, and I knew that he would be getting up in less than 2 hours to go work out.  I grabbed my pillows, water bottle, phone, and nook, and headed into C's room...

....got some Breathe oil on her feet and chest, started the humidifier with Breathe oil added, propped her up on a couple pillows and adjusted her blankets, and settled myself down next to her...and she never woke up.  By this time, after moving around, I'm wide awake again, still hungry, and feeling the effects of drinking water throughout the night...ahem...

...I decide it's not worth it to get up, I'll probably get up in a few hours anyway, and I start to drift off...until C rolls over and starts snoring right next to my ear!  For real.  You can't MAKE this stuff up, people!  I shift her over again and settle, and she throws off all the covers (mine included)...I manage to get the covers back on just me, just in time for her to roll over and poke her knees into my back....and I am finally so tired that I drift off to sleep (the power of the Breathe oil?!?!) for a few hours.

This is what teenagers should have to endure to prepare them for real life...

But...it's a blessed life, and despite the snoring, coughing, and lack of sleep, I wouldn't trade it.  

(the puking dog...well...she's on thin ice right now...)



2.20.2014

January Reading...

I have set a goal for myself to read at least 50 books this year.  This is lofty, even though it doesn't seem like it right now.  Right now, it is cold outside and I am reading a LOT...but as soon as the weather turns warm (April-ish) and stays warm (until October-ish), my reading rate drops drastically.  So, I have to get in extra reading during this time if I hope to come close to my goal.  I also hope to write a monthly blog-post reviewing some of what I read throughout the month.  So here goes for January...



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This book was given to me by my dad after reading and enjoying several of the author's articles in a magazine.  I have also enjoyed occasionally reading her articles.  She is a very knowledgeable woman and has a lot to share.  This was an easy read with short chapters that allow the reader to feel like they are  accomplishing something.  I finished it in just a few days.  As with most books of this type, there were things that I agreed with and loved and learned from and there were also a few things on which the author and I would have differing opinions.  As a mom, I did find the majority of the book encouraging and did not come away feeling discouraged in my role as a mother.






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This was a very intriguing read.  I heard about this book from a magazine and have been wanting to read it for awhile.  The hospitality industry is fascinating to me, and even more so after recently staying at the Opryland Hotel and just thinking through the logistics of operating a place that big.  I cannot recommend this book, though, because it has a ridiculous amount of unnecessary offensive language in it.  I almost didn't finish it because it got so tedious trying to skip around where there wasn't so much, but I ended up skimming a lot of it.  After reading it, I will never look at hotel staff the same way again, will probably take a lot more precautions in hotels than I already do (my germ-a-phobe side almost had a heart attack at a few points), and will probably tip more generously when given the opportunity.







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While I did not do the author's recommended experiment while reading the book, I can see the value in doing it.  I began this book at some point in 2013, and finished it in January.  I was not quite halfway through it when I began again.  It definitely makes you take a closer look at social-media use and the effect it is having on relationships.  I think the author must be an extrovert, and my introvert-self found some of his suggestions completely unthinkable...but, that is probably a sign of room for growth in my own life.  Overall, I recommend reading it, if only for the purpose of analyzing your own use of social media. 





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This was also given to me by my dad, and is the same author as Woman of the House.  This book also has short chapters and is an easy and enjoyable read.  Obviously the author is VERY pro-homeschooling, so if you are not, then the book will most likely be offensive to you.  It is full of practical tips for home-schoolers, though, and I look forward to implementing some of them in the future.  Again, another encouraging read for my calling as wife, mother, and teacher.







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I think I can hear you raising your eyebrows.  And I can imagine your thought pattern right now...why would you READ that book?  why would you ADMIT to reading that book?  why would you BLOG about reading that book?  Because it was a good book.  And I try to be an honest blogger.  This book was part of a bundle of eBooks that I was given as a gift and I'm determined to read them all.  I like 31 books like this where you read a section each day.  Sheila has a great perspective on intimacy for real life and I love the way that she presents the spiritual as well as as the emotional and physical aspects.  Highly recommend this book for all married couples.  There.  That wasn't so bad, was it?





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Another 31 Days book, which, like I said, I really enjoy.  This was also part of the eBook bundle.  I always need help when it comes to praying so any book that offers direction is a good fit for me.  The interesting thing about this book though, is that you go into it thinking that since you are praying FOR your spouse (primarily) they are the ones that will be "better built" at the end of the month...but, we all know what happens when we start a project like that, and as I prayed through these topics for my husband, I felt much conviction to pray about and work on these areas in my own life.  I did appreciate the way that this helped me focus on specific areas of my husband that I appreciate and am thankful for.  Highly recommend this one too.



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