The good kind of exhausted but exhausted none the less. 

And, the best thing about today, the finer thing, is that I slept until 11am.  My kids got themselves off to school and even snuck in and turned off my alarm so I didn’t wake up.  (one of the benefits of having adolescents and a hubby who gives them great ideas).

With chronic illness I can’t afford to stay exhausted. So today, I am so grateful for an understand family and a comfortable bed!

I have had both of my boys at the doctor in the last month for physical complaints.  One issue I can’t discuss here (some stories are our kids to tell) but I can talk in generalities about the things going on.

For instance, Jared (13) has been having lower back pain.  He is a tough kid, athletic and rarely complains.  Turns out that since the basketball season is over he hasn’t been stretching before shooting hoops with his friends (which he does daily after school).  His hamstrings are so tight it is affecting his other muscles.

The treatment? Rest (aka no basketball for two weeks, ibuprofen and ice).  He is not happy!

Anyway, this led me to wonder if some of the other physical changes happening in my boys are “normal”.  So I turned to my trusty friend Google and got some answers for the following (which you should obviously consult your physician about or do your own google search ):

• My boys sleep ALOT!  Is this ok? Short answer seems to be yes!  During adolescence sleep patterns in kids are changing.  Most doctors (including our pediatrician) recommend keeping bedtime routines the same, even on the weekends, to maximize quality sleep patterns. Nice in theory, huh?  I look forward to Saturday mornings when I don’t have to fight with my boys for them to wake up.
• My kids eat like they might never see food again.  What is up with that? One pediatrician says that growing adolescents need up to 3500 calories a day to sustain the 2-4 inches they will grow per year.  That is a lot of calories!! No wonder it seems like they are always hungry- they are!
• My tween boy seems allergic to the shower?  Help! As the mama of three boys, with my youngest going through this phase right now, I can assure you that it is just a phase.  Both of my older boys went through this around 10-11 years of age.  Matt is 12 so hopefully he will be outgrowing this soon.  In the meantime, we use lots of Axe body spray and air freshener.  Jared and Jason also went through this phase and now, both of them spend more time primping in the bathroom then I do!

There are plenty more issues I could talk about and would love to hear what mama’s of teen/tween girls deal with as well.

And, if you write any post or article relevant to raising teens/tweens please add it to our MckLinky below.

My sweet little nephew (born Oct.4) Treyden Edward

We had a fabulous time together!

I changed diapers, fed and burped the little guy, rocked him to sleep and e watched him sleep….I enjoyed every minute.

Look at that strawberry blonde hair…

I have a feeling frequent trips to the Sunshine State are in my future!

More WW posts are available here and here.

If anyone knows how important a good night’s sleep is it is my hubby and I.  Mike gets up at 3:30am to commute 90 miles to work.  He goes to bed between 9pm and 10pm each night.  With multiple sclerosis, fatigue is a daily part of my life.  Not to mention the fact that I need my beauty sleep =)

We received two Tempur-Pedic pillows, the Comfort Pillow and the Neck Pillow.  I tried both and quickly fell in looove with the comfort pillow.  Hubby uses the neck pillow and is perfecly satisfied with it!

So, let me tell you, without gushing too much, what I looove about the Comfort pillow

• The pillow is temperature and weight sensitive.  I get hot very easily and that has not been an issue for me using this pillow.  The pillow is engineered to adjust to even slight differences in your body temperature.  This pillow helps me stay cool at night.
• The pillow contours to how I am sleeping that night.  I tend to thrash around like I’m having a seizure move around a lot in my sleep.  This pillow allows you to shape, roll and fluff for your personalized comfort.  I have not had a stiff neck since I started using this pillow.
• The pillow cover is removable.  This is an allergy friendly pillow for sure.  The cover is removable and washable as well as resistant to allergens and dust mites.

I highly recommend the Tempur-Pedic line of pillows for anyone that wants to get a better night’s sleep.  The ONLY con is that the Comfort Pillow is not light so I can’t take it with me when I travel.  Here’s hoping they have comfortable pillows at BlogHer.