If you know me or have read this blog, you know I hate time change. If you're new around these parts, let me 'splain: I hate time change. No, actually I despise it.
When I went to bed last night I was dreading what the morning would bring. Not only were we gaining an hour of sleep - meaning the kids would be hitting the floor at the very butt crack of dawn - but Jamie went to bed by 6:30 pm because he was melting down from being tired and worn out. He's fighting a slight cold and he played at Grandma's for most of the day yesterday so he was practically begging to go to bed by then. However, with a bedtime that early on time change night I was fearing the worst.
We told Liam before he went to bed that there was extra time to sleep last night and that if he woke up before the rest of us he should play in his room quietly until we got up. I wasn't holding out a lot of hope, but it was worth a shot. Usually when we ask him to do this, I get asked "Mommy, is it morning yet?" two or three times before I finally give up and get out of bed.
In a happy twist of fate, THE CHILDREN SLEPT IN. Jamie didn't wake up until 7:15 am. That's 8:15, by the old time. He never sleeps in that late and certainly not on nights that he's gone to bed early. That means the kid got almost 13 hours of sleep last night. Straight. He never woke up overnight. When I got up with Jamie, Liam came out of his room fully dressed - right down to his socks. He was up a bit earlier than the rest of us (I heard him hit the bathroom) but he did exactly as we asked and played quietly until we got up.
I hope to God this doesn't bite us in the butt with a crappy night of sleep tonight because this was perhaps the most awesome fall time change I've been through since the arrival of Liam.
Showing posts with label time change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label time change. Show all posts
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Oh, There You Are Time Change. I Didn't Miss You.
As usual, time change snuck up on me. It always does. When I was growing up we leapt forward in late April and fell back in early October. Now that we leap forward in mid-March and fall back in early November is feels like daylight saving time is endless and there isn't enough time between the two time shifts.
Let me just make this perfectly plain: I hate daylight saving time. I hate jumping forward, I hate that it's light so late in high summer, I hate falling back.
Why, you ask? How could I possibly hate more sunshine in the summer or an extra hour of sleep in the fall?
Well, I'll tell you. The extra hours of light in the summer time make it difficult to get the kids to go to bed. I can even remember as a kid not being able to sleep because it was so light out when I went to bed. It also means that things that must take place after dark, fireworks for example, start that much later. 10 pm for the fireworks show? My kids'll be in high school before they ever see one. It's so far after bedtime that I can't even begin to keep them up that late. Not to mention that it's 11 pm when the cul-de-sac in front of my house turns into downtown Beirut on the Fourth.
In the fall, you'd think that the extra hour of sleep would come in handy. And indeed, it can. But the children already get up around 6:30 am. When we hit fall time change, they hit the floor no later than 5:30 am and will. not. go back to sleep. There is not enough coffee in the world to deal with that.
The adjustment itself is enough to drive a saint to guzzle booze. Liam was one salty little kid yesterday. Arguments all day over the smallest of things. Time spent in his room. Crying. Tantrums. Rudeness and sass at every turn.
Jamie was like a limp dishrag by bedtime last night. Sleeping late in the morning meant the loss of his morning nap. His afternoon nap was a farce and I can't be sure how much sleep he actually got. He slept late again this morning which, again, meant the loss of his morning nap. When it came time for afternoon nap I asked him if was ready and he got up and ran to the stairs. Talk about amazing - when was the last time you saw a 1 year old running toward nap time?
There is no real need for this time shift we go through twice a year. Maybe, once upon a time, it was helpful to farmers. But that isn't the case anymore and it would be really great if we could move along into the 21st century and drop this ridiculous farce.
Who's with me? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
Let me just make this perfectly plain: I hate daylight saving time. I hate jumping forward, I hate that it's light so late in high summer, I hate falling back.
Why, you ask? How could I possibly hate more sunshine in the summer or an extra hour of sleep in the fall?
Well, I'll tell you. The extra hours of light in the summer time make it difficult to get the kids to go to bed. I can even remember as a kid not being able to sleep because it was so light out when I went to bed. It also means that things that must take place after dark, fireworks for example, start that much later. 10 pm for the fireworks show? My kids'll be in high school before they ever see one. It's so far after bedtime that I can't even begin to keep them up that late. Not to mention that it's 11 pm when the cul-de-sac in front of my house turns into downtown Beirut on the Fourth.
In the fall, you'd think that the extra hour of sleep would come in handy. And indeed, it can. But the children already get up around 6:30 am. When we hit fall time change, they hit the floor no later than 5:30 am and will. not. go back to sleep. There is not enough coffee in the world to deal with that.
The adjustment itself is enough to drive a saint to guzzle booze. Liam was one salty little kid yesterday. Arguments all day over the smallest of things. Time spent in his room. Crying. Tantrums. Rudeness and sass at every turn.
Jamie was like a limp dishrag by bedtime last night. Sleeping late in the morning meant the loss of his morning nap. His afternoon nap was a farce and I can't be sure how much sleep he actually got. He slept late again this morning which, again, meant the loss of his morning nap. When it came time for afternoon nap I asked him if was ready and he got up and ran to the stairs. Talk about amazing - when was the last time you saw a 1 year old running toward nap time?
There is no real need for this time shift we go through twice a year. Maybe, once upon a time, it was helpful to farmers. But that isn't the case anymore and it would be really great if we could move along into the 21st century and drop this ridiculous farce.
Who's with me? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
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