Thursday, November 8, 2007

The end of daylight savings time is wearing me out...


I am (in no uncertain terms) NOT a morning person and definitely don't handle rising early (unless previously planned) very well at all. However, I can manage to muster all of my will-power every morning at 6:30 when the alarm goes off to get myself out of bed and into the shower. The only reason I can do this is because if I don't, the boy I babysit on Monday and Wednesday mornings would not make it to preschool on time and on Tuesday and Thursday mornings Jacob wouldn't make it to preschool on time. Friday's are my "off" mornings and I don't have to get up until someone needs/beckons me.

Normally the kids go to bed between 7:30 and 8:00 and Jacob gets up around 6:30 when the sun comes up (but Michael usually leaves the tv on for him to watch until I'm ready to meet the world!) and Eli rises around 7:30. So, I usually have time to drag myself out of bed and get ready before anyone needs me. This has NOT been the case since Sunday morning. The sun now starts coming up a full hour earlier than before meaning Jacob is getting up in the 5:00 hour, most days before Michael is even out of the shower to turn the tv on. Since the tv is not on for him, he comes to my side of the bed and either SIGHS really loudly or this morning he tapped me very gently on the arm. So, I am definitely thankful that he's not coming into my room and talking loudly in my face or talking at all for that matter!!!! Jacob rising early isn't quite so draining as Eli rising early. Eli is in the crib and he will just cry until someone gets him out. And he has also been getting up in the 5:00 hour. I could get use to the getting up early, I could adjust my bedtime and not stay up so late at night. Not a huge deal, BUT what also wears me out is that Eli normally takes a 3 hour nap and yesterday he slept a grand total of ONE hour. Today he's been asleep right at 2 hours, so I'm praying he'll "get his nap out!"

I know you're asking, "so, if you're so tired, why aren't you napping while the kids are?" I know, I know, really I should, but I am by design NOT a napper. I HATE naps (for myself - the kids must have naps). I don't feel well no matter how short or how long the nap and it just throws my day off even further. Not to mention that no matter the length of the nap it messes up my ability to get to sleep at night....... I swear I'm just too complex!!

I think I'm going to boycott daylight savings time, anyone with me? Oh, wait, that would only make matters worse by making me late (or early during DST) for everything. I just can't win. Oh well, just one of those parenting things, I guess.

Here's a map that shows the countries of the world that do/do not use daylight savings time. The countries in yellow are the ones that do. All others DO NOT. Why is it that we must follow this trend?

Oh, there's one more problem for my family with DST..... Michael's dad, step-mom and his half-siblings live in Australia. The time difference changes by TWO hours depending on DST. When we are in DST (April-October) they are not in DST, so we are 16 hours apart. However, when it's the other way around, the time difference changes to 18 hours. As if it's not hard enough to figure out when to make a phone call or get on the webcam, now we have to REfigure it to the new time......

3 comments:

meredith said...

welcome to the blogosphere! hope you guys are great. i'll be checking back to keep up w/you and your fam :)

kristy said...

Hi Laura! I saw on MySpace that you were starting a blog...welcome to the world of blogging :) I'm looking forward to keeping in touch with you better now (I hardly ever get on MySpace anymore, but check my bloglist frequently). Have a super weekend!
Kristy (Holsombake) Patterson
www.babywill.net

Rick said...

We use to live in Arizona - they don't do DST. It's very confusing to try and remember if you're on Mt. Strandard Time, or on Pacific DST. - My wife is not a morning person either.

http://organizeddoodles.blogspot.com/