A Reason to Get Out of Bed

I'm not a morning person. I've never been one of those people that can sleep in until 10:00, but I enjoy snuggling in my nice warm bed as long as my boys will let me (which, truthfully, isn't very long).

I used to be a night owl to compensate, but motherhood changed that. I generally turn into a pumpkin if I'm not in bed by 10 pm.

But this time of year, my internal clock seems to reset. I find myself, lying in bed, long before dawn, waiting for the coffeepot to kick on. Often, I find myself just getting up and turning it on manually. We're talking early here. Somewhere between 5 and 6 am.

I normally try not to get out of bed before 7:30.

I just can't stay in bed knowing accounting awaits me downstairs in my office. I love accounting. To you non-accountants, this may seem odd, but I do.  Running my own tax & accounting practice is the realization of a dream I've had for years.

So, I disentangle PW's fingers from my hair, ease out of bed, put on my bathrobe and slippers, and get a cup of coffee for me and a sippy cup of milk for PW, in hopes of keeping him off my trail for a little while. If I'm lucky, he'll stay in bed with Matt for a while, drink his milk, and maybe go back to sleep. Generally not, but maybe.

Side note: this kid really doesn't require sleep. He went to sleep about 10:30 last night (2.5 hours after bedtime), awoke in the middle of the night, maybe 2 am, I'm not really sure; then, per his usual habit, found his way into our bed and dozed restlessly with his fingers entwined in my hair until I got up about 6:00. He typically wants to get up when I do, unless I can get him to stay in bed with the milk strategy.

Some days, it goes better than others. I get to my desk, start with my e-mail, as I watch the dawn break out my office window. (the picture below was taken as I was standing under our dusk-to-dawn light, hence the funny foreground glow...Sunday's sunrise was better, but I didn't get a pic)

This morning, as I was working, I heard a chair dragging across the kitchen floor; not entirely unexpected or uncommon. Fortunately, there is another adult in the house, in the very next room, so I didn't worry too much.

 Then my firstborn comes downstairs to eagerly report he has gotten dressed all by himself with no whining. (he gets a sticker for his sticker chart if he does this in the morning). So, I tell him he can go get a sticker. He runs back upstairs, and immediately, the most mournful my-dog-was-hit-by-the-school-bus-while-I-watched-type-of-wailing starts.

 It turns out, PW had dumped tea all over John's sticker chart, and one of the pictures he had so proudly glued on it had been torn off. This is a big deal when you're 4. PW, meanwhile, is just sitting at the table eating a cupcake.

We assured him it would dry, soothed his ruffled feathers as much as I could, and went back to typing this post. Now, PW is crying, and as near as I can tell, it's because his dad won't let him have a second breakfast cupcake.

I should go upstairs, but, strange as it may seem, accounting seems more attractive than dealing with two mad boys and, understandably by now, a not-so-chipper daddy.

So, now, I'm questioning my motives. Do I get out of bed early because I love accounting? Or to escape the morning?

Yes. My initial thesis is correct. I'm eager to count those beans; escaping the morning is just a happy side benefit.

More crying. Gotta go. Have a great Monday!