Snow White Trackers Withdrawal Club

[Bindidog]

Originally Posted by My Escape

Where I used to live in Ohio, there was an amazing Jewish bakery with owners from somewhere in eastern Europe. Their kolachkys (how they spelled it...) were always the first thing gone when the store opened. Oh my gosh, I want some now! And they mail order...hmmm... Do you make them often?

We used to get them every Sunday in the bakery when we lived in WI, but now my mom only makes them once a year at Christmas. When we come home, I have to hide the cookie plate from my DBF, or he will eat them. It's cruel, but I'm not good at sharing my christmas cookies (mmm....Christmas cookies, coffee, a little bit of "Irish Cream" and Webkinz: I'm in heaven!)

[Mom4]

Oh my word! Everyone has been busy on our thread today. I think I might need to go on a diet just from reading.

I worked today it was quiet but tomorrow it will be nuts with football games on. After work I went to a craft show with a girlfriend. Got 2 gifts. Chipping away at the list.

When I have more time I am going to enjoy watching Bindi's nutcracker! Sounds awesome.

I was wondering how many different WI members have posted here. Thanks Escape for starting this thread!!!! You did good. Thanks to everyone who posts here...I am always smiling when I am here!

[unsoclbuttrfly]

Good Morning All !

The insomnia has kicked into high gear again, so I am UP (well, never went to bed ). I did get my grocery shopping done this morning, though. Thank goodness the big town nearby has two 24 hour stores. I'd hate to have to shop during normal business hours .

Mom4 - at least you know in advance that it's going to be busy, and can prepare as much as possible for it. I would imagine that's better than just a random surprise rush. Congrats on making progress on your shopping list. I don't have a lot to buy, but I need to crack down and get it done before the holiday shopping frenzy begins. Can't stand shopping when it's that crowded.

Mrs.Shimmer - I decided to jump in and try the ABC game. You know, sometimes it's harder to think of an appropriate word than I'd have thought. Kind of like when the teacher calls on you in class and you know the answer, but your brain just kind of freezes up. Thank you for explaining how it works earlier this week; even reading the first page instructions I probably wouldn't have jumped in without confirmation.

Escape - I hope that my overzealousness in all things is of some help with the convection roast cooking dilemma. I did notice that there were some areas that seemed vague at best, contradictory at worst. For the most part, though, they seem to all back each other up. Slightly lower temp, shorter cook time, and use a meat thermometer. I found it interesting that most of the sources say that the residual cooking from convection roasting will raise the temp of the meat more than the residual cooking from conventional roasting. With the temp lower, I would have expected it to either be even or less residual from convection. Learn something new every day. Lots of positive comments about convection cooking, though a few did mention that convection cooking of egg-based dishes is less than stellar.

Hope you all have a great day!

[Mrs. Shimmer]

Bfly, I saw you ventured into the ABC Game. Congratulations!

[Jennifer36]

Morning Trackers!

Unsocialbutterfly I am so sorry to hear there is another insomniac on this thread - i posted some tips to MWC, happy to share with you too!

I spent the better part of the day yesterday getting up leaves and grocery shopping, only to wake up to rain this morning and all the leaves are back down Very Frustrating!

Not alot to report here - off to make breakfast and figure out what i forgot at the grocery store yesterday!

[marnabear]

I know both lebkuchen and kolaches, and you folks are making me hungry, here. My mom used to make lots of different Christmas cookies and fix gift plates for friends and neighbors and I used to help her. Then when I was on my own and married I would do it too, but now I don't seem to get around to doing it. I don't know the neighbors here very well - it's not like where my mom lived where everyone knew each other and even had block parties. And we shouldn't eat all those goodies ourselves. One of my friends who lives far from me usually does bake at Christmas and for the past few years she has included a container of cookies for DH along with my Christmas gift. He has to share with me so I get my home-made cookie fix. I need to replenish our supply of Irish Cream to go with them.

Unsocl - I'm so sorry about your insomnia. I can sympathize with you because I have tinnitus (never a silent moment anymore) and sometimes the noise amplifies so much at night that I cannot sleep. I used to toss and turn and look at DH sound asleep. But lately his hips have been hurting him and waking him up at night. I know he was up around 4 with them and when I got up he was sound asleep in his chair. I'm trying to be really quiet and not wake him up. It's the pits getting older, but the alternative is worse LOL.

Jenifer, please share those tips with me.

[Jennifer36]

OK - So for my fellow trackers insomniacs - here are tips I have picked up - learned along the way. The thing is not every one of them helps, you just have to try a few different things. Some are obvious, some not.

The BIGGEST tip I have is to talk to your doctor(and your family), don't suffer in silence!

1. Caffeine - It is recommended not to take anything with caffeine after PM. It takes a hour to fully metabolize a caffeinated drink into your system and 3-5 hours for caffeine to mostly leave your system. sources of caffeine include coffee(even decaf), tea(black, white, green too!) sodas, and sadly chocolate. I had to go caffeine free for a month to break the cycle. The first 4 days, my staff wrapped crime scene tap around my office and put up warning signs! nothing could cure the caffeine withdrawal headache - not even snow white ads!

2. Exercise - Regular exercise every day - a 30 minute walk etc is recommended but no strenuous exercise 2 hours before bed - so no step class, going for a jog, or weight lifting - BUT, you can stretch and do yoga aimed to prepare you to go to sleep.

3. Food - this is a mixed bag - one thought of advice is not to eat for 3 hours before sleep (good for the diet too) the other thought is a light snack with carbs that induces sleepiness. Warm milk(not chocolate, but maybe horlicks) with non chocolate cookies, or crackers. some others say it is not the milk, but the warmth, so I actually drink sleepytime tea.

4. Bed and bedtime- you don't want to be too warm, so out thermostat is set on 68. It is key to keep your feet warm. Apparently there is a mechanism in us that won't let us go to sleep if our feet are cold. and it wakes us up if our feet get cold. So wear bed socks that don't cut off circulation and let your feet breathe so they don't get too hot.

How old is your pillow and mattress? Do they fit your sleeping style and your partner? I know a mattress is a big expense, but a topper and pillow are not - and changing them could be well worth it.

bedtime - Yes even adults need a regular bedtime. and a time to get up too! I know your rolling your eyes at me! I go to bed about 10, i read, watch a little TV, maybe even fold clothes. but I am in my bed room and thinking about going to sleep. I try to be asleep about 11 every night. And I get up at 6:30 every day - I sleep in til 7:30 on the weekends - I know it sounds horrible, but this is really a critical point. If you go to bed at 3 am and sleep until 10, do you really think you will want to go to bed at 10 the next night?

5. Limit the amount of light - no TVs on (in fact turn them off 30 min before you want to sleep) apparently the flickering light disrupts your sleep pattern, so if you have to wean yourself ff this, use a flameless flickering candle as a night light.

6. sound - now if you have kids this may be a tough one. We use a sound machine (BB&B $14 - they don't have to be expensive) to drown out the late night neighbors, cats fighting outside, sirens from the local fire dept etc.

This has probably been one of the biggest things in helping me sleep. It is part of the ritual of bed. The noise goes on and I get sleepy!

I know that might worry some moms that they won't hear their children, so I leave that one at your discretion.

7. Smells - some say to use lavender - I like lavender - but not in my bedroom! We have a Holmes hepa filter that keeps the air neutral and clean - cuts down on the snoring from allergies.

8. Pets in bed - I love my little girl, but she moves and licks and meows. So now she has her own heated bed (that she prefers) on the chair in our room. I know people love having pets in the bed with them, but they can be a reason for you not to sleep.

9. stress - OK so this is the reason most of us don't sleep right? worried about money, job, sick children, roof leaking, heat going out, how to cook at turkey............

Here's the truth - stress kills - get over it.

Think about this.

Will it matter in 10 minutes? 10 hours? 10 days? 10 years? Probably not!

Stress is like being in a rocking chair, you can rock all you want, but you ain't goin nowhere!

So do something about it! I write it down - everything that is bothering me. Worried about hair appts? Turkeys? your DH leaving his stuff on the floor? exams? write it down! Worried about remembering something? write it down!

Now you can choose to share this list - either actively or passively - mine just sits on my bedside table. DH can look at it if he wants - saves on alot of fights - and you know what? it has really improved our communication. it is so much easier for me to write than to say things to his face sometimes. Plus, now he knows what I need help with.

10. Last resort - Medicine. You can try OTC melatonin - works pretty good for me, but so does the tea! This is where your doctor plays a big part. I keep a prescription as a back up. If I have done yoga, had my tea and it is going on 11PM, I know I have an issue and I can pop one. But Ii try everything I can to avoid this!

OK - I have what I call the Ritual of Bed - I get my tea ready, I write in my worries book (oh and I have a reading light so that if i wake up in the middle of the night I can write things down) I also write down how I am going to fix what is worrying me. It does not have to be perfect. for example - we have a leak in the basement - so i write down that I am getting three quotes to get ideas of how to fix. now I could worry about the cost, but since I don't know what the cost is, i remind myself i am getting ahead of my process (make sense?) Next, i turn on the flameless candles and the sound machine, hubby gets ready for bed, so he does not disturb me later when he is done studying, and i get in bed. Usually I am asleep in 15 min - If not, it's plan B

I hope there are some ideas to help you. I'll post if I think of anything else! Love you guys!

[My Escape]

Mom4 - Thank you for your kind words. I, too, am jealous that your list is getting knocked off. I haven't started my family, but I have to admit my friends are mostly done. Lousy priorities, but if I see something I grab it and saw stuff for them first.

Buttrfly - I greatly appreciate your help. I have my meat thermometer at the ready. I'll still try to get to Borders, but if I can't you may have saved me. I had heard that about egg dishes, as well. There are a few other exceptions. But most, if not all, convections come with a standard cook option as well, so you can switch between the two as needed. I'm glad you saw all the vagueness out there between the good tidbits. That's where my frustration was.

marnabear - I have had a very once-in-awhile ringing and it annoys the heck out of me. Mine goes away, though, after a few minutes. To go through the constant non-stop of what you have must be horrible. I'm so sorry you're going through that and hope Jenifer's tips help you sleep! I've stopped doing gift trays of cookies, too. I make plenty for us and send some to close neighbors as thank yous for nice things from the year, but nothing formal or huge anymore.

Jenifer - I'm fortunate to not have chronic insomnia, but everyone has their nights where sleep just doesn't happen. I'm guilty of trying to think too much at night, so I'll be using your tips as needed in an attempt to wind myself down. Thank you! I can tell how much you went through, based on how passionately you wrote them. This group is like one-stop shopping for any problem. If I can second one of the points - the mattress is a biggie. I was sleeping, but I was tossing and turning all night because our spring mattress wasn't right. My husband likes it hard, I like it softer and our compromise wasn't the best for either of us. Hate to sound like a commercial, but we switched to a Select Comfort air mattress with separate controls and starting that night, it was a complete 180 on how well we slept and how rested we felt. I don't ever want another bed. It really does matter to be comfortable, whether it's a topper or a whole new approach.

Have a good Sunday, everyone!

[Jennifer36]

Originally Posted by marnabear

Unsocl - I'm so sorry about your insomnia. I can sympathize with you because I have tinnitus (never a silent moment anymore) and sometimes the noise amplifies so much at night that I cannot sleep. I used to toss and turn and look at DH sound asleep. But lately his hips have been hurting him and waking him up at night. I know he was up around 4 with them and when I got up he was sound asleep in his chair. I'm trying to be really quiet and not wake him up. It's the pits getting older, but the alternative is worse LOL.

Marnabear - Sorry for the delay in answering this part of your post - I had to call my Dad, who suffers from tinnitus because he has had some relief recently, and I wanted to ask him what he did differently.

He found that putting cotton wool in his ear helps - not earplugs which seems to concentrate the noise.

Also, he has been massaging peppermint oil around his ear. We found this stuff called migrstick (little green tube) and he massages that in - says it changes the tone(?) of the ringing which is better.

He also uses a sound machine, because he says it means he does not focus on the ringing in the quiet of the night.

Also, one of his friends heard that tinnitus is made worse by an inflammation of a nerve in the neck, about two inches below the ear along the jar line. His doctor advised him to massage in a downward motion and to take an Advil every 6 hours for 5 days - my Dad said it has really worked this week. So you might want to masage below your ear and see if you find a point that is painful when you press and talk to your doctor.

I hope this helps - since tinnitus seems to run in families, I am taking notes for myself.



PS - Look what BindiDog made me He is soooo cute!
Check oout Bindi's latest thread - http://www.webkinzinsider.com/forum/.../#post17235306

[Bindidog]

Thank you for all that info Jennifer....I like how you say stress is a big part of not sleeping, it's what usually keeps me up, or doesn't let me get back to sleep.