Back to school...for me

I realized this weeend that my classes resume, today.  I'm not ready, really, I'm not.  I know I'll enjoy my Astronomy class.  I don't like just wondering about what I see in the heavens so I am taking this intro class to hopefully get some basic understanding.  Plus, this is one of those subjects I'll be able to teach my kids about---oh yeepee I'll know more then them for a change.

Anyway, I was a complete vegetable this weekend.  My back has been bothering me probably from being on the computer so much.  I tend to get really tense when I'm online and I know it's because I'm having computer problems and I'm stressed about taking online classes with computers that are not 100% functional...ugh, it's so frustrating.

Aside from being a vegetable I was also my toddlers mattress, crutch, ladder, and toy.  He is so clingy and whiny lately.  So unlike him.  I hope it's just a phase.  I found myself longing for his naps.  This morning he woke up at 3:30 am and stayed awake until about 5:30 am and at this point he was just exhausted.  I'm exhausted and now I sound like I'm whining.

Well time to move on.  Everyone is off from school today which makes it a perfect day to let them all entertain the baby while I take some time to recover and psych myself up for my classes this semester.

Hmmmm what shall I do...a hot bath, a nap, go shopping "for me".  We'll see what the day brings.  

Kids bed time

Photo by: pinkisawayoflife

I have to admit I have lost my touch this week with my kids sleeping schedule, mainly because when the baby takes a nap I tend to get involved in other things and forget that I should really limit that nap to 2 hour or less or at least he should be up by 3 pm.  UGH!  Did I not learn my lesson with the first two kids?

Anyway, to make matters worse I also let my little peanut (6) watch a movie in bed.  Usually TV is not allowed until weekends but I figured swimming made her tired, she did all her homework and the few chores she gets to do after dinner; surely she'll drop off before the movie has a chance to get going....WRONG!! She came down the stairs around 9:3o pm, 90 minutes after she went to bed, I mean, to watch TV.  The problem with this scenario was that the baby was also awake...huh! The baby, he's really a toddler who happens to be really wrapped around his mommy's leg like a little monkey.  

Lately that little monkey has a way of saying "betos, betos" and laying his wet sloppy kisses all over my face.  Betos by the way is his way of saying besos in Spanish which means kisses.  I can't even get angry, they are so loving and so cute.

However, we have a very tired mommy, daddy is already snoring and so are the teens and the two young children wanting more attention, affection, a book read, a song and a prayer.  I was lucky to make it through the first few lines of her book.  Why are they so wired?  The darn TV!  It's out of the room then I wont be tempted to quiet them down with the boob tube and as for those naps, I must keep them between 11 and 3, no later.

They are now both in bed, quiet, listening to classical music and hopefully falling into a deep slumber.  I'll stay up until I know they are asleep, for sure this time.  In the mean time I am going to relax with some tea and my PC.

Whose up at 4 am?

This semester I "chose" to take three classes, all online and two of them electives.  Easy stuff right? Wrong!  It's only easy if the times you choose to study are there for you, uninterrupted.  But I have only two semesters to get my degree and I'm going do this even if it means readjusting my sleep schedule. SLEEP? Ha!

Every morning I get up before the kids so I have time to make some coffee and study.  I am my best early and must take advantage of what little brain energy I can get.  When I get up the plan is to log on to my classrooms to post assignments, read, respond, work on essays, catch up on reading assignments, etc.  However, it seems my time gets crunched or something happens or a kid wakes up earlier then they should and then there goes the day.  So last week I decided to go to sleep a little earlier, get up earlier and get some real work done.  Here's how it went:

*got up at 4 am- yes, I said Four AM!

*started the coffee pot

*turned on the laptop

*set myself up at the kitchen table

*grabed my hot coffee which I turned into a Cafe con Leche (Latte)

*sat down, logged in and by 4:30 am I was rearring to go

Within 10 minutes of focus and concentration I was dealing with this

He never wakes up this early....NEVER!

....or this cranky...Maybe it's a growth spurt

Apparently, nothing a little food can't fix.  So I gave him Sweet Darling Clementines....

and that made him smile (my heart melts for that smile)

throw a banana in the mix and you get...

.... happy little man ready to take on the day, even if he started his day cranky, apparently hungry and  very, very early.

I didn't get much work done but I did get lots of love, wet kisses, quality time with baby.  He's such a sweetie! 

A little patience and a lot of love went into this morning, it all works out in the end.