Not such a good idea after all

Today's 100 words:

I allowed myself to sleep in today, which seemed like a good idea when I reset my cell phone alarm but not such a good one when I got up about an hour before I knew the kids would be clamoring to get out of their room. I'm exhausted--didn't fall asleep until 3 a.m.--but I don't feel like an hour of quiet time is enough, especially since my husband is already awake, moving around the house, stepping on creaky floorboards and running water through clanking pipes. Clearly, my mind needs quiet more than my body needs sleep.

On sleep (again)

I've noticed that the older I've gotten, the more I think about sleep--and my lack of it. There are so many things I want to do each day that often sleep seems secondary and unimportant. I woke this morning after getting about five hours of rest, and my tingly hands and tired eyes led to today's 100 words:

I need to get more sleep. Nearly every morning, I wake up with tingly hands, something that always signals I haven't had enough rest. I've gotten myself into habits that are hard for me to break: getting up early so I can have an hour or two of quiet time and going to bed late because I like to read and write after the kids are asleep. Most nights I get between four and six hours of rest, which my nearly forty-year-old body can't seem to handle anymore. Something has to give. Reading, writing... Sleep is important, too.

Short sleeping

This morning's 100 words:

I slept wrong last night and woke up with pain radiating from my left shoulder. I was so tired -- completely exhausted from these last few days of family and travel -- that I don't remember anything after my head hit the pillow. I wish I felt more rested, but I think I've built up too much of a sleep deficit to ever truly catch up. My husband calls it "short sleeping," and I've been doing that ever since my son was born nearly five years ago: going to bed late, getting up during the night, seeing the sunrise again and again...

Playing hooky

This morning's 100 words:

I'm playing hooky today, skipping the kids' storytime in favor of a few more minutes of sleep and some extra writing time. I call it a mental health day, and I need it after a week spent getting up too early, frantically trying to capture all the pieces of the chaos and coax them into something tamable. It's the season, I guess, the time of Halloween costumes and parties and an evening spent trick or treating in the cold, shivering on the sidewalk as my children go from door to door, plastic pumpkins in hand and wide smiles on their faces.

But have I learned my lesson?

This morning's 100 words:

 

My hands are numb this morning, the way they always get when I haven't had enough sleep. It's a pins-and-needles feeling, and I don't know why it happens, but I wake up with it whenever I don't allow myself to rest. The stupid thing is that I know I need to get more sleep, but each night I go to bed well past the hour I should. I stay up late reading, usually, or writing, then finally turn off my light for my scant five hours of sleep, knowing I'll complain the next day about how tired I am.

Dazed, disheveled, and utterly confused

Today's 100 words:

I've been oversleeping so much lately, which isn't like me. I must be more exhausted than I thought. I know I haven't been getting enough sleep since my second child was born, but I didn't realize how utterly weary I'd become.

I remember oversleeping only a few times in my life. Once happened in graduate school. I was a teaching assistant with an 8 a.m. composition class. I'd stayed at Rob's apartment the night before, and for whatever reason, the alarm didn't ring. Somehow, though, I made it to class on time, dazed, disheveled, and utterly confused.

Novel update

Tonight I only have time for a quick update on my WIP. My husband worked all weekend, leaving me with the kids, and as anyone who's a stay-at-home or single parent can attest, being with the kids all week long and then having no help on the weekend makes for two long, very tiring days. I think I'll actually have to do something unprecedented tonight: go to bed early.

Anyway, I'm still in the planning stages of my novel, but the work is going well. Right now I'm doing research and outlining the story's major events, after which I'll go back and fill in some of the individual scenes. I wasn't sure in the beginning if I was going to outline this story or not, but I'm glad I decided to take the time to do so. I feel more confident knowing where the story needs to go. However, I also know that I need to leave room for my talkative protagonist to tell me as I'm writing if he intends to take another path.

He's crafty that way!

Knackered

It's nearly 11 p.m., and we just got back from taking the kids to the Lilac Festival. We enjoyed the food and the rides, but we're all exhausted and want nothing more than to sleep. The kids are in bed now, and I think that's where I'll be headed in a few minutes. I hope you all enjoyed your Saturday and have a fun and productive Sunday!

After a long day...

Tonight is wine and Sex and the City and chocolate, then reading and sleep and dreams.

Good night.

Waiter, I need more coffee here

I need to start getting more sleep; these five-hour nights are killing me. If someone could please tell me how to fit a full day of mothering and writing and cleaning and errand-running and wife-ing and reading into fewer than nineteen hours, I would be most appreciative. Thank you.

Ugh. I've got to get more sleep.