I'm playing with the idea of going to bed by 9:00 every night so I can get up at 5:00. I know it sounds crazy, but I just think an hour to myself before the kids wake up would change my world. Ideally my kids would wake up at 7 and I could wake up at 6:00, but that just doesn't seem to be in the cards, so do I go for it, or no? Thoughts? Testaments? Concerns?
20 comments:
Are your kids sound sleepers? My kids usually wake up whenever I get up. If I get up earlier, so do they. (Okay, so I haven't tried 5 a.m. yet, and don't see that happening any time soon.)
That's something to think about. I'd have to sneak downstairs I guess and not do anything too loud. Hmm...
Oh, sister, the thought makes me cringe because I can't roll my big behind (or belly) out of bed any earlier than my kids roll out of bed. But I HAVE heard from several people that it really does make a huge difference to have an hour before their kids arise. I think if you can realistically go to bed by 9:00 then it is worth a try (if you can keep quiet and avoid waking them up). What do you think you'll do? Read? Exercise? Laundry? Now you are getting me curious (not motivated...curious).
Kristin-You'll never regret it...when I wake up early and get in my exercise and/or other things done it is so great and then when my kids' wake up I am awake, happy and ready to greet them for the day. Beats Nathan waking me up when I am NOT ready to wake up. All in all it makes me feel like less of a failure.
Missing you...let me know what you decide...I am on the edge of me seat (well, not really).
sounds great! bri's had that plan of waking an hour earlier to have "together time." which i'm interpreting as couple's scripture time?
anyway, when i do wake before the kids, i do feel better and more accomplished. it became easier when they started school. plus we are more likely to say prayers and sneak in a scripture (still rare for us) before they go off to school.
but let's face it, i'm not primped and ready to leave the house beautiful.
i admire women who do it. if there is a way to accomplish it other than just pure grit-your-teeth will power, then let me know.
i knew a mom who woke up and put on work out clothes and didn't take them off until she exercised that day. it motivated her to exercise and shower before the kids woke up for school. in my case, you'd all see me in too-tight shorties and a baggy shirt. savor the image.
Yesterday I woke up at six, worked out and got ready before the kids got up and it totally made a huge difference. Today I missed the boat...maybe we could make a deal or something and I would know that since you were doing it I would have that extra motivation.
So I totally do and it is great! I get up at 6 though and go walking with my neighbor. My girls know they can't come out of their room til I come get them (unless emergency of course) but they will get up around 7 and play. I watch 30 min of the today show and them get them out. I am a much happier mom doing it this way. I hope it works for you!
I figure an hour will give me time for prayer/study and exercise.
I guess I'll go ahead and try it this week - as long as I can force myself to bed by 9:00 (which is the real issue, isn't it)?
I'll let you know if I'm ready to make a commitment Rebecca!
DON'T YOU DARE!! Not with all the good TV starting like the office and Lost! Then who will I watch it with???
I haven't commented much on your blog because I thought our relationship just wasn't there yet, but I think we should move on... (just kidding!)
I really think you will love it. Ok, realistically, it will be a love/hate relationship. Five am sounds HORRIBLE, but if you are really used to getting up at 6:00 every morning, 5:00 to you is the 6:00 to every one else. You will LOVE that you feel disciplined, that you feel like you are doing right by starting off the day not just spiritually but by doing something for yourself. You will love that you can be excited for your kids to wake up instead of cringing. You will HATE your alarm.
The only big concern is if you have enough time in the evening for important things like hubby or positive female bonding (no quitting book club.) I remember that your kids go to sleep super early so maybe you can get enough quality time once their down, but 9 am is pretty early...
Good luck!
What the hell is wrong with you people? 5 am. ????? I mean....I can't take it! It is still dark out!! Practically the middle of the night!!! Why must we let these little people take over our lives? What happened to the good old days of doing what WE wanted to do? I will not allow anyone under 130 lbs. to dictate my day. Remember that you can TRAIN them to go to sleep and wake up whenever you want! Take your life back NOW Kristin...before its too late.
First I'm anxious to know how Val trains her kids to wake up when she wants them to- But then I can't complain because my kids always woke up about 7:00. I have to say, however, that I got up at 5:30 for most of my life while my children were small and I would do it again. Those morning hours of exercise and study helped me to get through all the stresses of the day. That's how I took back my life, by having my time. I also think you could survive on 7 hours sleep instead of 8. Somehow your body gets use to it.
Well, my getting up at 5am is for totally different reasons than everyone else's. But I do love the quiet of the morning with NO distractions (ie phone, internet, TV, etc). However, on the weeks that I am not teaching, I cannot for the life of me get up at 5! So, I'm shooting for 6, which should still give me time to do what I need to do before the kids get up.
I've also discovered I don't miss much by going to bed at 9, or the occasional 8:30pm. I found I was letting go of things that didn't really matter anyway. Yes, I'll stay up a little longer sometimes to hang out with Colter, but rarely. Also, I have to find something to keep me busy in the mid-afternoon so I don't fall asleep.
Let me know how it works!
Ooh mom, upping the ante. I know I COULD get by on 7 hours a night - I have been getting by on 6 interrupted hours for the past year. I just don't want to.
And Val, I'll pay you $1000 to come train my children to wake up whenever I want.
First of all, sorry for the profanities Delsa! I forget you are reading this too! (I have many faults that I am working on) Anyway, when I say "train" them, I mean - at least this has worked with my kids - if you keep them up later, they will usually sleep in longer. Maybe this is only good for us "night" people. (I have never -and still don't- function well in the morning.) This is especially great in the summer time when we stay up REALLY late and then I can sleep in a little in the morning. See...sleep is what is important to me, not that crazy exercise and laundry stuff.
One of the great pleasures in life is being awake and getting stuff done while your kids sleep! I try to have the best of both worlds and stay up late and get at 5:30. The result is I don't get enough sleep, but who does get enough sleep?? Plus, it's worth it to me!! So worth it!!
Esther used to wake up whenever I woke up, no matter what time that was. That was until I discovered the fan. Now I put her to bed every night with the fan running in her ear, and she sleeps much longer now (until 7). I think she could totally hear my alarm go off, my door open, my footsteps, etc., but now she can't. So if you are not currently using a heavy-duty white noise maker in the kiddies room(s), I suggest you get that going before you start your new plan.
My kids sleep better when they go to bed earlier...putting them to bed later only makes them get up earlier and crankier, so I would probably fail with Val's method.
One thing I do almost every day is take a nap. Even 20-30 minutes in the afternoon makes it so that I can stand to get up early and have the stamina to outlast the children at night. If you add a nap, even a short one, to your schedule, you may find it possible to go to bed at your normal bedtime and still get up early enough to have quiet time before your small wards decide to join you.
Let us know how it goes!
I feel like I am watching a steady progression I call "Becoming Delsa" I would never have predicted that my fun-loving, sometimes scatter-brained roomie would someday step into those hallowed shoes. If you can do it, more power to you. But I will say that I firmly, FIRMLY, believe a person will be happier their whole life if they can have 8 to 9 hours of sleep a night. Laundry and crafts and exercise, blech. What about a double jogging stroller?
For anyone who's interested, today is my second day of getting up at 5:00.
It's 9:30 am and I have read scriptures, exercised, gotten ready, gotten the kids ready, made and cleaned up breakfast, gone grocery shopping, put groceries away, dropped Max off at pre-school, and put Aviva down for a nap.
And I feel great. It hasn't even been that hard to get up in the morning. That may be because my adrenaline is pumping, so I'll let you know if I'm still going strong in a month.
Thanks for all the comments though, I'm glad to have both the encouragement and the, let's call them "reality checks" :)
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