About Getting Up On Time...

[gotpeace91]

I have really been struggling with it this year. This is THE best way to make our day go better. Day after day, week after week, I've been telling the kids, "Tomorrow we're getting up on time." I tried several things including setting an alarm on my phone and putting it across the room so I couldn't just roll over and hit the snooze button. So then I just slept right through the phone ringing. I also started getting off the computer by a certain time each night (thanks Daisy) this has caused me to go to sleep a lot earlier.

Well, I was on the phone with my dad the other day and he said, "Why don't you pay dd $2 on Saturday if she gets you up on time Mon-Fri?" This worked! We got up at 7:30 every day this week! I included ds too so he wouldn't hold a grudge against sissy for getting him up early. He already spent his $2 at the football game last night. Sissy is saving hers. Now, if I manage to get in the habit of getting myself up at 7:30 we may not continue this, but for now it is a great way for the kids to get up on their own with a cheerful attitude.

[kissesmomof4]

I am glad to hear you found a solution that is working.

I just want to throw some thoughts at you...

I have NEVER been a morning person. As a child I would be sent to bed at a normal bedtime and I remember laying in bed tossing and turning and not being able to get to sleep until late. In the morning I would struggle to wake up for school. This continued on through my life. I married a night owl. My boys are all night owls and my daughter is more of an early riser. I had many fellow mothers make me feel bad that I was not a morning person. I have felt guilty for years and years because we stay up late and sleep to 9am, a time most consider late. I still struggle with guilt but after talking with some fellow night owl moms I have come to understand that some people are just not wired to get up early. There is nothing written in stone that says school must be done bright and early in the morning and there is nothing that says anything HAS to be done at a certain time. I have just adjusted our life to start later that is all. My husband works odd hours and he does not get home from work until 10pm most nights so having my kids stay up late allows them to see him in the evening for a few minutes. Oh and there are studies that say night owls tend to be more successful than early risers So maybe if your family are just night owls maybe you just need to go with the flow if you can.

Of course on the other hand if rising early is something you feel you must do, do not let my words sway you or be a crutch to you. I just wanted to share a bit about my struggles with getting up in the morning.

[gotpeace91]

Thanks for the encouragement, Amanda. I know I don't have to get up early but we just do a lot better if we do. If we get up at 9:30 we get done at 5:00. If we get up at 7:30 we get done at 2:00. If we have a few subjects under our belts by lunch our attitudes are a lot better. We also like a little play/relax time before dh gets home at 6:00. However, if I was in your situation I would definitely adjust according to my dh's schedule as you do and I wouldn't feel guilty about it either.

[my3sons]

gotpeace91 - That was a pretty creative solution that is working great! I'm so glad you have found a way to make your day fit your goal of finishing earlier better. Amanda brings up a good point that we are all certainly different in whether we prefer to be a night person or a morning person - just another delightful way God made us each unique. Sometimes it works best to tailor your day around which kind of person you are, and sometimes it works best to work to make yourself be a bit more of the other. I'm a morning person, so we start our day early (though we start it earlier than I'd like) . Carrie is a night person, so she starts her day later, and ends it later. That works well for her. When Carrie and I work together, sometimes she overcomes her night owl tendencies to work with me in the morning, and sometimes I overcome my early riser tendencies to work with her late at night - that all works too - though one of us always seems to be more with it than the other depending on the time of day or night. Congrats to the two of you for finding what works best for your families with all things considered!

In Christ,
Julie