Wednesday, May 30, 2012

I Set My Alarm And Found My Mojo!

This morning I couldn't sleep.  I woke up just after 4am and just laid there.  I flipped.  I flopped.  Then I got up and, brace yourselves, went into the laundry room.  There is typically a pile here and there and everywhere in that room, despite my best efforts to organize my little flock.  I thought the solution to the piles was having a name frame for each child.  It wasn't.  But they do look nice on the wall.

Turns out the key to the laundry room is ACTUALLY doing laundry.  Who knew?  And the key to feeling like I actually did something productive was to just WAKE UP.  Well, more importantly, it was to wake up before the rest of "them."

I have been sort of MIA the past couple months.  I guess you could say I've been dealing with some demons.  Or more accurately, I've been looking for my next "project."  Projects help me focus on something besides me.  And sometimes, I'm just sick of ME.  I tend to get extremely motivated when I have something external I can focus on.  Usually when it's new and shiny...I'm all in.  Then when it starts to fade, so do I.

With five kids, two business and one daughter getting homeschooled, there isn't much extra time to address all the things that need to get handled in this household.  Things pile up.   My mood declines as I look around and see all the work that needs to be done. My family seems to be in a constant state of vision impairment.  Did he just step over that candy wrapper?  Did she just dance around the overflowing trash can.  Did he walk past his clean shirt on the cabinet AGAIN. Yep. Yep. And, yep.

Here's my little bit of wisdom for today.  Wake up early.  Wake up early even when you don't want to.  Wake up early even if you went to bed late.  Get up.  Get out of bed.  The children are sleeping.  The husband is sleeping and the house is QUIET.  And guess what?  You can actually get something done.  You can get something done without raising your voice, without yelling middle names of children, without huffing and puffing or the dreaded 'eye roll.'

The past several months I have been sleeping in, later and later.  I have always been a morning person.  But, my husband is not.  We are opposites as far as sleep schedules go.  He is a bad influence laying there all cozy and warm and snoring.  Today I was not tempted though. I just got up.  At 4:30 in the morning.  I didn't think twice.  And, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed that.  I had forgotten that I enjoyed having an hour or two to myself each day.  I had forgotten what it felt like to keep Mount Washmore at bay - running a load or two each day.  I had forgotten what it felt like to her myself think.  Remembering was pure bliss.

So, if you are struggling trying to keep your sanity while raising your children and tidying up a seemingly always messy abode....set your alarm.  You'll thank me for it.  I promise.