Early to sleep, early to rise...

Ok, I can't take credit for this idea primarily because Ben Franklin already said it a little while before I did: "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." (By the way, I don't think Ben Franklin was 100% wise. For instance, he also said, "Eat to live, and not live to eat." I don't think that's right (said the woman who eats mayonnaise out of the jar).). Anyway, I've heard this quote since I was little, but I'm just not and have never been a morning person (but I do happen to be a very good night person). As luck would have it, I took a trip to Europe, and when I returned, operating on UK time, I awoke at roughly 4 AM. And you know what? It was great! I felt so productive. In fact, the idea that I had so much time ahead of me motivated me to be much more industrious than I usually am. I did a yoga workout on video, I made a real breakfast, I went to the grocery store (where I was the only shopper and had to pluck produce out of cartons because they hadn't finished laying them out yet -- and if there's one downside, it's that I couldn't buy lettuce because it was still somewhere in the nether regions of the grocery store) where I was congratulated at being the first shopper in store history to buy a fish from the fish department at 6 AM, and best of all, I wasn't screaming at the kids all morning.

I don't know about you, but mornings at my house are generally crazy. They're probably the worst part of the day, tied with the 5 PM - 7 PM witching hour when the kids start to melt down and I start to look for a cocktail. And one of the reasons I dread weekdays is that they all start off so crazy, trying to make sure everyone gets dressed, brushes their teeth, eats their breakfast, has a lunch packed -- in addition with trying to appear human myself for my appearance at the office. Add to this the fact that there is a punishment for the parent from the school for being late (I won't get into it, but trust me, it is bad), and the whole thing is just plain stressful.

So since I got back from my trip, I've been making myself get up early. And you know what? My whole day is better! I'm relaxed in the morning, I eat a real breakfast, I talk to the kids, and I just have this general feeling that everything is really ok.

The downside is that I'm avoiding social activity, fearing it will interfere with my bedtime...the good sleep habits rule, as suggested by my college professor Dr. James Maas, is that even if you have a late night, you should make yourself get up at the same time every morning. I fear this. I have a known love for sleeping in, and I'm afraid that this will bring me back over to the Dark Side.

Well, sleep tight. I'm sure some of you do this already. I'm a little slow -- it took me about 10 years to notice that Brad Pitt was "kind of cute". You know, by the time everyone else had moved on.