Under the Oaks' Tree: The Ledgend of Sleep

22.10.08

The Ledgend of Sleep

Many, many moons ago, a peaceful creature lived in our house called Sleep.
Sleep was sleek, with a long soft tail and fat, silent paws.
He would wind his way around our bed and lay down on our pillow.
Peace and happiness followed Sleep, along with bright eyes and clear, sharp minds.
But when the mini men came to our village, they chased Sleep away.
They did not like his soft tail or welcome the peace he would bring.
Sleep meant they might miss something wonderful happening and they were afraid.
Sleep came less and less often and sometimes he hardly came at all.
There was much sorrow and sadness in our village.
But then the mighty warrior Benedryl found his way into our town.
He tamed the mini men and fought them bravely, helping them to find the joy of Sleep.
With warrior Benedryl's help, Sleep was free to roam our house again.
Together, they changed the mini men's spirits and restored the joy of morning time.
Happiness and peace were once again in the village and there was much rejoicing.

*NOTE no actual person was drugged for the soul purpose of sleeping in our home, but the thought did indeed cross my mind about 300 times last night while Ms. Lucy and Mr. Weston were both screaming there heads off at 3:30am because they wanted to play and I wouldn't let them turn the light on.

9 Comments:

Stacy Holmes said...
October 22, 2008 at 8:36 AM
You are good!
We have colds at our house- so you can use us as an excuse to drug your children..just tell the questioning parents that there is a cold going around..they don't need to know it is at our house instead of yours! :)

Alison said...
October 22, 2008 at 8:44 AM
I wish benedryl worked for Carly. It just makes her more hyper. It's actually kind of scarey to give it to her. I'm sorry you had such a bad night. hopefully they will be tired today and give you a break. My peditrician once told me it was okay to use benedryl to restore a normal sleep pattern in your kids. Don't feel guilty. I'd drug Carly if it would work.

Melissa said...
October 22, 2008 at 10:15 AM
If you feel guilty about giving the kids the benedryl why not just take it yourself, pop in some ear plugs and you will get the best sleep of your life... seriously it is okay to give benedryl to your kids. It won't hurt them unless of course you give the whole bottle, or they are allergic to it. Don't feel bad if you have to use it.

Sarah E said...
October 22, 2008 at 10:57 AM
I like Melissa's idea. Pop a few unisom, some ear plugs. You'd sleep like a log. Then I'm thinking that if you're fast asleep, ignoring all the goings-on in the next room, it's sure to cease eventually. Don't you think? Sure... maybe they'll turn the lights on and play, yell and scream, but eventually sleep will overcome and they'll pass out on the floor. You'll wake up happy and refreshed and your kids will be no worse for the wear. Could be a win/win!

Emily said...
October 22, 2008 at 11:09 AM
I use melatonin from GNC. I chop the pills in half and let each boy chew one when it's midnight and neither one wants to sleep. It's effective in a matter of minutes and drug-free! (p.s. I only do this on nights when I'm desperate, and I didn't give it to Noah until he was 2)

Boquinha said...
October 22, 2008 at 1:19 PM
Oh dear. Sorry about your rough night! But look what it has inspired! You're a wiz with these! I love your poems. You could write a really great parents' book of poems--this one, the Disney one, etc.

Robyn said...
October 22, 2008 at 5:07 PM
You do have a knack with the funny poetry! I'm sorry about the sleepless nights.

Jill said...
October 22, 2008 at 10:44 PM
So when ever my little one wakes up at night, I just breast feed....would that still work for you? lol I am determined to not get stressed out about sleeping problems. I just tell myself that it won't last forever. I don't know of any 10 year old who still cries to sleep with their parents. I have started to tell Ellie to get into Casie's bed if she has a bad dream...(ellie kicks like a mad dog, and Casie sleeps like a rock) Good luck and remember that sometimes the best sleep is on the couch. :-)

Andrea said...
October 24, 2008 at 6:29 PM
Did you write that awesome tribute to sleep?!

I have tried benadryl to sleep train my kids - but when I stopped, they went right back to being stubborn. We call our oldest (4yr old girl) the "enemy of sleep." She is completely off the wall when it comes to sleep. Unpredictable, stays up till 11pm, wakes up by 8am, is ornery and stubborn all day....... She clearly runs the house. I bow to her and do whatever makes her happy. I'm realizing as I write this that I am an awful parent! I just need to lock her in her room from 9pm to 9am!! (But then I'd feel even worse!)