I’m almost embarrassed to write this blog, but you know me…always pointing out my own flaws.

Can you believe I’m still sleep training?!?!  As if life isn’t exhausting enough, I am still getting nightly visits from my younger ones. Good news is that it’s not every night anymore, but just when we think we are out of the woods, Rain or Shaya will stumble in again. I’ve found that bribes work best, LOL! I started with sleepovers for Rain and her close girlfriend. It worked!

After a week of staying in her own bed through the night she was allowed to have a friend sleep over and now she sleeps over at her best friend’s house often. We seem to be having lots of slumber parties at my house these days. My girls love it and I remember loving them as a kid too.

We kicked off the summer with four tweens in Neriah’s room. The next night, my other two daughters had friends over and my sister and niece were in town. It’s a good thing my husband loves family or he would be so sick of my camp set-up. You should see my breakfast scene; it’s like an army buffet – cereal boxes lined up on the table, a medley of fresh berries, and me on the stove making omelets and frittatas to order.

It’s funny how we create in our lives the things we never had as kids. I always wanted lots of company in my house growing up, but my parents were way too strict for that, so now I’m making up for it big time! My pantry speaks to this too. My dad would never buy the fun cereals I wanted so now my house is stocked with everyone’s favorite choices. Honestly the more the merrier in my house (kids, not cereal). When kids have a playmate, that means I have one less child to entertain.

Back to the sleep situation. Chronic fatigue is creeping back up on me and David. Maybe the reality that summer is here hasn’t set in yet because I am still working my butt off, but the nightly interruptions are killing us. David bribed Shaya with an iTouch (criticize all you like – we are desperate!), but he had to make it through the night in his own bed for 10 days straight in exchange. Truth be told, I would pay a LOT more than that gadget’s price tag for a week of real sleep. Shaya did it and we thought we were home free until we decided to tackle the night-time diaper too! Actually, it’s Shaya who decided he was done with his nightly Underjams. I have always talked him into wearing one at night, calling it his big boy night-time “Just In Case” pants. You know the drill, just in case he pees the bed. It’s really more like a mommy “just in case,” because I do NOT need another bed to wash.

After a week of dry diapers, we let him skip it. Of course that’s the night accidents happen. So now he is waking us up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom instead of wetting his bed. I swear we can’t win.  And yes, I am making him go potty before he lies down to sleep and cutting off too much water to drink.

Now he knows he can make it through the night in his own bed but he’s waking up to avoid wetting it and needs our help. I’m going back to Underjams – one thing at a time!  

BTW, I love that diapers are getting so stylish – I saw at the grocery store the new Pampers Limited Edition “USA” diaper – just in time for the 4th of July. Perfect for showing off Team USA pride too. He would dig those and I’ll keep bribing with holiday sparklers if I have to. It’s crazy what I will give for a good night’s sleep. 

The tough love concept doesn’t work with my children, trust me I’ve tried all the sleep-training methods. I should have designed a 4th of July panty for us moms for my IntiMINT collection.  Of course I was too tired to think of that!  If you haven’t been there, check out my latest venture – http://www.intimint.com/

I’m exhausted but never to too tired for lingerie… of course that’s a whole other blog.