sleep deprived single parent-well, sort of

I am not really sure what you are asking. You aren't a single parent as you mentioned you have a husband and he apparently is now home with the kids??? I am a single mom - work during the day and spend maybe an hour or hour and half with my daugther in the evenings. I will start school again in the summer. I also do online classes. My daughter sleeps through the night so after she goes to bed I do stuff around the house and then go to bed. Honestly, I get more sleep now than I did before my daugther came home! As a single mom, my expecations have changed in terms of work, housework, friends, outside obligations. I know I can't do it all right now and I have just refocused on what I can do and do that. Its different when you are single bc you don't have the expectation of a partner helping you - even if it was only a couple days a month - so you adjust your schedule and your commiments with that in mind. Maggie

I'm sorry that I wasn't clear. My husband is not home right now. He has a job on the road, but we don't have the finances worked out so that I can come back to my children. I too do the stuff around the house, and the school work, after my boys are in bed. I guess what I am asking is how to rearrange everything. The only thing that I could possibly drop would be my volunteer work. However, I don't feel free to do this. If I do this, a lot of people will suffer because the outreach that I work for will shut down. Are there any shortcuts and time savers or ways to make sure that I get the rest that I need?

I realise this thread is getting old, but it's the only one I found so far addressing this issue..so.. I'm in the same boat. I am married with a newborn. If we have no one helping, we are single parents. So what do you do? I save every penny for childcare. I'm still wearing my maternity clothes. When I've gone without more than 2-3 hours of sleep for a few days, I start feeling sick, and frankly VERY down. That's when it's time for a mommy sleep break. $$ I'm seriously considering Provigil so I can at least have time to have clean dishes and take out trash..etc.. "The only thing that I could possibly drop would be my volunteer work. However, I don't feel free to do this. If I do this, a lot of people will suffer because the outreach that I work for will shut down." If you go in the hospital from stress, it will also shut down.

Sleep deprivation will certainly make you sick, and depressed. I have done the 2-3 hours of sleep and paid dearly. By the way, what is Provigil? I loved being a stay at home mom, but right now I have to work. I plan to return to my children when our finances are straightened out-whenever that happens:eek:. Right now I save money by only shopping clearance sales and I taught myself to sew. I buy $1 fabric and make myself and the kids a few simple clothes. As for the volunteer work...point taken. I have found a few volunteers that can help with the fund raiser, so that has taken some pressure off.

Hey, people, please excuse me in advance if I come off as sounding crabby (I'm tired ;) and please excuse me if I didn't understand. Being married with an absentee husband is not single parenting. I assume you still have someone to rely on at least for emotional support, phone calls to share cute kid stories, planning for the future, hoping for less lean times, the expectation that he will be home soon and you'll be able to take a nap. (And perhaps on a more helpful note, streamlining to remove any activities that require time away from home is my best suggestion. Cooking in advance and freezing dinners to cut down kitchen time, and making organization a priority - those things all help me as a single parent. What I --think-- I miss out on the most, however, is the emotional support and occasional break that a partner would be able to offer.)

That is why I stated up front that I am married, but the only one responsible for child care. I do get phone calls, and I share my cute kids stories with friends. I am very thankful for the emotional support that my husband gives, and I understand that this is something that truly single parents often miss out on. I was primarily interested in the type of practical suggestions that you provided. I figured that single parents would be the best experts to ask about this type of thing. Thank you very much.

I won't plug something I haven't tried by posting a link..but info was easily found on the web. Works the same way as coffee, but targets receptors in the brain more effectively-I haven't found any testimonial on the web that convinces me it's a bad idea. I also know it can take years for side effects to make themselves known.. :rolleyes:

NDN, I'm not a single parent, however you mentioned you need some suggestions for time & money savings... Do you have friends that you can pool together with and shop at the big warehouse stores? It's cheaper to buy in bulk and yet one doesn't necessarily eat 2 lbs. of lettuce before it goes bad. Have a friend who has more time do the shopping once a month or trade off etc. and just split up the cost & items. If you eat meat, I find these stores much cheaper and just separate & freeze cooking portions to use etc. I do basic shopping at the grocery store once a week but all the paper goods & other bulk items come from the warehouse stores and I stock up so I spend less time & money. CrockPot cooking...saves a lot of time, as does cooking up batches and freezing ahead of time. Do you have a dollar store in your area? I never shopped there before kids but do now. There's a lot of items there that are just as good as name brand products and at the most only cost about $1.25. (dishsoap, cleaning supplies, plastic spray bottles, etc. etc.) Clothes - save time by not sewing and shop the thrift stores, outlet stores etc. for your kids' clothes. I find a lot of namebrand or just regular clothes in good condition this way and rarely spend more than $3 for an item of clothing. Cleaning...if you have 20 min. a day, you can clean one room a day. Seriously, set a timer...throw in a load of wash and just clean one room. Get a basket for toys/clutter and have your kids help you pick up their stuff at the end of the day by putting it all in a basket. And unless you live in a very humid state, you can do a load of wash before you go to bed and put it in the dryer in the morning. And last...if this situation is temporary...is it possible for you to take a break from your online studies after this semester is over? You do need your sleep and quality time with your kids and maybe for now, the schooling needs to take a backseat? Just until your family gets over this hump? Hang in there! Crick