Drinkin' Coffee in the Dark

As mentioned previously, there is this little thing I'm working on called work and home life balance. Right now, my life is centered around exactly four things - my dear husband (we'll refer to him as Big B); my precious and super sassy soon to be 4-year old daughter (otherwise known as Little A); my job, and last but certainly not least, SLEEP. Well, it kind of is least. It's what I get the least of, but feel I need the most of.

I have come to the realization that in order to be a more pleasant wife, mother, human being, I need to have a little "me" time each day. The ONLY time that is able to happen is early morning or late at night. And anymore, late at night just doesn't cut it for me. So today, I was up at 4:00 a.m. I look at my alarm clock. What? You've got to be kidding. As I try to convince myself to stop thinking about it and just go back to sleep, my mind thinks this is just a joke. Why? WHYYYYY? (think Nancy Kerrigan's bashed knee). 5:00 has been my usual lately, but not today.

I find my glasses, make my way to the kitchen, and start the coffee. It's dark outside. Not even a hint of sunrise. But it's peaceful and still. My peeps are comfy, cozy, and safe, all snug in bed. I on the other hand am loading the dishwasher at 4 in the morning. I think to myself - today is pay day. Which bills have to go out of this check? Big B is playing drums tonight...what will Little A and I do for dinner? On and on, these things pop into my head.

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP...ahhhh, the coffee is finally ready. I pour myself a cup - wow I love this ritual. I sit down in front of the computer, dish washer humming in the back ground. An old friend from high school has sent me a friend request on Facebook. How cool. Nice way to start the day...someone saw my ad for Big B's truck on Craigslist and is interested in buying it. Even better! So all in all, getting up at 4:00 today wasn't so bad. Now if we could just fast forward to 5:00 (PM that is).

So tell me, how do you "balance" YOUR day?