Solutions for my sanity & my kids’ sweet dreams

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Baby Yum Yum - Solutions for my sanity & my kids’ sweet dreams
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I always found it strange that my mother would go to sleep after watching Isidingo and having dinner, then rise like the dead at 11pm, when everyone was asleep and the house was quiet. I could never understand why she would choose to do that and interrupt her sleep instead of just going to sleep like a “normal” person for a solid eight hours.

Now as a mother of two little people, and a wife and a business owner, I understand exactly her motivation. The desire to have alone time – when the world is quiet. It’s still a pleasure of mine, and I indulge in it every chance I can get.

“Giving them formula was actually the turning point in my life. I realised that my sanity comes first, so I went to the shops and stocked up on Novalac SD formula.”

I have always been a night owl who comes alive like a glow-worm. I am my most productive at night and crave the time alone to be productive. And I, too, will often fall asleep with my kids when putting them to bed and as hard as it is to wake up, I force myself to get up after everyone is asleep so that I can enter my realm of personal satisfaction.

Mornings in my house are chaotic when we all wake up late and have 45 minutes to eat, get dressed, apply make-up (me, not them), pack school bags, brush hair and actually leave for school. This is all amid the screaming, nagging, fingers that need plasters, grabbing Oreos to snack on in the car, and gathering at least five toys plus my children.

I must admit that having my own quiet time is verrrrry important and I will do what I have to do to get it.

My list of quiet-time places and things I have done include:

  • Sitting in my car in my garage for at least 20 minutes when I have gotten home from work, catching up on Facebook or just reading the news.
  • Going to the car wash alone.
  • Ducking behind a kitchen counter or other piece of furniture when I hear the long, drawn out word “mommmmmmmy!”
  • Sitting in the Wendy house… alone.
  • Letting my daughter give me a timeout in the bathroom for making her ponytail too tight.
  • Pulling out weeds while my children play in the garden, knowing very well that they will eventually get bored and will go inside to my husband. I have led them to believe that he fears weeds like the runs and he will happily take my kids on.
  • Giving my children formula when they were younger, which is said to make them sleep better at night, and OMG, not only did they sleep better, but so did I!

novalac-sd-baby-infant-formula-for-hungry-sleepless-babies

Giving them formula was actually the turning point in my life. I realised that my sanity comes first, so I went to the shops and stocked up on Novalac SD formula. SD literally stands for sweet dreams, and the name couldn’t be more apt. This was my secret to making my babies sleep through the night.

How it works is that it is formulated with a higher casein content, which takes longer to break down and digest. The complex carbohydrates give baby a feeling of being fuller for longer and NO, it doesn’t make them fat – it has the same kilojoule content as regular formula and the fact that the baby feels fuller means that feed less, so duh, you do the maths.

I am tired of justifying my decisions to people about why I do the things that I do. I am only human and I may not win a “mother of the year” award (I don’t think that anyone will, actually) but at least I’m able to enjoy the motherhood journey because I have been fully alert and awake to tackle each day with a still soul and mind.

Also read:

Formula or breastfeeding? It’s your choice
How motherhood helped me find myself

The Lily Rose Collection
The Lily Rose Collection
Futurelife Mothers Food Supplement for moms
PregOmega

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