Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Weekend Recap
Monday, February 10, 2025
Sharing our Lives - Tips for Falling Asleep
Happy Monday! Thank you for joining us today where we Share our Lives with you. My co-hosts are: Adrienne, Dara, Jen, and Joanne. We are here on the second Monday of each month. If you have a blog and posted on this topic, please link up with us below.
Everyone has different preferences for their sleep environment, so what works for me may not work for you. I really don't struggle to fall asleep, but there are times when I wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back to sleep right away. My kids are older now but I remember those nights of having someone crying from the other room, needing me to sleep with them in their bed, or coming to sleep in our bed. Those days do stop eventually!
Here is what works for me to get a good night's sleep:
Weighted blanket - All of us have a Hush blanket on our beds. I love that feeling of being extra cozy.
White noise - I use Spotify to play rain noise while we fall asleep. I can set the timer so it turns off and doesn't run all night.
Dark room - We make sure our doors and blinds are closed, and there are no electronic lights around.
Warmth (in winter) and Cool (in summer) - I like to be warm when I get into bed, and I will often wear a sweater or wrap myself in a blanket. The room is warm when we go to bed, but the heat turns off in the night so it does get cooler. In the summer we make sure the air conditioning is on so we aren't sweating.
Exercising. Getting a workout in during the day is a sure-fire way to be tired for bed. If my body is feeling especially sore I will take an Advil before bed so my body can relax and I'll get a better sleep.
No coffee after 3:00 pm. This is non-negotiable.
Mindfulness while falling asleep. I try to say a prayer of thanks and then a prayer for other people that need it, and then if I'm still awake I think about how I will start my day in the morning.
Staying "sleepy" if I need to get up to use the washroom. I try to keep my eyes closed, I don't check the time, and try not to transfer to an awake state if I can avoid it.
Not worrying about it. If I ever do have problems sleeping, I try not to get worked up about the fact that I am awake when I should be sleeping! Instead I remind myself that my body is resting and I will get to sleep eventually.
Things that people say you should do but I haven't tried:
Avoid eating several hours before bed. Although most days I don't snack after dinner, I will have some chips and a drink before dinner, and I don't find it affects my ability to sleep.
Take magnesium. If I struggled with sleep I could try it, but I haven't felt I needed it so far.
Don't look at your phone or other screens before bed. We are that couple that looks at their respective phones right up to the time the light turns off, sorry not sorry.
Cooling sheets. See above, I like to be warm and cozy.
Limit naps. If I have a short nap in the day, like less than 30 minutes, that doesn't affect my ability to fall asleep at night.
You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enterFriday, February 7, 2025
Friday Favourites
Happy Friday! We had a wintry sort of week, still have the cold temperatures, although no Polar Vortex, some snow, and lots of ice still on our driveway so everyone needs to be careful.
On Tuesday we went to see the Dog Man Movie with one of Q's friends. And we had to make a stop at McDonalds for supper first.
I put up a few decorations for Valentine's Day. After our Christmas decorations go away our house is always a little bare, including the mantle. We probably need more than the little papier mâché snake that Q made for Lunar New Year.
Thursday, February 6, 2025
Recipe - Overnight Oats
I never was really a fan of overnight oats, they always seemed a bit slimy to me. Then I found a recipe that suggested warming it up before eating, so I tried it and it was delicious. If I'm warming it up, then why don't I just make it fresh and hot in the morning, you ask? Well, I would say that the overnight oats recipe has lots of yummy stuff that just taste better when they've been able to rest together overnight, plus I can make it ahead of time and just grab a container full to take to work! Here is the finished product, and below is the recipe.