It started with an alarm at 6 am...

Actually, it started with a shower before bed.  There was no way I was going to get myself up at 6am for nothing in particular a day at home with the kids if I had to take a lukewarm shower first thing in the morning, then blowdry hair, then straighten...ugh....

Anyway, so I did that last night and set my alarm for probably the first time in months

Would it matter?  Would I keep hitting the snooze until the kids woke up?  Why was I doing this again?

I've had a revelation (yes, another one) as of late.  I don't work outside the home anymore and I've found that I've been totally a bit lazy.  I think I just finally realized that even though I might not leave my house, I still had a job to do (a much more important one).  I couldn't shake the thought of how I wasn't giving this "job" the same amount of preparation that I gave myself when I worked outside my home.  I would never have started my day in a robe, without a shower, that late in the day (and I use the word "late" very loosely...it's a relative term when you have young kids).

So I made a decision:  I would start getting up at 6 am, BEFORE the kids woke up, so I would have some time to "group" before they began their job of  un-doing the entire house  acting like children, learning, and growing.

And after debating it for about two months....I DID IT!!!!!!!

You know what?  It made my day start out so much easier than rolling out of bed onto the feet of a demanding toddler and preschooler.  These are just a few of the things I did while the boys were still sleeping:

• I took my time getting dressed (a pure luxury).
• I put on make up and straightened my hair (without having to chase down and wrestle cosmetics and hair tools from the boys).
• I made up the bed before I left the room.
• I made a pot of coffee (that I started last night so all I had to to was mash the "on" button).
• I took out the trash...including ALL the bathrooms.
• I listened to "The Counter-Cultural Woman" in peace and quiet.
• I made a breakfast that I've been wanting to try, but haven't because it takes 40 minutes.
• I ironed Pack's work clothes.
• I did the dishes (that I should have done last night.......).

And then my time was up.  7:30.  My kids are like clockwork.  And they almost passed out when they saw I was already dressed ;)

Being this productive so early in the day, left me some time to actually SIT with Penn and Jude for breakfast AND lunch, sweep and mop downstairs (I know...fun fun, right?), take the boys to the library,  and read a book outside while the boys played in the "bounce house."  Simple things, but nonetheless, things I never get to do without "multitasking" (aka, "something I'm not very good at").  And I might even get a chance to have some "couch time" with my MAIN MAN later without a pile of laundry that needs to be folded between us!  (That sounds like a date night, don't you think?  Why, yes...I think it does *wink, wink*)

I am so grateful for this day of productivity and I think it has helped me be more patient with the source of my work.  My job is not to keep the house spotless...it's to raise up the two little boys that I've been entrusted with.  And by giving myself that extra little bit of time to "breathe," I've actually had the heart to work harder and better than I've been able to in a long time.

Now the question remains...can I do it again tomorrow???