Using My Early Mornings

As I mentioned in my post last night, I do most of my knitting in the early morning between 5:00 and 6:30.  You are probably thinking, why in the world is a mother of 2 toddlers waking up at 5AM when she doesn't have to?!  Well, it all started when my husband started getting up early so he could enjoy using his ipad with out Lily and Little Ish whining and pleading for a turn.  After a few days of him doing this, he commented on how much he enjoyed getting up before the sun.  I wasn't really convinced, but when Crystal over at Money Saving Mom issued her Early to Rise Challenge , I decided I might as well give it a try.  On February 28th, I set my alarm for 5AM and that has been my wake up time nearly every day since.

It only took a couple of days of early rising for me to start seeing a difference in my days.  I have a much easier time pursuing my hobbies and interests on 7 or 8 hours of sleep instead of at the end of a toddler-chasing filled day.  I usually skip getting up early on Sundays as our family is often out late on Saturday nights.  It was that first Sunday of sleeping-in, when I was awoken by the sounds of "Mommy, I want to get out of my crib!" that I realized that as much as I love my children, I do not like being woken up by them in the morning.  I do much better waking up to my alarm and easing into my day with a cup of coffee and some quiet time.  It is much easier to remain focused on my children during the day when I get some alone time every morning. 

One of the things I have done to make my mornings more relaxing for me is to spend the first hour that I am awake unplugged.  I do not go near my computer during that time and it is lovely.  I am not tempted to check or answer my email or frequent social media outlets.  I have a tendency to get sucked into my computer so without this simple guideline for myself, I probably would not enjoy my mornings nearly as much.   I am so glad to have discovered the early morning.