Getting A Good Night Sleep - What Food and Drink Is Good!

If you have a young family, like we do, you will know that a good nights sleep is paramount. Ok, we don't always get a full nights sleep and a full nights sleep is rare. But what we eat and drink can effect on how well we sleep. If we follow these simple steps we can be sure that we are doing what we can to get a good nights sleep. I found these tips on BBC Good Food.

Food and Drink to Avoid

There are some food and drinks that you should avoid if you want a healthy nights sleep. If you cut the following out 2 - 3 hours before bedtime the better:

• Coffee
• Carbonated drinks containing caffeine
• Black or green tea as they contain caffeine
• Avoid eating too late or too close to bedtime. If you go to bed feeling full you are more likely to have a disturbed night due to heartburn or indigestion.
• Wine, cheese and chocolate can cause the brain to be over stimulated

Food and Drinks to Help Sleep

My Poor Back - A Rant

Well I have to admit that the run of disturbed nights, lack of sleep and poorly children really is starting to take it's toll.
It is my poor back that is taking the brunt end of it!
9 years ago I had an accident that resulted in me fracturing the lumbar section of my back which was fused together with metal work. I count myself extremely lucky that I can walk at all. At one point during my hospital recovery I was given 50/50 odds of recovering. I do not suffer much with my back but I do take care.
Well most of the time I do anyway!
I tend to forget that I even had my accident. That's how normal my back feels.
However if I lift something or someone in an awkward way or sleep in the wrong position I can easily pull it or aches can develop.
This happened a couple of weeks ago. I got over it but then we had our first night in the first caravan on holiday. In the first bed we could feel each and every spring in the non existent mattress. This was destined to cause me problems. It would cause anyone problems it was that bad!
I did spend the week taking pain killers to dull the ache. But I was so thankful that we had moved to a better caravan which had a bed that was 100 times better.
The aches were starting to get better come the end of our holiday.
Then the bug struck!
We have had a run of 2 weeks now of disturbed nights and co-sleeping happening most nights.
I find when we have either twin in with us I end up balancing on the edge of the bed so that they have room and to keep them away from hubby so that he gets a good nights sleep. He is the one that needs to drive to work in the morning and do a full days work which includes a lot of driving so he needs to have enough sleep. Whereas I can manage with the lack of sleep. If I am honest I think that I have just got used to disturbed nights. Since the twins were born we have not had many full nights. We have had a couple of good runs where we have had 2 or 3 weeks where they have both slept through. But on a normal night if it's not one waking it's the other. Hence calling them our tag team! Thankfully, they do take it in turns.
We'll get there, I know sleep will return, one day!
Anyway, as I was saying, balancing on the edge of the bed has certainly not helped my back. Along with shovelling wet heavy hay when I  clean the chickens out!
Tonight I am just feeling a bit sorry for myself.
I'm tired, my back hurts and I wanted a good moan!
So, sorry for the rant, as I've said before I often see my blog as a counsellor!
Sleep is beckoning me as I type and a good nights sleep is definitely what I need.
Whether I'll get it is a different matter completely!
Tomorrow is a busy baking day!
As it is bonfire night hubby has asked for some traditional bonfire food. Therefore I am trying 2 new things. I am going to have a go at making cider toffee and bake a Yorkshire parkin cake!
So I will be busy as I also need to bake bread as well as the school run, tend to the chickens, look after and play with the twins, do some ironing while they sleep, do some laundry, prepare lunch, collect Joseph and cook tea!
Busy, busy, busy, but hey that's my life and I wouldn't change it for the world!
Ok, I'd love more sleep but we can't have it all!
Good night.

A Very Long Night!

I have finally stopped!
I haven't wanted to stop today just in case I would crash.
Last night was the worst night in a long time.
The twins started at 11pm and were unsettled for the night. If it wasn't one it was the other! Our little tag team were a force that beat us both last night!
We saw every single hour apart from 5am!
So today, as I always do when tired, I have not stopped!
I have twin proofed the living room a bit more. I have taken away the play table. It has never been a play table for the twins. It has always been more of a climbing frame. So it has gone!
The DVD shelf in the corner is now the twins book shelf!
Now you see why "Hijacked by Twins" is so appropriate!
They have taken over!!!
I have also had fun decorating some yummy purple buns that I have baked as well as ironing, hovering, washing, playing, feeding and school run!
It is now that I have dared to actually stop.
Hubby will be home soon and then it'll be wine o'clock which I am ready for!
As it is Friday it is our date night!
Film, wine, cheese and some time out from being mum and dad.
As long as the kids sleep that is!
Here's hoping we have a better night tonight!

Will Sleep Ever Return?

This post is going to be a bit of a rant and a moan Im afraid.
I am just so tired! Since having the twins 17 months ago sleep, as we knew it, has gone out of the window. Yes, we do get more than we did, but to get a block of 8 hours sleep would be such a luxury. At the moment I am managing to get a maximum of 6 hours, not always in a block and that's on a good night, which I can manage on for so long but then I have a day like today and just feel shattered. During the week I have found the more I keep busy the less tired I feel. I know it sounds crackers but it does actually work! Im probably feeling like this because I am sat at the pool while Joseph has his swimming lesson, its warm and I've stopped. I am just feeling so drained and feel like I could sleep for a day. I don't remember feeling so sleep deprived when Joseph was a baby/toddler and please don't get me wrong the twins are good sleepers I just wish that they would both have a good nights sleep at the same time instead of taking it in turns to be up and down. However I do feel that some of the blame does lay with me, as I get up as soon as I hear either of them. I am not a fan of self soothing and could never leave them to cry but I am also aware that we have 3 children and I don't want them waking each other up or hubby up when he has to go to work. So I'd rather have disturbed sleep than everyone else being up. The nights wouldn't be so bad if they slept in but they are up at the crack of dawn, which at the moment tends to be about 5am!
I know it will get better and that Im obviously just feeling it today, I just can't wait until sleep returns!

What a Long Night & Busy Morning

Oh what a night we've just had, I must have known! At the end of last nights post I said "I hope they don't give us hell tonight". They didn't give us hell but she did bless her.
Isabella woke up at 11:45pm and that was it up and down all night with a temperature. She wouldn't settle in her cot so she spent the night in our bed. As hubby has to go to work today I told him to go and get some sleep downstairs. So it was me and little lady. She did manage to get to sleep, I on the other hand, kept waking to check on her so am feeling it today. Since having the twins I have become used to sleep deprivation.
Then it was up bright and early to sort the kiddies and ice some ice cream cone cakes for Joseph to take to school. I have got to say I am feeling quite proud of the end result :-)