I love being a mom

I feel like life is now complete. Being a mom is like taking your heart out of your chest and watching it walk around.

My favorite time of day is when my 6-month-old baby girl first wakes up. She always lifts her head to look me straight in the eye and beams her contagious little smile, as if this person is trying to say, "Mommy, I'm so excited to see you."

Easy tips for getting your kids to sleep

Children have to be alert for their lessons it's hard to problem solve if they are sleepy. A lack of sleep affects their attention, behaviour and learning. 

School-age kids require an average of nine hours of quality sleep each night with kindergartners needing closer to 10 hours and most high school students functioning well with eight hours of Z's. However, 30 percent of children suffer from some form of insomnia. The following tips will help you getting your kids on a health sleep schedule for the school year:

Start now

Determine what time your children need to get up every morning for school, so you can set a school year bedtime that allows them the amount of sleep they need to function optimally.

Remove sleep stealers

These include TVs, iPads and other electronic devices in bedrooms, caffeinated beverages, late-day naps and scary movies close to bedtime. It's  crucial to establish a bedtime routine which should be short and sweet and should not involve electronic media. 

For younger kids, with-down time followed by a bath, jammies, then a bedtime story sets the stage for a good night's sleep.

Stick to a regular schedule

On the weekend everybody stays up late and sleeps in, which could really shift your schedule; it's almost like getting jet-lagged every weekend. Don't vary wake-up times by more than two hours on weekends. If you're following these guidelines and your child is still having trouble falling asleep or waking up, is snoring excessively or is napping during the day, it's important to see your pediatrician.

School-age children should not be napping, if they are getting eight or nine hours of sleep and haivng a daytime nap, that is unusual symptom and you should talk to your doctor. Children should wake up spontaneously if they've had enough sleep. If they always need a parent to wake them in the morning, that is another clue they're not getting enough sleep."