Boogers on the Wall

I am giving up on something I have clung to for most of my life.

Sleeping in.

Why?

Because the first two weeks of summer break nearly killed me. I stressed, I yelled and I wore myself out trying to balance all the chaos in my life.

With my two oldest boys home during the day I had virtually NO time alone. I daydreamed of cloning myself or growing a few more sets of arms.

Between keeping my littles busy and my house from looking like a tornado swept through it I had very little time and energy to spare.

So I started something new. I actually crawled out of bed BEFORE my kids. I have seen the 6 a.m. hour each day this week.

And I have loved it.

No, I haven’t loved missing out on some much-needed extra sleep (especially on the days following sleepless, multiple nursing-session nights) but I have loved the time I have spent to myself.

I have worked on pulling weeds in my backyard.

I have listened to the news.

I read a little and I studied some Italian.

Things I used to only wish I had time to do.

The extra hour or so I have had in the morning has given me time to do things I love but always push aside when other things seem more pressing.

I have been able to better enjoy my time with my kids because I have already spent time to myself before they ever awake.

I don’t know how long I’ll keep this early-bird thing up. (If you know me at all, you know that I LOVE sleeping in.) Getting up early may be a fluke thing that lasts only a few more days. And I may sleep in again in the fall when school is back in session and I have afternoon naptime to be alone.

But then again I maybe I’ll stay this way. So far, giving myself time alone to do things I enjoy has been more important than the few extra zzzs I’m missing out on.