This comment {below} was in response to my article, Structuring the Day for a Toddler. I wanted to share my response with everyone!

Comment: Wise words, and a helpful schedule. I follow most of this schedule already and can testify that it works!

I just wanted to add to the discussion that I struggle with the idea that it isn’t good to sleep as long as your children sleep in the mornings and that that makes you “that kind of mom”. Personally, I struggle with never getting enough sleep and perpetual fatigue, and if I can get an extra hour in the mornings and sleep as long as my daughter sleeps, I will because it makes me a better Mom and wife that day. For those of us who have husbands with evening responsibilities, going to bed extra early is not always an option without cheating him. Being pregnant and/or having a night-nursing baby, as many moms of toddlers do, compounds the problem and makes skimping yourself of an extra hour of sleep, in some cases, irresponsible.

I hope that when my children are older, sleep through the night consistently, and are less demanding during the day, getting more solid rest at night and waking up earlier before them will be possible – I think it will be. But I think it lays an unnecessary guilt trip on pregnant/nursing/moms-of-little-ones to tell them they should be voluntarily giving up sleep when they are already so exhausted. We all know how cranky and ungodly we can be when we are tired! And for others, it leads to depression and anxiety. Sleep is important, and one of the keys to making us good moms. Let’s not discourage those of us who lay the housework aside and nap when our baby naps, or are excited that we got an extra half hour of sleep when the toddler decided to sleep in a little bit that day.

You can find ways to still fit in time with God and make mornings pleasant. For example, I still make an effort to smile and greet my toddler joyfully when I get her out of her crib, even if I’m jerked out of sleep and still groggy. Also, I love that she actually sees me do my devotions every morning, even if I am more distracted than if I were alone.

- Leah

NOTE: In my response, I am talking in generalities and use the word “your” which is not directed at Leah {above}.

Response: Leah, I totally agree! Sleep is so important and one of the Eight Laws of Health! And in life there are seasons. Some seasons, such as when you have babies, you have to grab sleep whenever you can. I love how you said that you try hard to wake up with a cheerful attitude even if you are exhausted. That’s so important!

I have struggled with sleep deprivation for the last couple of years {and with my health} and I can testify that not getting enough sleep can really affect the rest of your life.

However, {and only each one of us can judge our own motives for ourselves} I have five children and they are pretty well spaced apart. My oldest son was twelve when my youngest child was born and at the time I was homeschooling three of my children. I couldn’t sleep in {otherwise the day would be shot} and I managed. I’m not saying that to suggest that I am in any way better than other moms! It’s just a fact.

The other fact is that over the last two years or so I’ve gone through some serious emotional, physical, and mental burnout – due to a lot of family crisis, stress,’ and just having way too much to do. {My children are ten years older now.} My health has been poor for over 2 decades due to a chronic illness. And I have felt like I could never get enough sleep. I’ve spent the last two years sleeping in to around 7 or 7:30 in the morning. I’m still homeschooling and I can testify that the last two years have been really rough. I don’t accomplish nearly as much when I sleep in even an hour later.

But I desperately need my sleep.

I am not in any way shape or form a perfect mom. Or perfect anything. I struggle with all sorts of things.

We each have to decide what is right for our families. If you are unsure – pray about it! Every family and family situation is unique.

As for being “that kind of mom”… I have personally known quite a few moms who stay up late {selfishly} and then sleep-in in the mornings and their children have to practically beg for breakfast. That is not a God-honoring use of your time. I was not talking about moms who have legitimate reasons for not getting up at the crack of dawn {or earlier}. We each have to search our hearts to know whether the root of our “need for sleep” is derived from selfishness.

I would suggest that for most moms, getting up early is going to serve them and their families the best. If your baby keeps you up in the middle of the night, work toward getting her to sleep through the night. If your child is sick one night, forget the early morning and sleep in if you are able or get a nap when your little one goes to down for her nap!

I know I have said this before in the past, but if you can’t or aren’t able to get up early for morning devotions, have your devotions at the breakfast table or any other time that works best for you! I love Leah’s suggestion {above} about have her devotions with the kids present.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Get the kids involved in your worship time if they want your attention. In fact, I recommend having a morning worship together regardless of when you have your own personal study time. In my house, we try to have family worship while we are all still sitting at the breakfast table.

Here’s the thing. If your baby or toddler wakes up and is hungry, he’s more likely to be cranky and fussy. If he has to wait for 30 minutes after you wake up for you to go to the bathroom, brush your teeth, and fix breakfast, low blood sugar can cause a child to feel anxious and fussy. That just gets your day off wrong.

By consistently following a basic routine for your day {on most days} children feel more secure and happy. They are less fussy {as a general rule}. Now maybe your child is completely easy going and doesn’t seem to care when he eats and takes naps haphazardly. There is nothing inherently wrong with that. I’m just saying that’s the exception to the rule.

I would never want a mother who is giving her family her very best to ever feel guilty for getting some much needed extra sleep!

When you put your child {or children} on a basic routine during the day including set bedtimes, often their sleep patterns at night even out and they fall into a good circadian rhythm and will sleep through the night. If you are breastfeeding, I definitely recommend co-sleeping! I was always able to wake up early when I had nursing infants because we co-slept together and waking up for middle of the night feedings went practically unnoticed because all I really did was take two seconds to latch the baby on and I was back to sleep.

Like I said in my previous follow up to Structuring the Day for a Toddler, {Structuring the Day for a Toddler and a School Aged Child} that anything I offer here is just a suggestion! I’m sharing what worked for me.

From my experience, all five of my children rarely cried. They were {and are} well-behaved most of the time. I have never been able to stick to a strict schedule despite trying several times years ago, but routines work well for me and our family. That’s why I suggest creating a gentle flow or rhythm to your day and not trying to do too much {which I have been guilty of in the past, hence my burnout}.

Side Note: I have suffered from frequent insomnia the last couple of years. Anything can keep me awake – stress, joy, excitement, new book ideas, etc. My mind just won’t always shut down. Or, I’ll go to sleep and then wake up a couple of hours later and not be able to sleep until around 6:00 am. So frustrating!

I recently started taking Valerian Root, which is an herb that helps you relax at bedtime so that you can sleep. This has been life changing for me! I feel refreshed when I wake up! No joke, I can’t even tell you how amazing it has been for me to have my energy back. I’m still catching up on sleep, but I’m looking forward to waking up earlier. I’ve already noticed that I’m just waking up by 7:00 am feeling wide awake.

I thought I would share that since some of you may have a hard time sleeping regardless of whether your little ones are waking you up in the middle of the night.

My hope is that moms everywhere will find a good balance to their day, have less stress, and more energy, peace, and joy!

Have you struggled with getting enough sleep? What has helped you?

From Chaos to Calm: Day Forty-Three

Exercise

Scripture Memory: “She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.” Proverbs 31:17

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Yesterday, we talked about water and how essential it is to our health. Today we are going to talk about the importance of exercise.

Exercising is one of the most important activities we can do to improver our health and the quality of our lives. Knowing that we need to exercise is not the problem. We all know we need to exercise. The problem is our own lack of self-discipline.

We have talked about self-discipline over the last few weeks. Exercising, for most of us, is just not on our top ten list of Fun Things to Do With Our Time. I have gone from being a skinny Eat-Anything-I-Want sort of girl to being a Watch-Everything-I-Eat sort of Woman. It has not been a joyful experience. But I have learned a lot about what it means to take care of my health. When I had no issue with my weight, I had no real desire to be fit. (Yes, it is possible to be skinny and in bad shape.) So, whether you are as skinny as a rail or could stand to lose a few pounds, exercising is something you can do for yourself that will really make a difference in your life and maybe even the lives of those around you.

So, how do we find the will power or self-discipline we need to get moving 6 days a week? First, we go to God and ask for the strength and the motivation we need. Your Heavenly Father wants you to be healthy. You can trust that He will help you. Each day, as you wake up early and go to your prayer corner for your time with God, ask for help in this area. Add it to your prayer list. Be faithful to pray for yourself!

There are a few things you can do to help get motivated:

#1 Find a friend to exercise with. Having a partner to experience the joy and the pain of getting fit can really help! If you don’t have a friend who wants to get in shape, advertise! Place an ad in your local paper or post flyers at the park, library, and/or grocery store.

#2 Use a program you can enjoy. Join a group or start one! Pilates, Aerobics, or Strollercising are some fun ways to enjoy getting in shape. See what your area has available.

#3 Purchase workout clothes that make you happy. I love working out in my good looking yoga pants and matching tops. Instead of looking frumpy in a sweatsuit or sloppy shorts and t-shirts I can look stylish while I workout – even though I workout by myself. Workout clothes that are designed for exercising are comfortable to move in and will keep you cool. Yoga pants stretch and move with you. If you are comfortable and look good you will be more likely to keep it up.

#4 Get a puppy. Walking is one of the most effective and easiest forms of exercising. I love walking my Labrador Retriever every morning. He makes it fun! Walking is also a good time to reflect on what God has planned for your day. Enjoy the nature around you!

#5 Exercise with your children. My daughters love to exercise with me. They gain a healthy body image and get in shape while developing a good habit that will serve them well as they become adults.

Exercising daily should be a priority. It doesn’t have to take long. A 15 minute walk each day is enough to help you lose weight, lower your cholesterol, prevent heart disease and more! We all have 15 minutes. Just schedule it in.

Do you struggle with finding time to exercise? Have some tips for the rest of us? Please share!

This question was in response to my article: Structuring the Day for a Toddler.

Q: I like what you said about being present, but in your schedule you don’t mention daily interruptions like volunteering at school or going to the grocery store. I seem to go somewhere 3 or 4 times a week and they are at different times. Am I doing a larger disservice to my elementary aged kids by not volunteering or my toddler by not being scheduled.

P.S. Your house sounds clean!

A: This is a great question!

I think the biggest gift you can give your children is to be “present.” When you have more than one child, you may have to divide your time and be “present” with different children at different times.

For instance, even in my home, I have to divide my time between each of my children and my husband. Sometimes we are all doing things together. Sometimes I am talking one on one with only one child or maybe I’m sitting together with two of them reading a book.

Sometimes one child will be talking to me and another child will come in and interrupt and I will say something like, “Wait, it’s Emily’s turn right now. Wait until she’s finished.”

My point is that, as long as you are making it a priority to love and nurture each of your children every day you’re okay! The schedule I presented was only a suggestion. Every family situation is different. Whether a mom volunteers at the school a few times a week or works outside the home or is home all day with all of her kids, you can provide a gentle routine to your day and to the hours you are at home.

For example, start with the morning routine. This could consist of {after the children are dressed and ready for school} breakfast and morning worship and prayer before you head out the door. Create traditions for the time that you say good-bye to the older children, i.e. have a special saying for good-bye like “See ya, later Alligator.” Or special hug. Include your toddler in it.

When you come home from say, 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., use that time to do a load of laundry, give your toddler a snack and maybe play a game together after you’ve done your morning chores.

When it’s time to go to the school for volunteering (or run errands, etc.), {I don’t know if you are dropping the toddler off at a sitters}, it’s time to go to school. When it’s time to come home from school, keep the afternoon routine the same. Come home, eat a snack, encourage some play time or nap time, whatever it is your child needs.

End the day with a regular evening/bedtime routine that is familiar and that your toddler can look forward too. He will know he’s loved! Bath time, bedtime story, lots of hugs and kisses, etc. And so will your older children because you are taking an active roll in his or her life. And that’s really what’s important. Being present and taking an active roll!

By keeping the morning and evening routines fairly “routine” you’ll help your youngest child to feel secure by knowing what to expect.

Sounds to me like you are a great, Mom. Keep seeking HIM and God will bless your efforts!

As for my house being clean, sometimes it is and sometimes it’s not. Right now… it’s half and half. We’ve had a lot of upheaval in our lives recently and I take things one day at a time. I’m gone from home a lot and it makes it hard. I catch up {hopefully} on Sunday afternoons.

I don’t want to come across as perfect. There have been times in my life where I really have it together and other times when I just feel broken {like this past year}. But thankfully, God loves me anyway!

I do want to add that I prefer my days to be the same. And being at home most of the time makes a huge difference in the quality of your/ my homemaking. It makes it so much easier to have a solid routine and keep the house clean. It drives me crazy when everyday is different.

The thing is, life happens. And it can be really messy. And when you are really busy, it will be even messier.
We each have to decide how best to spend our time because really, TIME is all we have. Sometimes, things happen that are beyond your control and then you just have to give it all to God.

Right now, much of my life and time is out of my own control because we have elderly family members who require a great deal of my time and it takes me away from my home – which is where I really want to be. There are parts of my house that need a major overhaul right now because I am just not here often enough to do more than just the basics with a little extra on the side. It saddens me. I want to change things. I don’t know when things will change – it could be years.

Sometimes there isn’t an easy answer. I am open to suggestions!

I pray that God blesses your sweet family. These years will pass quickly. Savor each moment!