How Can A Busy Mum Look After Dogs? Like This…

Along with looking after kids and working a busy day, I have two Cocker Spaniels to look after. As lovely as they are (and I do love them), it can be quite a pain to have to fit in their exercise needs among everything else. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy it, but sometimes it’s quite difficult to fit it in. Therefore I’ve come up with time savers that suit my needs and make sure the dogs are cared for.

The ‘Stair Game’

Usually my dogs aren’t allowed upstairs as we prefer to keep it off-limits, but sometimes we do play a fun game that wears them out. It’s a simple game of fetch up and down the stairs, with me standing at the bottom and throwing a ball or toy up to the top for them to fetch and bring back to me. They soon get worn out and they really enjoy it too!

Using Our New Favourite Stick In The Garden

I’m sure all dog owners are familiar with what happens when a dog gets hold of a stick – they play with it for a while, then chew it up. A few months ago a friend recommended something that would eradicate this problem and help me keep them active. Safestix is a plastic, stick-like toy that I can throw in the garden just like a normal stick, except they can’t destroy it. I’d recommend it to anyone.

Our Morning Run

I don’t go for a run every day (it’s all I can do to get out of bed sometimes!) but when I do, I always make sure I take the dogs with me. Because it’s first thing in the morning, the dogs are keen and then they will sleep for most of the day without needing any more exercise.

Use Local Dog Walkers

This option might not be available to everyone due to financial constraints but I’ve been lucky enough to use our local walker a couple of times and it’s been a godsend. They take really good care of our dogs and they always come back exhausted. If a dog walker isn’t an option, you can always try local school kids who want to make a bit of money too.

How To Get A Good Night’s Sleep

For many years I have struggled to sleep but never really figured out why. My husband often snores but that rarely affects my sleep pattern as I've learned to block it out by now. No, there have been other reasons, I was sure, but I was never able to identify them. Recently the problem became too much for me and I decided to do something about it. I considered going to a doctor, or maybe for something more radical such as hypnotherapy or acupuncture, but then thought this wasn't really for me.

Instead I decided to do some reading. I didn't invest in numerous professional books or look for scientific journals online; instead I simply logged onto the internet and read articles and blogs such as the one you’re reading now. While some of the information was obviously bogus or unhelpful, I found there was an incredible wealth of information out there that I can not only relate to, but use.

While my problem hasn't been solved completely (I still have restless nights or periods where I can’t sleep), I now have a much better sleep pattern and find that I can get a good few hours on most nights. Because of this, I thought I’d share some of the best tips here.

Keep the same hours – When I was having sleep problems, I used to stay up later and get up whenever I’d had enough of tossing and turning. However, I have learned that going to bed at the same time and getting up at the same time is more beneficial, allowing the body to achieve some sort of pattern. Now I try to stick to it, although weekends do vary opposed to week days.

Rediscover writing – Whether you keep a diary, write notes or write a list, emptying your brain at the end of the day really does help. Instead of going over things in your mind or trying to remember what you need to do tomorrow, write them down before bed and then leave them in your notebook. This way, your mind is clear and ready to sleep.

Remove distractions – Like most people with a crazy work life and family to look after, I don’t have time to clean much – and when I do it’s usually communal spaces such as the living room and kitchen. This meant our bedroom was often a mess, but I've learned that having all this clutter was not helpful. Now I make sure the room is as tidy as possible, allowing both me and my husband to relax before bed.

Advice guides like this are everywhere online and come in all forms, with plenty of advice around. One of the most useful I found was this with advice on how to sleep better, but there are many, many options. I hope this blog will also become a resource so that people like me can rediscover the art of sleeping.

Welcome & Introduction

Hi everyone, and welcome to my new blog! The title gives it all away really - I'm a busy working mum and this is my blog.

Due to the strains of everyday life, I'm not sure how often I can post here but I'll try to do so as often as possible and offer some kind of insight, as well as advice.

Bye for now, Sarah x