AM/PM WITH ANNALAINA MARKS
15 HOURS WITH A WUNDER MOM AND FOUNDER OF FULL FEEDINGS
Hi, I’m Ann, a single mom of 3 (including twins) and the founder of full feedings. My daughter Frankie is 7 and my twin sons Tommy & Teddy are 4.5 years old. When I became a mother it was shocking to me how many parents accepted sleepless nights as normal in parenthood. Millions of people are justifying a lack of sleep for themselves, their baby, and their entire family because they have been falsely led to believe the ONLY way to get their baby to sleep is to let them cry. I am here to tell you that you can get your baby to consistently sleep through the night, without “crying it out” or having to “sleep train”and you can safely begin working on sleep from birth. Over the last several years, I’ve helped thousands of parents all over the world get consistent nighttime sleep for their babies. During that time, I have learned just how many of the accepted infant sleep “norms” aren't actually normal at all. I believe that these myths that most parents believe, are what’s preventing them from establishing and maintaining the consistent nighttime sleep we all need.
Infant sleep is a lot simpler than people think. I believe there are 3 main causes of infant sleep disruptions: hunger, over tiredness, and too much daytime sleep. If your baby is over the age of 8 - 12 weeks old and still waking at night, I believe it’s one of or a combination of these 3 things that are causing the sleep disruption.
If you work to consistently manage these infant sleep ingredients (as I call them), each and every day, at each and every age, you will easily establish and maintain your consistent nighttime sleep, without having to “do” anything.
I created The Full Feedings Method to help other parents sleep better, so they can go from surviving to thriving in their personal and professional lives.
RISE AND SHINE
6am
I’m up. I like to get a little head start on my kids. To have a second to myself to ease into my morning. This doesn’t always happen as sometime my twins get up at this time. They are allowed to stay to snuggle anytime after 6am, so sometimes I start my day like that too, which is really nice.
7am - By 7am, all 4 of us are peed, dressed, and downstairs ready for breakfast. I like to follow a routine, as it helps things to go as smoothly as they can with 3 kids. It doesn’t always go as planned but we do our best.
8am - We are out the door to drop my son’s at school by 8:15am and then get my daughter to the bus by 8:30am. Once that happens, it’s off to the races with work.
BOSS MOM HOURS
9am -
From 9am until school’s out, I am at my desk. Working with my rockstar employees. Helping parents navigate their sleep troubles. Managing all the things that come with running your own business. I do loosely structure my work day so I can stay on task:
9am - 10:30am - Emails and email support for my Online Programs
10:30am - 12pm - Social media management, responding to DM’s, creating valuable content, engaging with other accounts.
12pm
I usually stop for lunch and use this time to catch up with friends/family. Usually don’t have too much time during the day, but like to take this time to connect with myself and those closest to me.
12:30pm - If I’m not doing my scheduled Monday dance, or Tuesday boxing, I try to squeeze in a quick workout at home (@melissawoodhealth is a great go-to) or just take a walk to get an afternoon coffee so I can break up the day.
1pm - Back to work with development projects for anything I have in the works to help families sleep better. Currently working on my Other Ingredients section of my Toddler Online Program. Think of this like the best FAQ’s page to troubleshoot your every sleep issue.
3pm - Back to my inbox to make sure I have responded to everything I needed to respond to.
4pm
Get Frankie off of the bus
4:30pm - Pick up Tommy & Teddy from school
5:00pm - Home for dinner/homework and quality family time
6:00pm - By this time, we are upstairs for baths for my sons.
6:30pm - Bedtime for my sons if they didn’t nap, otherwise they go to sleep at 7:00pm
7pm
Bath & quality time with my daughter. If Frankie wants some time to herself, I usually take this time for me, to shower, clean up, get organized for the next day.
8:00pm - Lights out for Frankie, as I listen to her sing herself to sleep.
8:00pm - This is my prep time for the next day. Water bottles are filled and put in the fridge. Uniforms and clothes are laid out. Prep lunches as much as I can. Clean up the kitchen, make sure the laundry is done, and tidy up the house. I like to keep everything clean as it helps me to think clearly.
9:00pm - By 9pm, I am usually in bed, unwinding however I choose to, and lights out by 9:30pm when I listen to a meditation on the Aura app and peacefully fall asleep.
