Why Won't You Go To Bed???

Bedtimes are a real struggle here at the moment. Nothing seems to work, warm baths, dimmed light, keeping the house quiet, but no matter what I try, I am met with resistance and bedtime is becoming later and later each day. Of course, late bedtimes mean grumpy mornings and very long days of crankiness and constant eating. 


But despite my best efforts,  it seems I simply cannot go to bed at a reasonable hour, and I am exhausted!

I know that it's better for everyone if I go to bed before midnight, but there is something so peaceful and relaxing about being the only person awake at night. I love not having to do anything for anyone else for a little while and it's my chance to unwind and prepare for the day ahead. I am certain that without that time to re-group, my brain would implode.



I know a lot of you out there do the same thing, and I wish I could say that I use this time productively on things like blogging, or Project Life journalling, or even folding washing, but most days I plonk myself of the lounge, exhausted from the night before, but not ready to go to bed so instead I watch hour after hour of trashy mindless TV. 


On the nights when I do get inspired to do something, it is inevitably after 10:30pm which means that when I look at it again the next day it is either complete nonsense or so unnecessary that it could have easily waited till the next morning when it probably would have taken half the time. In fact, I spent about an hour last night drafting this post only to delete half of it this morning because it was rubbish.


I blame my mum actually, she was (and still is) a night owl. I never understood why she would stay up so late every night, but it was normal for me to to go to sleep with the flickering light of the TV on out in the lounge room. I am certain those nights got later as there were more kids in the house too. Now I get it, but that doesn't make waking up in the morning any easier.


When it gets down to it, I may be getting the chance to have some time to myself but I don't think that any of us are benefiting from it. I'm not using the time to get a head start on the next day, most nights I am too tired to even do the washing up, which means that I feel like I am running behind before I even get out of bed in the morning. 


I need a new plan, and when I wake up a bit I might think of one. 


But first I need to make myself another coffee.


How is the bedtime routine at your place?