What I am trying to ask is, how many of you, when it's past bedtime and the kids are asleep, actually get up to go do something meaningful?
And I don't mean to say that binge watching 16 episodes of Game of Thrones isn't meaningful... Ok I do mean to say that. We all need some down time, so I get it. I used to be a binge show watcher. Before Lexi, before I had 3685208605 things to fit into 24 hours. So if you have a hobby that you go to after kids are asleep, or a job/project/business that you work on, how do you manage the mental argument going on in your head?So here is the step I sat down to write about that I want your experience on.
Step 3: The Mind over Body struggle. So when you have finally heard the slow deep breathing of your child and realize it's FREEEEEEEEEDOM, what do you do? Because I go through an internal argument that goes something like this: -Ok, she is asleep, I need to get up and get stuff done -Oh but the bed...It's so comfy, these cool sheets, and it's so dark that it's impossible to keep your eyes open. And I am half asleep now. -yeah, but you are always complaining about not having enough time to do everything. Take these precious minutes and go get shit done. -but if I get up and start working, it's going to be another late night. I am not going to get up for just an hour. (Lexi goes to sleep at 10 pm). It has to be 3-4 hours to make it worth it and then I will be exhausted in the morning (I need to touch on this point later, because it is possible to wake up completely refreshed after even 4 hrs of sleep with a few simple steps). I'll just get up early and get some things done in the morning. -bwahahahaha who are you kidding? Fine, I will just check my email on the phone right now and then get up. 10 minutes later, still in bed, email and messages checked, everyone texted good night, Elena's body has won "Fuck it! I'm too tired. I am going to sleep!" Then once in a while during an early bedtime or if she falls asleep in the car, I am able to stay up and work without the whole "in bed in the dark" struggle and it's awesome and I stay up till 3 am and get a ton crossed off my to list and even a little bit for my own pleasure (Like editing). But I just hate the struggle. I want to be lazy, I want to just sleep, I want to sleep 9 hours a night. Or 12 preferably. This happens every night. Even as I am sitting here typing this at only 12:13 am, I am literally imagining how good it would feel to lay down in bed. I swear it is partially to the mattress and bed that I have now (read about it here), or maybe it has more to do with my increased work out routine... But omg I just can't wait to put my head down and snuggle up to Lexi, my warm ball of cuddles. So that's my dilemma every night and every night a different side wins. I am out of control, they just do what they want. Stupid brain and body. One needs productivity and satisfaction, another wants rest and recovery. On that note, I have talked myself into going to bed now. And while I am sleeping, those who are up right now, let me know your bedtime mental, physical and kid struggles!
5 comments
If I were you, I’d be exhausted. I wish I had time to do things after the kids go to bed, but for me, sleep is more important. As a relatively high-sleep-needs adult, if I get up at 6:30am, I need to be asleep by 9:30-10pm in order to feel rested. So I need to go to bed at 8:30-9pm to allow for a little reading and decompressing before sleep. 12:13??!! I’d be a wreck the next day.
Not everyone needs 9 hours a night… but I don’t think there’s anything lazy or “giving in” about going to sleep when your body tells you it’s time, even if it means not getting things done you’d like to.
Go to sleep! Sleep is always the right choice. You work all day, right?
I would love to see a post about weaning. My baby is only 13 months and nowhere close to weaning yet. But I’m planning to let him wean himself (you know, sometime before he leaves for college…) and I would love to see what that looks like in practice.
I do work during the day, but it’s not nearly enough time to finish all I need. Plus I have gym and vball and Lexi(half the week) during the day, plus traveling, so I jut end up having to work at night a lot. Those are the sacrifices I have to make to lead the lifestyle i like, but man sometimes it’s just hard to find the willpower. haha
I see what I can write about weaning. It happened so gradually, it’s hard to put it together in my head.
When my daughter was Lexi’s age, there was never a day when I was not weary by the time she went to bed. Now that she’s seven, though, it’s like an entirely different world. The leap in self-sufficiency was game changing for both of us. As hard as it is, my advice is to have patience and to take care of yourself by giving your body the rest it’s asking for right now.