The Early Bird Gets The... Grumpies??

The sunrise is one thing that I seldom see, unless it is because it coincides with a feeding for my ten month old son.  I will admit that I am not a morning person AT ALL!  So this verse has been a bit more difficult for me to try to "conquer" this week.  Proverbs 31:15 says, "She is up before dawn, preparing breakfast for her family and organizing her day."  I just don't think I can tackle the "up before dawn" part of this one.  My son is exactly like my husband and I...  He likes to sleep. He goes to bed at 7:15pm, usually wakes around 5:30am for a quick feeding, then he passes back out until 8:00am.  Sure, I could stay up after I feed him, and accomplish a lot more, but the sun isn't even up yet!  So, I stumble back to bed half asleep anyway (after slurring my words through "Jesus Loves Me," his current favorite,) and wait until later to begin my day.  This past week, I tried to be up before everyone else in my family a few times.  Let me just tell you how that went...

It didn't.  Not one day did I wake up early.  I thought about it today, but when my husband reminded me that I need sleep (which is true,) I went right back upstairs until my son woke me up by laughing over the monitor at 8:30am.  But, even though I didn't wake up at what I think is just a crazy hour, I did accomplish a lot this week!  I work as a nanny from my home, but I don't start until around noon everyday.  So while I am not waking up before dawn, I am still getting about four hours before work everyday to cross some things off my list.  My son and the child I nanny both nap at 2:00pm, so I get a good hour at least in the afternoon to myself as well.  While I don't wake up before the sun and get things done, I am becoming a master of time management during the rest of the day, and have learned how to distract an almost one year old with random things like ladles and oven mitts!

I truly believe that some people just aren't made to be awake early.  I'm sure if I adjusted my bedtime enough, I could be a morning person.  I used to be one when I worked at 5:30am most days with my previous job.  But those days are long gone.  I now struggle to calm my mind down at night, which is busy thinking of all that needs done the next day and wondering why time is flying by so fast, and typically don't fall asleep for a while once my head hits the pillow.  So adjusting my bedtime hasn't worked well in the past.  So, I became a list person.  Every morning, I make a list of all that I want to accomplish in my day.  I also keep a running list in my "Mommy Planner" of things that need done around the house so that I can check off as I have time to do them in the week.  The satisfaction that I feel when I cross something of the list is probably borderline ridiculous.  In fact, some days I write things down that I have already completed that morning just so that I can cross them off.  I know that I am a nerd.  No need to remind me!

I have begun keeping a binder with all of our "home" things in it for both my husband and I to have easy access to all of our important items.  We follow our financial accounts in it, have a bill calendar, a gift register for Christmas, reminders of what has/hasn't been paid for the month.  I am in the process of typing up my cleaning schedule to add to it, as well as some bulk meal plans.  I plan out all of our meals for the week on Saturday, including my son's babyfood schedule.  Some people may think that it's dorky or over-organized, but it keeps me feeling prepared and ready to worry about other things in my day, like spending time giggling with my son, and enjoying the evening with my husband.  Our binder has not only helped me keep more organized, but I have found that it has lifted a large burden off of me being able to, at a glance, know what bills need paid and how much money we have.  (I HIGHLY recommend making a home-management binder.  If you need an outline for organizing one, feel free to email me for more information!)

No, I don't wake up before my husband and make him breakfast everyday.  But I am always sure that there is a plethora of things for him to consume in the morning.  I keep my day organized despite waking up a few hours after the sun, and I think that's good enough.  Sometimes the Proverbs 31 woman will outdo me, and you know what...  That's okay!  Because I am always giving my best to my family, and providing for them every way I can.  And if you would have met me five years ago, you would be amazingly surprised that I am the same person.  I've come a long way from shopping at Kroger once a day so that I could have dinner and keeping my home as messy as possible.  I'm honestly surprised myself as I sit here and think about it.  It's crazy how maintaining a steady relationship with Christ can mold you into a better person without you even realizing it.  I'm thankful for the things He has done in my life, and I can't wait to see what else He has planned!

I am studying Proverbs 31:16 for next week:  "She looks over a field and buys it, then, with money she's put aside, plants a garden."  Considering the fact that I live in an apartment/townhouse complex with a 2'x2' flowerbed area, I will not be planting a garden this week, nor will I be buying a field.  But I will have some interesting things to ponder on, so I can't wait for next week!  Have a great week, and don't beat yourself up for not being perfect...

Blessings,
Trish