I've decided to start getting up at around 6:00 every morning to read the scriptures, pray, and have a few moments to plan out my day.
Yesterday Clara woke up around 5:45, but it was fine. She's cute and once fed, not overly distracting while I take a little me-time.
This morning, ALL of my kids were awake at 5:30. With the excuse that "it's light outside!"
Grrr.
What does a person have to do to have 30 minutes of alone time in the morning to breathe before the day begins??? I have a really hard time not being able to start the day on my own terms.
And what am I going to do as the summer progresses and the sun rises at 4:30 in the morning???
What is this crazy place??? And what is wrong with my children???
I'm going to have to start going to the gym in the morning, just to get away . . .
. . . but when do I get to take care of the other important things?
Maybe I'll just have to hide in the car or something.
Anyone have any information about how to get your little kids to know when it REALLY "morning"?
. . . but when do I get to take care of the other important things?
Maybe I'll just have to hide in the car or something.
Anyone have any information about how to get your little kids to know when it REALLY "morning"?
10 comments:
I'm having the EXACT same battle right now! The sun is up by 5:45...so Grace is awake and raring to go. Ugh. I used to get up at 6am to do the same thing too (until the first trimester ate all my energy), but now I'm just getting up earlier anyway due to little miss sunshine. When does the insanity end?! I've thought about leaving food out for her to eat when she wakes up and she can just play quietly by herself until I decide it's time for me to get up, but Michael thinks that's a bad idea at 4. :)
I don't know, Sara. I think it sounds just fine. Right now, here in Sandpoint, the sun is rising at 5:15. Maybe I'll just tie them to their beds.
Go buy black out material and some command hooks and put them up in their rooms over the Windows.... Works wonders for bristol! That really is not cool though... It is hard enough to wake up and get you time, but to then have it taken away!
My neice had to put heavy blankets up to her windows so it would make it really dark and that has helped.
In Alaska we put tinfoil in the windows....ya we are ghetto. But seriously - heavy curtains or anything to keep the light out! :)
My kids do the same thing! Its so frustrating and throws my whole day off it seems! (You know how I am about my routines...LOL) I might have to try some of these ideas...but how to get the birds from chirping might be harder!
I agree Rachel, but we must be united and if he's willing to get up with her while I sleep right now, it's working. :) We also have dark curtains and blinds to keep the sun out, but it doesn't stop little bits of sunshine from seeping in and when she sees that it's day time, it's time to wake up! Grrr!
i remember the same thing happening when we moved to AZ. i got SOOO mad at the sun every morning! but i did buy some blackout curtains from walmart and they did help, but i also bought caleb a digital clock. he was barely 3, but he knew his numbers so i told him that he couldn't come out of his room until the first number was "7." of course, we went over emergencies, like if he was hurt or scared, or had to go to the bathroom or get a drink. in the beginning i was super strict, i set up a motivator if he did it and a consequence if he didn't. the consequence fit the action, so it was just that we added 5 more minutes on each time he came out. i would set a timer. and it totally worked! when he got older, i made a little "to do" list that he had to have done before he could come out for the day. get dressed, say prayers, clean room, brush teeth, feed his fish, etc. then he could come out at 7:30.
also, my work has sold these really cute monkey alarm clocks where the eyes open and close. you set the alarm, and then tell your kids that they can wake up or come out of their rooms when the monkey's eyes are open. people swear by them, esp for the younger kids who don't know numbers yet for clocks. let me know if you're interested & i'll see if we're going to sell them again.
somehow, leah already stays in her room in the morning until i come and get her and it's awesome. not sure how it happened, but i'm thinking it's because i'm also strict about bedtime and naptime/quiet time. i've had to be, with ben gone so much. it saves my sanity after doing bedtime almost every night on my own. and it does work, both caleb & leah rarely come out, and when they do, it's almost always for those emergency reasons. well hey, look at that! there might be something i'm doing successfully! either that, or i'm a control freak whose totally messing up my kids. ;)
Thanks, Lyns! Elsie has been having a hard time, but I also know that if I had a digital clock, she'd do just fine. However, Violet is difficult - so I was thinking of doing a clock similar to the one you mentioned -- one that turns green at a specified time.
I am planning on getting some shades that keep the light out better, but I really think a clock would be helpful. -- Especially come summer.
I have been struggling with the same thing the last few weeks. I've been getting frustrated that I'm up at 6:30 and can't get myself ready for the day until 9:30, which then takes forever, because I have too many helping hands getting into lotions and such. How early do we need to get up and get ready without interruptions and still get the sleep we so desperately crave? Those clocks sound cool. If you figure anything else out, please pass it on.
Post a Comment