My Protect-A-Bed Summer Sleep Thoughts and A Giveaway

We don't get a ton of sleep around here. Matt has always been an early riser and our kids have followed in dad's footsteps. We usually start the day by 6 am, sometimes closer to 5 am. And while our kids observe their early bedtimes, Matt and I try to get in a little time to get stuff done or hang out together or just veg in front of the tv and get about six hours of sleep. It's not terrible, but it would be nice to get more.
Sometimes as a parent you stress so much about making sure everything is perfect for your kids, you forget about your health and needs. We make sure the kids have new mattresses, allergen-free pillows, cozy pajamas, safe bedding, sound machines, and a comfortable room in every way. Sometimes we forget about those upgrades for ourselves. I just bought us new bedding last year, which replaced sheets and a duvet cover we'd been using since we were dating. I splurged at Target and bought some new soft pj's for the first time in years and it felt really good. With the basics covered, I realized my next step: protecting our bed.

When W moved into his big boy bed we purchased a Protect-A-Bed mattress protector, which has proved to be totally waterproof annd comfortable. But, Matt and I are still sleeping on an old, quilted mattress protector. With a kid sometimes creeping in our bed, Matt's allergies, and the male ability to get crazy hot (and let's face it) sweaty at night, it was time for a change. So, when Protect-A-Bed offered me a Luxury Mattress Protector I jumped on it. And we've been comfortably using it since. I'm feeling good about our sleeping arrangement, but we're not always sleeping at home.

In the summer months we do a lot more bed hopping and spend some time at my family's lake house in Michigan, which was purchased by my grandparents in the later 60's. Countless people have slept in the 13 beds and laid their heads on the pillows.

Now consider this: According to Protect-A-Bed, dust mites are impossible to see and live in mattresses and pillows, living on human skin cells, and thriving in hot and humid conditions (like, for instance, a lake house in the midwest). Female dust mites produce one to three eggs per day within their 30 to 90 day lifespan. Despite their tiny size, they create 10-20 waste particles a day, each containing a protein known to cause allergies and asthma.

Now the thought of these mattresses full of dust mites is kind of gross, but not gross enough to keep me from sleeping on them. What freaks me out is the thought of W and his issues with asthma sleeping on them. What's our plan? We're bringing our mattress covers along when we go to Michigan at the end of the month.

What's your plan to ensure your family enjoys safe, healthy sleep this summer? Leave a comment here and you'll be entered in a giveaway for a Protect-A-Bed Luxury Mattress Protector. They're not only perfect for families with allergies, but they're even better for families with little kids and need a soft waterproof mattress cover. Not the plastic ones we used to have to sleep on that made noise every time we moved. Remember those? Yuck.

Here's how to enter:

1. Comment on this post and share your summer sleeping secrets. Be sure to include an email address if it doesn't connect back to your blog. (You must comment to be entered!)

2. Follow Hannemaniacs. (Look on the right side bar to follow.) Click on the "Join this Site" button.

3. Like the Hannemaniacs Facebook page.

4. Follow Hannemaniacs on Twitter.

5. Mention this giveaway to your network on Facebook and/or Twitter (one entry for each) by pasting this in your status: Enter to win a Protect-A-Bed Luxury Mattress Protector at  www.hannemaniacs.com. 

Please let me know which of the above actions you have done to be counted.

As always, that's SIX possible entries per person. Contest ends at 9 am Friday, July 20th. Enter now!

Disclosure: I received one complimentary Luxury Mattress Protector and one to give away to a reader. All opinions are my own.