Late Night Addictions

I've determined that being a night person is quite a serious addiction for me. I believe it is as intense as any drug addiction and has many of the same side effects. First of all, I know it's not healthy for me. More often than not it means I miss out on valuable sleep when I stay up late because there are things that require me to be up early (namely appointments, or taking my kids to school) and when its daytime I think myself an utter fool and feel less than great because of my lack of sleep. And yet when it becomes night again there is something very seductive for me that lures me into staying up longer, and longer, and longer still. Further, I know that I'll regret it later, but this knowledge still fails to deter the behavior. There has even evolved a physical reaction, similar to a high, that occurs in my body to being awake at late hours. This physical "high" has led to many late night cleaning frenzies, admittedly this is when I feel most like cleaning my house, or embarking on any other project. My body has adapted to staying up because this has been my habit for as long as I can remember. I have memories of my dad sneaking into my bedroom to tell me to go to sleep in the middle of the night when I was not past 5 years old when all my siblings were sleeping in the room around me. One of my younger sisters reminds me of "exclusive celebrations" she and I would have in the middle of the night, just to celebrate a new month.

For the past year I have been seeking to metamorphose myself into a morning person (well this has been a wish for several years but lately an increasingly larger goal), and have made some progress, but again feel like a struggling addict. With the slightest slip, or taste of late hours, I feel overwhelming temptations to slip back into my old late-night-self, I too frequently succumb to such temptations and begin anew the struggle within myself to transform into a creature of the morning. I'm tempted by anything really...a project, hanging out with people, folding laundry, cleaning, cooking, catching up on emails, my blog... And so here I am at 1:00 am writing about battling my addiction rather than sleeping. ;) On that note, I will bid you good night...or rather good morning to all you morning people.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

We got back from CO last night around 10 p.m. And all in all it was a good weekend and we were glad that we were able to make it to CO for all the festivities there. We had fun hanging out with everybody, and ML had a good time with my family, but we both were surprised at how *much* we missed each other. Not that we didn't think we would, but we both agreed that it just doesn't seem much like a holiday when we're not with each other. No matter where we are or who we are with. I also realized that I would have hated Europe without him (he thought about not going at the last minute, and I was going to go with or without him and maybe invite someone else to use his tickets). I wouldn't say we quite take each other for granted, but not having something, or someone, definitely makes you realize how much you appreciate it when you do.

Thanksgiving Crazies

I believe I've been deemed crazy by all who know me. When asked what our plans are for Thanksgiving I say, "Well, I'm going to Colorado, to be with my husband's family for Thanksgiving and he's going to be with my family for Thanksgiving." I just get these odd stares and confused looks after that. My sister in law jokingly asked if I was boycotting my family for some reason...but then why wasn't my husband? :P Well, I try to explain all the crazy details that led to this arrangement and how it makes sense once you know all that, but I still see those looks. All I have to say is that it makes sense to me, mostly. :) (Actually, I do think it odd myself, and feel terrible about leaving ML alone for the holiday. He won't be flying to CO till Friday night, after work. I guess those looks might have merit after all. :P)

Miracle Moments...

Well, we've had a few "miracle moments" in our lives this weekend...First of all, I was at a "Pampered Chef" party with my sisters on Friday night when My Love (ML) sent me a text telling me that he'd pulled my daughter's (MC) tooth and that she was very brave. Well, I write back that I'd had no idea her tooth was loose enough to come out. His reply was that it wasn't, but there was a tooth coming in behind it so he'd wrapped some floss around it and pulled it out. To MC it was a miracle that she'd finally lost her first tooth! She's SOOO excited to tell everybody all about her tooth and show them. When my dad saw her today he told her that she had a hole in her smile. She laughed and laughed over that one. :P It's great fun.


Well then on Sunday I suddenly got inspired to put up my Christmas tree. So the kids and I did it in a few hours while we listened to Christmas music. And now it's up and we're all starting to feel more in the spirit. The miracle part is...that I actually got my tree up before the second week in December!! I don't know if that's ever happened before, nor may it ever again. ;o

"That which we persist in doing"

On Saturday I was watching BR do his chores and marvelling about how far he's come since we first started teaching him how to sweep, vacuum, do the dishes, etc. And I was reminded of the quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not that the nature of the thing itself is changed, but that our power to do is increased.” I noted to myself how true this quote is and that my children have proved it to me. I then continued thinking about this quote and had further insight that I'd never had into this concept before. I thought of it in context of some of my less glorious habits, like nagging at my children, and how it remains just as true for negative behaviours as well as positive. So, I persist, for example, in nagging at my children then this behaviour becomes easier, if you will, or more ingrained, my power to nag increases. The habit soon becomes second nature to me, and is continually harder and harder to break. Knowing this, I now have resolved to reverse that process and choose a positive behaviour with which to replace the negative one, and work to make the positive one second nature. If I persist in finding something to praise my children about, rather than nag, then that behaviour will become easier because my power to praise will increase....now to put it into practice. :-P

Me with the Love of my life

The Love that warms up my side of the bed for me when I stay up late; The Love drives the kids to school for me so I can have a break...even though he has to work anyway; The Love that gets a brand new iPod as a gift from work and gives it to me to sell and tells me I can keep the money to buy new furniture; The Love that works all day then comes home to piles of homework, but stops to give me a hand in the kitchen instead; The Love that makes me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world!

Our Little Piece of Paradise

Welcome to our little piece of paradise.  We moved in on October 8th (well, that's when we moved most of our stuff here.  We actually started sleeping here October 5th. (The night we got back from Chicago. That's where we were when the closing finalized.)
 
It's great fun finding places for all our stuff, it's also fun finding new stuff to make our home all cute.  This part is really addicting and it's hard to not get carried away. :)