Caution- this one is a yawner...

As a mother, I want my family healthy, happy, respected, yada, yada, yada.
As a woman, I want to be adored, fulfilled, happy, yada, yada, yada
As a person, I just want to sleep til 9AM.

I remember as a kid, jumping out of bed to watch the Smurfs on Saturday mornings.  The real Smurfs not the crap being put on the screen for my kids to watch  Thank goodness for Netflix.

My teenage years had me getting out of bed at the crack of dawn to make the bus for various sporting events.  Early morning departure times were a "perk" of living in a small, rural town-- I witnessed beautiful sunrises, the handiwork of God, many mornings while inhaling exhaust fumes of a yellow dog school bus and eating the blueberry muffins carefully packed by my mom for breakfast.

College rocked for oh so many reasons and sleep was one of them.  I played hard, studied hard and slept as needed, when needed.  It is roommate code to respect the sleep cycle unless a breakup, taquito or Rosa's taco run was needed to discuss or go get to appease an upset stomach that may or may not be connected to said heartbreak.  Of course, any interruption of morning sleep translated easily to an afternoon nap.

Today, I am a walking, sleep deprived person.  Normally I would say Zombie but The Walking Dead tv show has me freaked out about using that word anymore.  I do not eat people.  My son is up at 630AM every morning.  Every morning.  Our damn dog is up at 530 or 6 AM.  Don't get me started on the damn dog.

I could go through our family's morning chaos then come home and slip back in bed for a morning nap but my conscious will not allow it.  There is value I need to add in the lives of my clients, errands to be run for my family and just all around crap to do. Honestly, all I want to do is sleep.

And please do not give me that crap that I can sleep when I'm dead.  When I'm dead I am not living out several roles in one day balancing patience, professionalism and the daily stress of life on a tip on a pin.

My husband does not understand my need for sleep.  At first, I tried to explain that sleep is really just proof that I trust God.  If someone is worried, distraught or having a crisis of conscious sleep may escape them.  I do not have that problem.  He did not buy that.  My second way of approaching was more blunt, "I need sleep, take the kids and leave."  That actually worked.  Once.

Today, if I seem off during our conversation or you notice concealer starting to cake under my eyes just smile and let it go.  It is proof that mommy needs a vacation.