Sleep Deprivation in the Camper

I could just post happy thoughts.  I could tell you all the wonderful things about living in a camper and completely ignore the hard times.  I wouldn’t technically be lying to you…I’d just be keeping it positive.  Right?

Well, I’m all for keeping it real and not just painting a pretty picture for all to see.

Today marks 2 weeks in the camper.  I have to say, there have been some great times.  But mostly it’s been a chore to adjust.

Even after we got over being sick.  It seemed like there was a day or 2 of pure joy.  I think mostly because we were so happy to not be sick anymore.  But things start to wear on you.

• We’ve all had bad attitudes.
• Nobody has been sleeping well.
• The kitchen is driving me batty.
• We’ve barely gotten school done.
• Laundry logistics are not so fun.
• We ran out of propane.
• It’s been cloudy and gloomy.
• Mr. Z is on a sleep strike (during the day and at night).

I didn’t want to write a post while we were in the “funk” so I’ve strayed away from posting any new thoughts.

Yesterday afternoon, I dropped Z off at Alicia’s camper so I could go get the laundry.  Like a good friend she listened to me whine about our struggles to adjust and helped me come to a solution.

I think our biggest issue has been sleep or lack of.  Z had been sleeping through the night before we moved out here.

Many parents are adamantly against letting your baby cry it out at night. Did you know there is actually an acronym for it? I didn’t but it is CIO.

I’ll tell you about my Z though.  IF you let him get up at night to feed him, he transforms into a raging lunatic who refuses to go back to sleep for hours.  The next night it’s even worse and he might wake up 2 or 3 times.  It seems to be a domino effect with him.  It’s just worse and worse.  He learns that you’ll get him up and he’ll screech and scream until you do so.

Now imagine this scenario in a camper.  With 3 other kids in the same room. Uh-huh.

We’ve tried all sorts of sleeping arrangements to try to cope with this.  I tried becoming a co-sleeper with him too, but he just liked to stand on our bed and bash our heads for balance.

I *think* we figured out a solution.  Z has got to CIO.  Maybe that makes us bad parents but I know one thing for sure…we love our kids and if we want them to survive into adulthood it’s pretty important we all get some sleep and soon.

I don’t want to bore you with details but for the time being, the 2 oldest sleep on the pulled-out couch, and little V sleeps with us.  The “dictator” gets his own room. We may do this arrangement for a few months until Mr. Dictator sleeps like a baby.  I mean a fake baby. that sleeps well. and through the night.

All this to say that things are looking up.  It’s amazing how perspectives change when you get a little shut-eye.

Today’s just begun.  But we’re off to a GREAT start.