I don’t know about you but most mornings, I wake up tired. And when I’m tired, it’s pretty much like shooting myself in the foot right before running a marathon. I am cranky, short tempered, and even more impatient than usual. Oh yeah. And I have to take care of three small humans when I can barely care for myself. Lame.
The sad thing is, I rarely have a good reason to be so tired. My kids sleep well through the night and I have a comfortable bed and good environment in which to sleep. If I wanted to, I could be asleep by 10pm and wake up well rested at 6am the next day. And yet, time and time again, I go to sleep close to 1am.
Why am I so stupid?
I’ll tell you why. I need quiet, uninterrupted time to decompress. It doesn’t matter if I can do most of these things when the kids are awake. They are all way more awesome when the kids are asleep.
Here then are some of my top SleepFail Reasons.
1) Facebook – Yes, yes. I know I am always on Facebook even during the day. So why am I still on it in the wee hours of the morning?
Because something could have happened since the five minutes I checked it last, okay? Something mind blowing, like a picture of a friend’s dinner. Or maybe, I can finally read one of the super interesting articles (and maybe take more stupid BuzzFeed quizzes) that my friends keep posting. (Interesting tidbit, did you know you can save FB articles? Just click on the little arrow to the right of a post and choose “Save “This Post.” Then later, you can find them in your “Saved” newsfeed.)
FOMO, how I hate that I am your slave.
2) TV/DVR – Recently, I rediscovered the show, Castle so I have been DVR’ing the episodes that are in syndication. It’s not my fault that they’re on a bjillion times a day and now my DVR is full so I have to watch hours of TV in order to free up room.
Plus, I have all my other silly shows to watch. You wouldn’t want me to fall behind on those, would you? DO NOT MAKE ME MISS OUT ON MY WEEKLY DOSE OF DAMON SALVATORE. I WILL CUT YOU.
3) Eating – I regularly skip dinner because I can’t stand eating with my children. Mealtimes make me far too angry. But once they’re asleep, I can eat slowly, luxuriously in peace. I can read and watch TV and scroll Facebook as I shovel food into my gaping maw. It is SO AWESOME.
4) Reading – I churn through approximately 100+ books a year so I always have a stack of books at least a foot high next to my bed. If the book is particularly interesting, I will willingly sacrifice sleep to finish the book in one night. Hapa Papa always asks if I think I’m still a teenager because that’s what kids do. Certainly not grown ups who have three babies who wake up before 7am. But the joke’s on him because he usually takes the morning shift. It’s really his own fault for rewarding my stupid behavior. That, and perhaps he’s a saint.
What have I been reading lately? I’ve been going through Tamora Pierce’s Tortall series. They are quick, action-packed, and filled with strong, female characters. If you’d like, start with Alanna: The First Adventure. (affiliate link)
I also blazed through the latest installment by Sarah J. Maas about her female assassin, Caelena. The first book is just alright, but the next two, as well as the prequel, are full of WIN. WIN!!! Start with Throne of Glass. (affiliate link)
5) Texting – Last, but certainly not least, a bunch of friends and I stay up super late group-texting each other. It’s like hanging out but in the comfort of our own homes. We talk about everything – from mocking and venting about our dear husbands and children, our desire for food, sending fatty pics of our babies, and just about anything you can imagine. (We can be particularly puerile. And perhaps, we can also be mean girls. But at least it’s contained, right?) It’s like therapy but cheaper and way funnier. What would I do without my dear Tiger Woo, Irish, and Fleur? My data/texting plan would be a lot cheaper, that’s what.
Alright. Your turn. How do you foolishly stay up late?
