by Ms. V. (South Korea) | Nov 28, 2011 | Motherhood, Sleep and Children, South Korea, World Motherhood
I am, by nature, a champion sleeper. And when I say champion, I really mean it.
If given the opportunity, I can enjoy some epic, luxurious, long sleep. Or at least I could. I stopped sleeping approximately at the beginning of my second trimester of pregnancy, and I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since.
While I was pregnant, I just couldn’t get comfortable at night. Lying on one side just wasn’t for me, and besides, the babe would start his nightly high-kicks routine as soon as I settled into bed. By my final weeks of pregnancy, I was sleeping about 2 solid hours a night, with 5-6 hours of tossing and turning.
And moms, if you can believe this, I kept telling myself: “I’ll get some sleep once the baby comes. Sure, it will be interrupted, but it will at least be real sleep”. Oh how foolish the first-time mom can be. In hindsight, I can remember the few mothers of small children I said this to who simply smiled and nodded in response. I mistook their kind desire to not burst my bubble as reassurance that my delusions were true.
We are now 5 ½ months into my son’s life on the outside, and while I, of course, cannot imagine my life without him, nor would I ever want to, I am still struggling to make peace with the whole sleep deprivation thing. I mean, what becomes of a champion who cannot hone their skills?
As I was discussing this with my husband, I realized that the emotions I’ve been experiencing about sleep and lack of sleep are quite similar to the emotions associated with grief, and so I present to you: The Five Stages of Sleep Deprivation. (more…)
Ms. V returned from a 3-year stint in Seoul, South Korea and is now living in the US in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her partner, their two kids, three ferocious felines, and a dog named Avon Barksdale. She grew up all over the US, mostly along the east coast, but lived in New York City longer than anywhere else, so considers NYC “home.” Her love of travel has taken her all over the world and to all but four of the 50 states.
Ms. V is contemplative and sacred activist, exploring the intersection of yoga, new monasticism, feminism and social change. She is the co-director and co-founder of Samdhana-Karana Yoga: A Healing Arts Center, a non-profit yoga studio and the spiritual director for Hab Community. While not marveling at her beautiful children, she enjoys reading, cooking, and has dreams of one day sleeping again.
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by Multitaskingmumma (Canada) | Nov 21, 2011 | Canada, Family, Holiday, Humor, Kids
Whether we like it, or not, the holidays are only a few weeks away and that means shopping.
And lots of it.
I adore shopping, however, I am usually browsing the stores with children, sweating profusely, and football holding while I pull my hair out.
So to save you all the same anxiety attacks I have some key tips that will save you during this busy time of year.
1. Before leaving pack a bag with various snacks, drinks, diapers, changes of clothes, books, crayons, the kitchen sink and anything else that might keep your child(ren) for 10 minutes. (more…)
by Multitaskingmumma (Canada) | Sep 14, 2011 | Canada, Humor, Parenting
1. Do not shave your legs until absolutely necessary. You will feel pressure from you friends to do it but be strong. Many of them probably have hairier legs than you do and are quick and fast. Do not be loose and fancy free like these shaving lunatics. The longer you can go without putting razor to skin the better. You will thank me when you’re 30 and trying to find pants on a hot summers day because you don’t have time to drag a blade over your dry skin.
Mullet Hairstyle
2. There are certain things you should not do to your hair no matter what the fashion trend; perms, undercut, rat tails, and the mullet. Unless you are the lead in a multi million dollar film and you are going to be paying for my retirement, of course. (more…)