sleep and my priorities

My yawning is out of control this week. I’ve decided that either I’m not getting enough oxygen, or I’m not getting enough sleep. I do need to get back into my regular practice of yoga – with the deep abdominal breathing, but the lack of sleep is probably more likely to be the culprit.

How many 3 and 4 year olds do you know that still take 3 hour naps? My children do. They are smart strategists. Since I have gone back to work, they have figured out that the only time they really get to spend with me is in the evenings. So, they sleep all afternoon, knowing that if they wake up at 5:30, I am not likely to force them into bed a mere 2 ½ hours later. Even on those nights when I feel desperately exhausted, and I encourage them to run laps around the coffee table, the schedule stays the same. By the time we have completed or lengthy bedtime ritual, including whatever new excuses they have come up with to stall the process, it is after 10:00. There are still dishes to be washed, clothes folded and put away, toys cluttering the floor, bills to be paid, and that relaxing, alone time I have been craving all day. Sleep has fallen the bottom of my priority list. There is not enough time for sleep anymore. (YAWN) There I go again...