The Time I Used an Alarm That Wasn’t My Child

Today I decided to do something that I’ve not yet done in my three-year momming career. I set my alarm and got up before my kids. That’s right. I used an alarm that was not my daughter.

Getting out of bed was the hardest part. You just have to get your feet on the floor.

At 6:00am, the alarm blares and scares the living hell out of me. I’m a stay at home mom. I don’t do alarms. OK, this is stupid, I conclude. I’m exhausted and and could be asleep right now. I mean, my kids are still asleep. Why in the hell am I doing this? No. Just no. SNOOZE.
 
My snooze expires and the alarm shrieks again. This time I force myself out of bed and it’s one of the hardest things I’ve done in a while. I’m a zombie (the zombie that wakes up mere moments before greeting my kids each morning). But in less than two minutes, the fog lifts. I am up. Getting out of bed was the hardest part. You just have to get your feet on the floor.
 
I make coffee, check my email and cruise social media. I put together my grocery list and pay a couple of bills online. I work out, shower and just finish making my daughter’s breakfast when I hear my son chatting through his monitor. Yep. I accomplished all of the above before my kids even woke up- checked off all of the items that would admittedly have been done in their presence. Not today. Today, I’ll be locked in with my kids.

I am present with my children and I’m much more fun.

I scoop him out of his crib, undistracted and awake. I consciously note how much better I am without a workout or house chores looming over me. I mean, what if I had gotten up at 5:00 (ha I will never get up at five)?? Who knows what else might have been accomplished?
 
This feels GREAT.  I just set a whole new tone for my (our) day. I am present with my children and I’m much more fun. I’m not thinking about about when I can sneak in a workout or empty the dishwasher (which can’t be done in my toddler’s presence because I value her limbs too much and she gets all up in there).
 
A few hours later, they both go down for a nap and it hits me that this would be the time I would typically work out- but it’s done. I have so much time on my hands! 
 
I decide to organize my pots and pans, mop the floor and change out some lightbulbs. I even descale the Keurig (which has been put off for longer than what is probably safe). Today, I am SUPERMOM and it’s all because I gave myself an extra 90 minutes. 
 
I did not think this would be for me. I choose sleep over everything. Everything. I questioned how I could ever forgo an extra hour of precious sleep when I didn’t have to. But, today I actually have more energy than I do when I sleep in until the moment my son or daughter does. 
 
Today, I didn’t just set an alarm. I set the tone for my entire day…and I mommed so hard.

This article has been shared with us from its original source with permission from Squats and Margaritas