Finding Contentment

The joys of bedtime

When we were kids, most of us had parents who made us go to bed at a certain time. We whined, we complained, we were certain we didn't need as much sleep as our parents thought we did.

Oh, to have someone making me go to bed by 9 p.m. today! For the past few weeks it has been at least midnight, and sometimes 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. before I have got to bed. This works fine for hubby, who worked third shift for years and has no problem getting by on just four or five hours of sleep a night.

Not so for me, who needs a good eight hours every night to perform the next day. What's keeping me up, you ask? The kids go to bed at 9 p.m., but by the time the last one stops getting up for one more bathroom trip or to tell me one more thing, it is usually at least 9:30 or 10 p.m.

For me, that signals the only quiet time of the day. That is when I start reading blogs and checking e-mails, have uninterrupted time with hubby, or just veg in an exhausted state in front of the t.v.

I can usually go on only a few hours of sleep a night for a maximum of a week. Then it hits me one day, and I can't seem to move. I go through the day like a zombie, my eyes feel extremely heavy and disciplining and schooling the kids takes a back seat. This continues until somehow or another, I find a way to catch up on my sleep.

Well, no more! Today I have set a goal:  I will be in bed no later than 10 p.m. every night. One day, I would like to be able to retire and rise with the sun but for now, this goal will do.

Tonight, I will have the bread baked, the tea brewed, the kids asleep and the house tidied by 10 p.m. If I don't, those things simply won't get done (expect getting the kids in bed). And tomorrow, I will rise no later than 7 a.m. (That's later than I will normally rise, but I am giving myself an extra hour for the next couple of nights to try and catch up.)

It will probably take a month to really make it into a habit. So by the end of the month, I should be routinely going to bed at 10 p.m. and getting up at 6 a.m. Mark usually has to be at work by 8 a.m. So by getting up at 6 a.m. I will have time, before the kids get up at 7 a.m., to have a quiet talk with him while I make him breakfast and pack his lunch.

Sound like a plan to me! I'll keep you updated on my progress...

I know what you mean . .

03:01 PM, Tuesday, April 3, 2007 .. Posted by SongofJoy

that quiet time all by yourself when everyone is asleep is sooo nice! I've been staying up way too late for too long, and it's time for me to do something about it as well. Thanks for the encouragement.

Blessings,
Carol

Hi!

07:40 AM, Wednesday, April 4, 2007 .. Posted by Jonash2004

I noticed you had added me as a friend so I was checking out your blog. :) I bought a mixer so that I could make bread! I used platic bags for a while, then I invested in some air-tight containers from Walmart - and that seems to work better for me than bags. Maybe I just didn't buy a good quality bag?? I bake 2 loaves at a time and they last about 2 weeks if I add gluten.

Ashley