1.  I’ve started using the Pillow app this month.

2.  It’s tracks the quantity and quality of your sleep each night by taking input from my watch and syncing with my phone’s Health app each morning. Basically it tells me a lot about what sort of rest I’m getting.

3.  I needed some accountability, you know? A concrete visual of actual sleep time logged.

4.  AKA Did you get your ass to bed on time, Laura?! You know you walk a fine line when you don’t get those Zzzs.

5.  I’ve got the free version. Each morning it creates a sleep report detailing time in bed versus time asleep then graphs awake time, REM sleep, light sleep, and deep sleep for the block.

6.  I paired it with my watch but they say you can also use the app by slipping the phone under your pillow at night.

7.  What have I learned in the last few weeks? Quite a bit actually.

8.  I’m not getting eight hours of sleep. Sometimes I’ll come close but even on my best nights I fall at least twenty minutes short of my goal.

9.  I don’t understand people who sleep through the night – what kind of jacked up alien mess is that? I wake up several times and consider myself lucky if I go right back to sleep.

10.  This pattern of light to deep to REM is jumbly. I wonder if everyone is like that.

11.  The app offers premium features for $4.99. It records overnight noises but apparently the real gem comes from integrated data with Apple’s Health app.

12.  Graphs compare how well you slept with other factors like number of steps that day, caffeine intake, blood alcohol content, and calories consumed. I don’t do a lot of paid apps but that sounds like info that could be helpful.

13.  I’ll let you know if I take the plunge.

14.  Seven’s been extra adventurous this week. I blame Gracie.

15.  The dogs go out to the backyard through the basement and Seven loves to watch them. Gracie in particular enjoys a backyard romp – given her druthers she’d wander around for hours back there. This is part of the problem.

16.  Nine times out of ten that dog will not come back in when she’s called. We approach this in different ways. Bear’s been known to bribe her with treats; BrightSide just kind of Cesar Milan’s it. But me? Depends on the day.

17.  I’ve screamed at her until she’s come. I’ve offered treats. I’ve walked away, setting a timer to try again in thirty minutes. Hell, sometimes I’ll just camp out watching the birds and wait for her to meander back over.

18.  This right here is how I think Gracie convinced Seven he’s missing the best time of his life being stuck indoors. And he’s not cool with missing out.

19.  On Wednesday he managed to slip out the door without me noticing on one of those “GRACIE! COME BACK IN!!” attempts. Luckily, something told me to try again right away. I was absolutely stunned when I opened the door to find our kitty standing outside our house.

20.  You know those surreal, time slip kind of moments? It was like that but with me wondering how this kitten managed to teleport through a wall.

21.  That time he just glanced out toward the trees and started slinking real low to the ground. I was able to scoop him up and hustle everyone inside.

22.  That heart stopping moment is what made yesterday so freaking unbelievable. Because even though I knew Seven would do it – even though I KNEW he was fast – he still managed to streak between my feet and out the door.

23.  It was first thing in the morning, thirty-four degrees, sleet coming down, and the cement was freezing. Not exactly ideal conditions for a cat but I’ll be damned if I didn’t reach for him and he started running away.

24.  Gracie found that pretty interesting and followed him along the patio. He hissed at her, turned around, and sprinted back into the house.

25.  Did Seven decide it was too cold? Too wet? That he wanted a snack before he went exploring? Damned if I know but I’m fairly certain he’s plotting his next adventure.

26.  You might be saying it’s not fair to blame Gracie for this kitty’s troublemaking, that it’s not her fault he’s acting like a dum-dum. To that I say let me share some of the things our biggest dog and smallest cat have in common.

27.  An appreciation for the sights, smells, and sounds in our backyard.

28.  An affinity for eating random things off the carpet.

29.  Constantly underfoot.

30.  Shameless attempts to steal food off our plates.

31.  Attention seeking behavior rivaling tired toddlers.

32.  I didn’t think it was possible to have another pet that caused trouble like our Gracie. I swear to high heaven, if you type “Gracie” in RFTM’s search field it’ll pop more than fifty posts on this crazy dog. She’s fur baby insane, the kind of crazy I assumed was a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

33.  But then Seven arrives with his own superpower: he can leap straight off the ground onto incredibly high surfaces. I don’t just mean he gets to high places – I mean he gets to them in a single jump.

34.  I’ve seen him launch from floor to kitchen island when he was curious about the grocery bags.

35.  He’s gone from floor to top of a five foot dresser to see what’s what.

36.  Last week leftover chicken and rice was cooling down after dinner. T-man went into the kitchen to clean up only to find Seven had launched himself onto the stovetop AND WAS EATING OUT OF THE POT.

37.  There really are no words sometimes.

38.  I wouldn’t trade a single one of these critters but it’s pretty funny how Seven and Gracie are cut from the same cloth while Mia and Phoebe are just as much alike.

39.  It makes me wonder if we shouldn’t just slap a harness on Seven and walk him down the driveway once in a while.

40.  Now I’ll head off to bed – way later than I should have – wondering if there’s a way to quiet my brain down for some serious rest. Night, all, and happy Friday!