Search Results for: blog the sleep game

Seasonal Sleep Solutions

While I love the warmer temperatures spring brings, I am no fan of what the added daylight does to my child’s sleep habits. As an active member of PADS, I cringe when bedtime rolls around.  There’s nothing I dread more than having to fight with a third grader about how “unfair” it is that she is forced to hit the hay before it is pitch-black outside.  Then there’s the drama surrounding my rule that she remain asleep until at least an hour after the sun rises. She can’t stand me for that one. But, when you are dealing with a … Continue reading →

The Power of Sleep

As a parent, lack of sleep just comes with the job. From the time our little ones are born until they are out of the house we are losing sleep over them. As babies we are up feeding and changing them throughout the night, as teenagers we are up waiting to make sure they’re not past curfew. Either way, being sleep-deprived is part of the game. The first symptoms of sleep-deprivation are irritability and moodiness. No surprise there; I know I can’t be the best mother I can be when I’m tired. My patience wears thin and even the smallest … Continue reading →

How to Sleep Cheap on Vacation

My husband told me a story yesterday about some unconventional places to stay that were cropping up as a result of the 2012 Olympics in London. For example one creative cabbie is renting out his cab as a sort of makeshift hotel for desperate tourists who waited too long to get regular lodgings for the games. For $75 a night, his guests can sleep somewhat comfortably in his cab, with access to the bathroom in his home. Considering that hotel rates for the games are in the hundreds if not the thousands of dollars per night, that is a pretty … Continue reading →

Family Game Night: Scruble Cube

What is Scruble Cube? Scruble Cube is result of taking Scrabble and the Rubik’s Cube and melding them together. If you are a fan of either one of those games or both you will love Scruble Cube. If you love word games this just may be the ultimate word game for you. The cube twists vertically and horizontally to spell words. The game is recommended for ages 8 and up. It retails for $24.95. The games comes with the 4×4 cube, sand timer, sheet of instructions and a guide. You can download lesson plans for the game on their website. … Continue reading →

Game Review: Dream Chronicles

If you enjoy playing casual games, such as Diner Dash, Farmville, Bejeweled, Mystery Case Files or Plants versus Zombies, then I think you are going to like Dream Chronicals, especially if you are looking to step up to something with a little more adventure. A cross between hidden object and adventure game, Dream Chronicles attempts to bridge the gap between the casual game and the traditional game. It does a decent job with this goal, and the pros outweigh the cons. In Dream Chronicles, you are Faye, a woman who wakes up one day to find her husband missing and … Continue reading →

New Parent Game

There’s a new game for parents inspired by that time-honored question: What do you want more of, sex or sleep?” If you have young kids at home, then you are likely lacking both. Carolyn Evans can attest to that fact. That’s why the wife and mother, turned author, penned a new book titled, “Forty Beads.” In it she details the rules of a new game she devised to help parents get more action between the sheets. As for gaining more shut-eye, well, that’s covered too, but in a more indirect way. According to Evans, the nights that don’t include nookie … Continue reading →

The Fight Against Sleep

Sleep is a difficult thing to understand. For some reason I don’t understand (though I’m sure science has its reasons) human beings need to spend a certain amount of each day in a state of inactivity. The fact that I find sleep, while refreshing, sort of annoying as an adult suggests that I can’t imagine a child’s confusion about he process. I used to, when I was younger, fight off sleep as something to be avoided. I couldn’t play with my toys while I slept, play games, or build towers and knock them down. Sleep, while important, has never seemed … Continue reading →

Tips for Getting Your Baby or Toddler to Sleep

Sleeping is not something you can really teach a baby or a toddler, but it is definitely something you can facilitate as the parent. It’s all about creating a schedule and an environment that is conducive to sleep. Remember the famous line, “make him an offer he can’t refuse”? That is exactly what you have to do when it comes to getting your baby to sleep. You have to create that desire for sleep. You have to make it easy for your baby to fall asleep as well. These are things you do for yourself and take for granted. You … Continue reading →

Will I Ever Sleep Again?

From birth to about 5 months of age, our baby was a terrific sleeper. She went to sleep relatively easy, and she slept from about midnight to 7:30am pretty early on. We thought we had it made. We heard stories from friends and family with babies who were exhausted because their little ones woke multiple times during the night, needing to eat or be held. Every time I heard these stories, I thought, “Wow, we sure are lucky. If she’s this good of a sleeper already, it can only get better. I’ll be getting 8-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep in … Continue reading →

Crying to Sleep: It Worked

For a couple of weeks, naptime and bedtime were a bit of a challenge with my baby. She wasn’t falling asleep easily on her own like she used to, but she also wasn’t falling asleep while being rocked or held very easily either. One day I was at my wit’s end and decide it would be alright if she cried for a little while before falling asleep, as long as the crying didn’t get out of hand. She cried softly on and off for about 15 minutes before drifting off to sleep. I tried the same thing the next naptime, … Continue reading →