Thing #49. Look for ways to simplify your life.

      A friend of mine dressed her young boys in primary colors. Any shirt would go with any pair of pants. Another mom I know bought one style of socks for her boys. Any sock matches any other sock. 

   Thing #50.  Make healthy--and tasty--ice pops.

      Frozen treat molds can be filled with applesauce, yogurt, bananas and orange juice . . . I did this regularly when my children were growing up to give them a cool, tasty treat that wasn’t simply sugar water. Hmm, why did I ever stop doing that?

Thing #51. Help kids fall asleep by telling them to hold their arms in the air.

When I was a little girl, unable--or unwilling--to go to sleep, Dad would come into my room and tell me to lie on my back. Then he'd take my hands and prop them up in mid-air, so my arms were sticking straight up, perpendicular to my body. "Hold them up as long as you can," he'd say. Soon I was asleep. I used it with my kids, too. I think the trick is it forces you to lie still, and gives your mind something to think about, even if it is the simple act of keeping your arms in the air.

What I do now when I’m having trouble sleeping is envision myself doing the backstroke in a large body of water. The repetitious action keeps my mind from dwelling on whatever it is that is keeping me awake. I tried counting sheep, by my sheep started doing back flips, ballet leaps, the Fosbury Flop, . . . it’s hard to sleep with all that going on.

Photo from freedigitalphotos.net,by imagerymajestic