Sleep, Baby, Sleep. . .

. . . our cottage vale is deep: 

the little lamb is on the green 

with woolly fleece so soft and clean--

Sleep, baby, sleep.  

I got a call from a prospective student last week. Great first impression, the mom had a four-year-old and a six-year-old she wanted to start.  I invited them to come observe.  That's when it started going down hill.  They could only come observe after 7:00 p.m.  I said I didn't have any young students in that time frame because most of them are going to bed.  She replied that her kids don't go to bed until after 10:00 p.m. so a later lesson would work fine for them.  We decided to keep in touch.

It could very well be that her kids are sleeping until 10:00 in the morning and waking well rested ready to start the day.  But, I sorta doubt it because she said they were both in school everyday.

Feel free to criticize any and all aspects of Kotrba parenting--except sleep.  This is one thing we've done right, out of necessity.  My kids are not pleasant creatures without adequate sleep.

Neither am I.  I was thinking about this at 2:00 a.m. this morning as I lay in bed in a caffeine induced frenzy.  Oooops, I did it again.  Coffee with breakfast, coffee after church, coffee with a friend, coffee scrap booking all afternoon.  I felt like a sorority girl who lost count of her draft beers and woke up with the room spinning.  Except different.  There is no legal limit of milligrams of caffeine.  There in bed I day-dreamed I was in the back of the squad car--the officer says, "M'am, you are going to have to stay here with this glass of milk and banana and chamomile tea until your heart rate goes back down to a safe level to drive."  Yes, sir.

So, to my mother and my husband and my in-laws and Casey and all you other people who have taken the caffeine free high road--and mentioned it quite frequently to me--I get it.  I need help.  Losing four night's sleep in the last month is a wake-up call.  I know I have said this before. I've tried before only to back slide.  A week ago my husband gently suggested I cut back. This man never tells me what to do--I took that as another sign.

There is another facet to the problem--being a night owl with rooster children. Well, rooster child.  I know I have used that metaphor before.  It's just true.  Fixing that might be harder than switching to decaf.  It means going to bed earlier.  It means we have less of that precious and sacred time when the kids are in bed and we are still up.

You can read everywhere about the merits of sleep--health--healthy weight--safe driving--memory--less depression--all good things and more.  Adequate sleep is more important than eating healthy and exercise. Why is it so elusive?  My 2011 New Year's Resolution was to get more sleep.  Failure. Oh, the guilt.  Oh, to look back and wonder what percentage of my life was sleep deprived.

Whatever number attempt this is. . . I'm cutting back.  No need for an intervention. I believe a little caffeine can be good for you. . . does that mean I'm not ready yet?   I'm going to buy some decaf and start with half and half.  Half caffeine that is.  I'm not giving up my half and half.  And I'm committing to an earlier bedtime.  The cabinet is stocked with ibuprofen.  Wish me luck. Bill is gone for the week, there is no better time than the present. Anyone to join me?  We can have our own little meetings?  Sleep, baby, sleep.