Top Ten Tuesday | Mommy Needs Sleep

Did I ever tell you about this amazing new blogger named Emily? Well, she lives in NYC and  has blogged over at Manhattan Emily for the past few months. Her enthusiasm for life and blogging is quite contagious and really love that all of her posts contain a top ten list. Today (and every Tuesday), she has invited the blog world to participate in a new link-up called 'Top Ten Tuesday'. I love a good list, so I just knew I had to be in on this one. 

The plan was to write a completely different Top Ten list, but after these past few sleep-deprived weeks - this one seemed much more fitting. 

1. COFFEE! No explanation needed. 
2. Wear your PJs on for entirely too long. Sometimes a morning spent in your pajamas is not a horrible idea. 
3. Extra TV shows are encouraged. I'm not one to leave the TV on for my kids. My daughter usually gets to watch a show in the morning because I have brainwashed her into thinking that her shows only come on at 9:00am. For some reason, she thinks that Daddy can make her shows appear at any time of the day, but she still thinks that they only come on at 9 when she's just with me. On sleep deprived days when I need a little extra quiet time, her 9 o'clock shows magically stay on for the entire morning. . . she 's smart and never questions this phenomenon - she just sits and watches as the next show comes on and I don't turn off the TV. 
4. Have a Dance Party. This is one of our favorite activities. Everyone gets moving and I get to dance & sing to my favorite 90's hits. 
5. Get outside and go for a walk. I'm not always motivated (or dressed) to get out and walk with the kiddos, but I always feel a lot better after a nice walk. I promise that you won't regret it!
6. Let the kids help make their own lunch. When I super sleep-deprived, I often let my 2 year old decide what she wants for lunch and help make it herself. Yesterday, it was pizza. We just got a tortilla out of the fridge, I let her sprinkle on some cheese, and she placed a pepperoni or two on top. Simple and less prep for me. 
7. Make art. Art doesn't have to be complicated or messy. We like to color often, but yesterday I broke out the paint. I taped down some trash bags + threw daddy's old tshirt on Ellington + propped up a canvas with some watercolor paints. She LOVED it! Throughout the day, she spent about 2 hours painting on and off. I loved it too because she didn't want me to help out once, so I had a free moment to rest. 
8. Bath time in the middle of the day. Yep. I've done this a few times. When everyone needs a no fuss activity, I fill the bath up and let Ellington just play for a while. If nothing else, momma gets to sit down for a second. 
9. Let them eat cake. Cake for breakfast - why not? It's not like the kiddos are going to have less energy without all of the sugar. Seriously, I don't know where kids get all of this energy!
10. There's always wine… of course, this is after daddy comes home and you hand the kids off for him to deal with bedtime.  

Linking up with Emily from Manhattan Emily for 'Top Ten Tuesday' today. Stop by her blog if you are interested in joining in on the fun.