Sleep - Dallas,TX

M.,
You are definitely taking on too much. You must ask for help (with watching the kids, or figure out how to stay home with them full time). I don't know the situation with your niece & nephew, but is there any way you could qualify for funds to help take care of them. I know foster parents get a monthly stipend. If you are keeping the children from going into a foster care situation and could prove it, surely there is a government program that can help you. If not there, if you attend church, they may have a program too. At least some assistance until you can financially budget for the extra 2 mouths.

What part of town do you live in? There may be a non-profit group in your area, or maybe myself or other mom's on this board that live near enough to help out.

For sleeping (you could try listening to a sleep meditation recordings). They work like a charm for me. You can download free podcasts on the interent (apple.com downloadable MP3 podcasts for free).

My heart goes out to you for taking on so much and at such a young age, but you do need to take care of yourself first (or there will be nothing left to give the kids).

Let us know where we can help you.

J.

Oh M.. You poor thing. Have you tried and aromatherapy bubble bath and big glass of red wine right before going to bed??? It does the trick for me when I have sleep problems. Ask(demand!) that your hubby rub your back with oil or lotion to relax you before bed.
I do not recommend Ambien....it has way too many freaky side effects like sleep walking. If nothing else,Xanax will help.
You are so sweet to be so young and taking on such a responsibilty. It may not seem like it now, but you WILL be rewarded. What goes around comes around. ;)

Sweety, it sounds as if you are taking on way too much. When we have so much on our minds, it really affects our sleep. I imagine that you are extremely irritable with the kids and your husband. It's a natural response to lack of sleep. It happens to everyone. But, at the same time, it isn't fair. Do you have anyone who can help you with the kids? You need to be able to come home from work and go to bed. What are your husbands hours? Who watches them while you try to sleep? Do you have parents near by that can help? Or maybe a good friend that can watch the kids for a few hours each day? It may take some time to get back into a regular sleep schedule. But once your mind is at ease, the easier it will come. If you are unable to find someone to watch the kids during the day so you can sleep, you may need to start looking for a new job or stay home completely. I know that four children is a huge responsibility, I also have four and take care of two others. I stay at home with them but would definately be unable to if we didn't budget our money and only spend what we needed as opposed to what we want. Remember too, you said that one of the children was 12, be sure not to put the responsibilty of parenting on the 12 year old. That could end up turning out bad and isn't fair to the 12 year old.
So, basically after all my blabbing, my point really comes down to, the less stress you have, the better you will be able to sleep. You need some help. You really do, before you lose your mind!! Maybe there's someone in your church that can help? Does your husband help out at all?

Often for me I will take a Tylenol PM or two when it's really bad about 30 min before I plan on going to bed; along with a quick warm bath (take it just before you get OUT of the bath you dont want to doze in the tub!) and the pain reliever will help with any little aches and pains that we all know 4 bundles and a full time 2nd job can supply you with. Good Luck and soon you will sleep hard.