Are you going broke buying under eye concealer to cover up those dark circles due to nights of restless or almost non-existent sleep? Does deep, restful sleep seem to elude you these days?

With all the responsibilities of being a wife and mom, the last thing we need to worry about is getting enough sound sleep. Yet, sleep deprivation, for whatever the reason, is very much a reality for many women.

According to SleepMed, more than 70 million Americans suffer from sleep problems, and females are twice as likely to have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep.

So, what causes us to have difficulties getting our Zzzs?

Sleep issues can be caused by a range of things, anywhere from the temperature of the bedroom to medical conditions. Of course, for medical conditions, a sleep specialist may be required to ensure that proper sleep is obtained.

Fortunately for many sleep problems, there are things that can be done to help minimize the loss of that much needed shut-eye.

What changes then can you implement into your current bedtime rituals to help you sleep better?

1. Avoid caffeine (this includes chocolate) before bedtime - Caffeine is a natural stimulant which can obviously cause you problems with getting to sleep.
2. Try not to nap during the day - Napping causes you not to be as sleepy at night when it is time to go to bed.
3. Read a calming book to help relax and wind down - Try to avoid anything suspenseful or too thought provoking. The object is to get your mind to slow down and relax.
4. Get regular exercise - Regular exercise will cause your body to require sleep to recuperate.
5. Don’t lay in bed awake - If you have been laying in bed awake for awhile, get up and do something boring until you get sleepy again.
6. Limit liquids just before bedtime - You don’t want frequent trips to the little girls room hindering your sleep.
7. Turn on relaxing music to play lightly in the background - Soft music can help relax your mind and body so you can fall asleep more quickly and peacefully.
8. Don’t go to bed hungry - A growling stomach does not make for a good bed buddy.
9. Don’t go to bed on a full stomach - Eating too much before bedtime can make breathing more difficult, not to mention, making you just plain miserable.
10. Keep the bedroom cooler rather than warmer - A cooler room seems to help promote sleep. Just curl up under the warm covers.
11. Don’t hit the snooze button - By hitting the snooze button, you lose valuable sleep time. You are better off setting the alarm to the actual time you need to get up, sleeping until that time, and then getting up.
12. Try to maintain a consistent bedtime routine - This routine includes the things that you do just before going to bed, and keeping a consistent time for going to bed and getting up in the morning.

Hopefully, some of these tips will help if you are having problems getting to sleep or staying asleep. I remember as a kid snoozing right through the night, every night. But, where are those nights now? Let’s just say they are less frequent.

Although, I don’t sleep like I did as a kid, I can say that since I have implemented some of these suggestions into my own sleep habits, I do sleep better than I did a few years ago.

If you have had sleep issues in the past, what sleep rituals have you found to help you?

Posted on April 8th, 2009 in Health and Fitness | 9 Comments

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Last week, I wrote an article on giving our children Easter baskets with your own personal touch. However, as fun as it is to put together the goodies and gifts for our children, we must never forget to include the greatest gift of all, Jesus and what he did for us on the cross.

Easter is not about bunnies, baskets, treats or egg hunts. It’s about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To leave this part out of your Easter with your child is to leave out the most important element of Easter.

Kids need to know that Jesus is the real reason we celebrate Easter. Many holidays have become very commercialized and this one is no exception, thus making it so much more important for us to use fun ways to teach our children it’s true meaning.

One way that we are using to teach our kids about the death and resurrection of Jesus is through Resurrection Cookies. Each ingredient and each step symbolizes a portion of the events that led up to the resurrection.

Here I have included the recipe and steps that are involved in the process.

Here is a pdf copy of the recipe for you to print out if you choose.

Ingredients:

• 1 c. whole pecans
• 1 tsp. vinegar
• 3 egg whites
• pinch salt
• 1 c. sugar
• zipper baggie
• wooden spoon
• tape
• Bible

Instructions:

Preheat Oven to 300 F. (Note: Do this first, don’t wait until you are half way done with the recipe!) Place pecans in Ziploc bag and let your children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces.

• Explain that after Jesus was arrested he was beaten by the Roman soldiers.

• Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl.

• Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink.

• Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life.

• Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.

• Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child’s hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl.

• Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.

• Read Luke 23:27.

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 c. sugar.

• Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us, He wants us to know that and He wants us to love Him as well.

• Read Psalms 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed.

• Explain that the color white represents the purity in God’s eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.

• Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet.

• Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid.

• Read Matthew 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.

• Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed.

• Read Matthew 27:65-66.

IT”S TIME TO GO TO BED!

• Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus’ followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.

• Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Sunday morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On Resurrection morning, Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.

• Read Matthew 28:1-9.

THE LORD JESUS HAS RISEN!!! HE IS ALIVE!!

This is just one excellent way to teach your children why we celebrate Easter. Other great ways are through books, crafts and activities. I have included a few links below to other Easter ideas that might interest you also.

Books:

• The Parable of the Lily
• Benjamin’s Box

Crafts & Activities:

• Resurrection Eggs - You can make these eggs yourself. Each plastic eggs contains an item that symbolizes a part of the Easter story along with the appropriate scriptures.
• Easter Surprise - On Easter morning, your kids will get a surprise because Jesus has risen from the tomb (shoebox) in which he was buried only a few days earlier.
• Resurrection Rolls - This project symbolizes the burial and resurrection of Jesus. The only ingredients needed are crescent roll dough, marshmallows, butter, cinnamon and sugar.

It is very important to remember that although Easter is the time of year set aside to specifically celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection, this truth should be taught and celebrated throughout the year, not just at Easter.

That being said, I hope you and your family have a WONDERFUL and BLESSED Easter!!

By the way, if you have any special Easter projects that you would like me to link to on my Playday Thursday post, you can send the links to me via my contact form at the top of this page and I will be happy to share those.

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2. Happy Easter!! If it's Easter Sunday and you're reading this, get off your computer and get in there with your family. :-)...
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Posted on April 7th, 2009 in Kids and Family | 6 Comments

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Boy, am I glad I’m not the only one who has days like this. Poor Alexander starts his day by waking up with gum in his hair, trips on the skateboard and drops his sweater in the sink while the water is running. From that point on, he knows that it is going to be a “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.”

Yes, Alexander does end up having a “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.” At home, at school, at the shoe store, and even at his dad’s office, things just don’t go well for little Alexander. He thinks that things just might be different if he lived in Australia. However, despite all, he learns that everybody has days like this sometimes, even in Australia.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is a great story for teaching children (and adults) that everybody, no matter how old they are or where they live, have really bad days sometimes. Things just happen.

Tiny Tidbits: In 1998, this story was turned into a musical production, which has been performed all over the country. The book’s author, Viorst, also wrote the music and lyrics for the production. (Resource: Wikipedia)

Related posts:

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2. Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor Although Fancy Nancy is a children’s book, specifically a little girl’s story, I absolutely love it. Maybe, partly because I...
3. Instilling Biblical Values in Our Children Nothing makes this mama more proud than for my kids to say "let's pray about it" when they're sick or...

Posted on April 6th, 2009 in Book Reviews | 3 Comments

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