Day 15-11:58 pm: Well, it’s late. That’s because my toddler would not go to sleep! Seriously, it was close to 11:30 before she actually was asleep! What?! Maybe it had to do with the fact that she slept in this morning until 9:45. Or she woke up from her nap at 6:00. Regardless, as I lay in bed with her trying to get her to fall asleep, I actually fell asleep while she climbed all over me, and it got me thinking, do you really need “sleep”?

YES! You do need sleep!

It may feel like you are superwoman, from another planet, who doesn’t need to sleep. Or maybe you feel like you just don’t have time to sleep (that’s my excuse). But, let’s be real. You need sleep. And your kids need sleep.

It is so important for you, as a mother, to get sleep. It’s not only beneficial to your health, but it’ll make you a better mama. When I don’t get enough sleep, I am so much more irritable, I can’t focus, and I lack so much energy that is required to chase after a toddler. It’s not fair to me, and it’s not fair to her.

I want to be the mommy that rolls around on the floor with her, or chases her around the house as a “tiger”, or sits and does a puzzle without falling asleep.

And not only that, your body needs sleep to be healthy. If your body doesn’t get enough rest it can contribute to high blood pressure, or a weak immune system. So you’ll be catching every flu out there. No!!

Ok, enough with the lecture.

Mama, I just want you to remember that you are important too. And, you need to take care of yourself so that you can be the best mom, wife, and person you can be. Without sleep, you will not be your best self.

So please, put down the laptop, the phone, and the tablet. And get some rest! Because, you are worth it.

Ok, I’m going to take my own advice and put down the laptop and get some sleep!

Day 11-10:51 pm: It’s amazing how quickly we can get caught up in things. We get so busy doing dishes, making dinner, doing laundry, scrolling through Facebook, that sometimes it’s easy to miss out on magical moments. Let’s take this moment to remember to stop and spend some quality time with our family.

It all started after the storm.

Remember I talked about the crazy storm we had here? If not, check out my post. So we were cleaning up after the storm, and pumping water from under our house. The outside was a mess. My hubby was outside putting up gutters on our house while I was inside trying to clean up the mess. You know the mess. It’s the dishes and toys and papers that pile up when it’s raining outside and you’re stuck in the house. Sound familiar?

So as I was cleaning the dishes I was letting my toddler play in the living room. And just as I completed that task, I went into the living room and it was a mess! One step forward. Two steps backwards.

So after I cleaned up the living room it was time to make dinner. So, I brought my toddler into the kitchen with me, gave her a big pot, and let her get water from the fridge and pour it into the pot to make “Soup”.

But, then the kitchen was a mess!

There was just a constant mess inside and outside our house.

Do you ever feel you just can’t keep up?

But, then I got to thinking. During this whole time I hadn’t really spent any quality time with my family. My hubby was outside cleaning up, and I was inside cleaning up. My toddler had been great about playing independently, but I wanted to play with her.

So after dinner, we left the dishes in the kitchen, and I sat down and played with my toddler. We did play-doh, read books, played with dolls, then watched a movie together. It was so nice for all of us to take a breath, and just enjoy each other’s company.

Even my husband came and read some books too. It was nice to have family time.

I realized how important it was to take time out of cleaning, and work, and craziness to just be with your family. Spend some quality time together. The other stuff will get done, eventually, I promise. The dishes will be fine.

Everybody will benefit from spending some quality time together. Really.