Failed Resolution #2

Sleep More

I'm positive that Resolution #2 would help me with Resolution #1, but it's not as easy as just going to bed.

a) When I put the kids to bed I often fall asleep with one of them for a half hour or so, and then I am wide awake until 2 a.m.  Even if I don't get this little catnap I'm still wide awake until 2 a.m.  I have some residual childhood night-time issues that could be contributing.  Solution - Therapy and a new bedtime routine?
 
b) The lure of getting something done beats the lure of my pillow.  If I try to go to bed early I just lay there thinking about everything I didn't do today.  The end of the list just keeps getting further away so I'm not sure what to do about it.  Solution - An assistant and a double-dose of Tylenol PM?
 
c) When I do finally hit the sheets I don't get good sleep.  Kids crawl in with me at all hours and once they're there they are constantly kicking me or waking me with their Spanish sleep-talking.  You would think I could just send them back to their bed but I rarely wake up enough to make a conscious decision.  Even though my sleep is interrupted, I don't wake up enough to fix the problem.  Solution - A lock and earplugs?

By the way, I did NOT yell this morning.  The getting up early wasn't as successful as I'd hoped because the staying up late made the getting up early almost impossible, but I decided to try to "manage my expectations."  My boss, and my previous bosses (my boss' brother and father) have been telling me for 15 years to manage my expectations when I get upset about an employee who isn't doing what I think he or she should be doing.  Honestly, it has been really annoying to hear that over and over, but I've had enough Kool-Aid at this point so that's part of my survival plan.  If I don't expect much, I'm not disappointed.  Very sad, in my opinion, but realistic.

So this morning I didn't expect the kids to know that teeth are brushed with toothpaste, that socks go on feet before shoes, or that breakfast comes before playing with kittens.  I prodded them as needed to keep them moving forward, but I didn't necessarily expect them to move forward so I didn't get mad when they didn't.  When they gave me trouble, I walked away.  When Norah threw a fit while I brushed her hair, she went to school with beginner-dreadlocks.  When Adlani still couldn't find his boot, he had to wear Aliya's back-up pair again.  Too girlie for ya?  Oh well, manage your expectations.  I set the timer and gave them their instructions, and when it started beeping I walked out with my keys, then honked the horn in the driveway.

I nagged, honked, and sent my kids to school with opposite-gender footwear and dreads.  But I didn't yell.

This is my anthem:



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