Alhadulillah, Alhamdulillah, Khalid is asleep.

He’s been asleep since 10:15 (it’s 1 am now) and he’s woken up about five times since then (don’t ask, God knows why) and this is the point where you scream at me and ask WHY THE HECK AREN’T YOU SLEEPING TOO!?

Umm. Well. I can’t sleep.

I’ve been having this problem for the past week or so- even after putting long and odd hours into the Khalid Sleep Battle, when Khalid finally drops off to sleep I lay in bed next to him, wide awake, sometimes until his next feeding, which is generally 40 minutes later. I’m exhausted, I’m sleep-starved, I’m shaky and wobbly and worn out, but my brain is feverishly churning out thoughts related to Bloom’s Taxonomy and other pedagogical nonsense with zero significance at this hour.

This is Bloom’s Taxonomy. It’s a pyramid. Yep. Why is my brain thinking about it? Because the six words here represent six significant intellectual processes regarding learning behavior. The simplest is Knowledge, simply ‘knowing’ and being able to recall facts. After that is Understanding of the knowledge. After that is Application, where you can take that understanding and use it. So on and so on.

(I teach too, remember? American Accent Training? I’m an American, Dammit!)

So I was writing out my syllabus for an upcoming Accent Training class that I’m supposed to teach and I stumbled upon a copy of Bloom’s Taxonomy on the desktop. HF had put it there, because HF is an education-flavored guy too, and I thought it was cool. But now it has embedded itself in my brain and I’d rather be sleeping but here I am blogging about it at 1 am.

And I can’t sleep. I try to- when Khalid takes his afternoon nap I try to join him, but I mostly lay there are stare at the patterns on the pillowcases.

Ehow.com says I should:

• STEP 1: Get out of bed if you can’t sleep. Lying in bed sleepless will only make you more stressed.
• STEP 2: Read or perform a light chore until you feel sleepy. Then try to go back to sleep – or, if you’re feeling stressed or agitated, try some relaxation techniques.
• STEP 3: Relax by listening to soft music or a meditation tape. Do yoga or gentle stretching.
• STEP 4: Take a hot bath with aromatherapy soaps. Keep the lights dim. Bright light will make you more alert.
• STEP 5: Try an herbal sleep remedy to induce sleepiness. Valerian, chamomile, catnip, lavender, lime flower, passion flower, hops or skullcap can be taken in tea or capsule form.
• STEP 6: Snack on foods high in tryptophan, an amino acid that can help you relax. These include turkey, bananas, figs, dates, milk and tuna.
• STEP 7: Essential oils can also help you relax. Add six to eight drops of lavender or marjoram to a bath, or put four drops of oil on your pillow.
• STEP 8: Return to bed once you’re feeling sleepy and relaxed.
  

And I’ve managed steps 1, 2, and 6, but hey, I’m still up. And now I’m blogging quantity over quality. And I’m out of warm milk. And I already ate all the dates, which are supposed to be high in tryptophan to make me sleepy.

Right Brain: Go to sleep you moron.

Left Brain: Make me!

RB:I’m trying!

LB: Trying what?

RB: To make you go to sleep.

LB: I don’t want to go anywhere. I’m sleepy.

RB: Oh hey, have you heard of Bloom’s Taxonomy?

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And later he told me that he had a race car bed, but I don’t think I believe him. If HF asks, tell him I was typing in my sleep… The Bebefiles: AMBUSH! Sleep Depraved