The Wrong Side of Bed

The other night in an out of the ordinary attempt to avoid falling asleep Eli kept coming to ask me very important things (usually the kid is out like a light),

On what felt like the 43286th time that I heard little footsteps coming towards me down the hallway he asked "Mummy can I sleep the other way?".

I rolled my eyes and calmly said something along the lines of 'you can sleep any way you like as long as you are ASLEEP, GO TOOOO BED!!!!!!!!!'

Off he went and this is how we found him 2 hours later.......

His interpretation of sleeping the other way wasn't exactly what I expected.

And in case you're wondering. Yes. That is his hand down his pants.

He's all boy our Eli.

The Best Money Ever Spent

At Thomas' school they have a book club where you can buy really lovely books for discounted prices and the school makes commission on their sales. So when I indulge in my book purchasing addiction really I am just helping his school raise funds. See, I am totally selfless like that.

I ordered this one with the Christmas season sneaking up on us for the discounted price of £4, reduced from £12.99. You gotta love a bargain like that right?

I have really fond childhood memories of watching the short movie adaptation of this book at Christmastime and feeling fully festive.

The beautifully presented hard bound version of the book in it's super snazzy presentation case I bought also came along with a CD reading of the book.

Tonight after their bath we read some stories and then I asked Thomas if he'd like us to read the Snowman book (Eli and I had read it earlier while Thomas was at school) but he was so impressed that it came with a CD of his very own that he wanted to listen to it.

So I took the CD player in their room, tucked my boys up in bed, switched off the light and pressed play.

Silence followed, as did sleep.

And that my friends is priceless.

A Super Sad Realisation

You know as a teenager I could sleep like no ones business. Obviously I always stayed up far too late (I was a teenager after all) but I could sleep until lunch time with total ease. I have to admit I really loved it.

I could never comprehend why older people were up so flaming early when they had no logical reason to be, no kids to look after and no work to go to. Nothing pressing requiring them to leave their beds at some disgustingly unnecessary early hour.

As I got a bit older I still loved my quilt as much as life itself and on the days I could get away with it I would happily slumber my days away.

Then responsibility took over and my slumbering was confined only to weekends because earning a living required me to get my backside out of bed all week long. (Being a grown up is rubbish like that!)

Then I had a baby and sleeping in became almost as unlikely as winning the lottery.

Then I had another baby straight after and I had to reluctantly admit defeat. There would be no more sleeping until noon for me until the kids were older, even if I were sick or had been up all night keeping someone else company.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to sleep in one morning. I smiled sleepily as Rob left our bedroom to entertain our offspring who have yet to realise how truly delicious sleep is. (Well generally they sleep 12 hours but I'd prefer they slept longer or I get to bed two hours earlier, the former being more likely than the latter.)

Then I lay there and tossed and turned and dozed but never actually fell asleep.

So I got up and started the day thinking nothing of it.

Fast forward to today. A repeat occurrence of the above. I snuggled under my covers for 40 minutes loving the cosiness and feeling cocooned in a wonderful snuggly world of warmth.

Willing sleep to come.

Sleep never came.

So I reluctantly got up.

My children have seriously damaged me. They have caused the part of me that can sleep like a champ to short circuit. I fear it is unrepairable.

Without even realising it I have become one of those older people who cannot sleep past 8am.

Could I be more devastated?

I am officially in mourning for my loss of ability to sleep soundly for more than 8 hours.

Yet another unexpected product of parenting that I didn't know I had signed up for.

I should have read that small print.