TiP fOr TuEsDaY

One of THOSE days, eh?

Haha, I had this posted at my former place of work and it somehow captured the way we felt frequently. You got to be to work at 5am and try as you might and gallons of coffee gulped later, you still weren't that with it. It reminds me of parenthood in so many ways and try as we might, we will always have one of those days sometimes. Here's a few tips to cope when you do:

Not enough sleep.

Whether it's a sick kid or an aging canine companion or a bout of insomnia that's interrupting your sleepy time, we all experience it on occasion. Take time out for a nap, even if it's just 20 minutes. Train the kids to leave you alone for an amount of time or turn on a favorite movie and trap them in the room with a baby gate (yes, I'll confess to doing this on occasion when mine were small!) and refresh/renew. Go to bed at the same time every night, preferably when you feel sleepy. Studies have shown that if you regulate your sleep/wake schedule and go to bed and get up at the same time..this will help significantly. Take something if you must. Herbal remedies such as melatonin work for a lot of people, talk to your doctor if you really are having a hard time going to/staying asleep. Also, if you a caffeine addict (I'll confess to this) cut back on how much you drink during the day and avoid it entirely at least a couple of hours before bed. Your body will thank you too! ;0)

It's THAT time of the month.

You're pissy, bloated, uncomfortable...uh oh, you know what that means, right? Yep, Aunt Flow is coming to your house for an unwelcome visit. Ain't being a woman great?! Bleh. Take this time to pamper yourself a little enjoy a hot bath, trade your partner foot rubs, by all means take some Pamprin if you need too. If you find yourself being a big meanie for absolutely no reason at all, put yourself in time out. It's not like we can do anything about it bothering us again next month, grin and bear it and avoid people when necessary!;0)

Got stress?

The kids are cranky, the hubby is too, you've got more work to do than is humanly possible and you're late for carpool again. Ugh, it happens...no matter how hard we try to prepare, sometimes life is just plain stressful. Take a deep breath, push up your sleeves and dig in! First of all remember everyone gets stressed out and be honest with people if this is the case. "I'm sorry I'm late, Johnny puked all over the car...please forgive me!" Most people with a heart will be quick to forgive you and YOU forgive YOURSELF as well. If everyone is just plain cranky and no one is cooperating in the least, call a mass time out. After everyone has had a chance to cool off, find something fun to do together or at least move bedtime up a little bit! ;0)

Yep, we all have them...no matter what, but rest assured they happen to everyone! You can't stop those days from happening, but you can stop yourself from freaking out when they do! That's your TiP fOr TuEsDaY!;0)