My Six Words:
Early To Bed Early To Rise!
For years and years I was a night owl. I would stay up after my family was in bed, and I would do things like organize cupboards, clean house, change furniture around, and decorate. Sometimes I would read, write letters, or watch tv, or even do laundry, and iron clothes. I was a momma to three daughters, and my days were busy back then. I guess I felt like I needed the night times to myself while the house was quiet?!!! I don't know, but I would often stay up until 1, 2 or 3 AM just piddling around.
In the mornings I would get my hubby off to work, get my kids up, feed them breakfast, hurry them along, and then take them to school, (for awhile they all went to different schools), and then I'd come home to the daily household duties, and they never seemed to end.
I would be a room mother at school, go on field trips with them, and also volunteer to help kids in my youngest daughter's class with reading. I'd go to garage sales, thrift shops, and estate sales, or work in the yard, move the sprinkers around all day to keep the grass green, go for walks, ride my bike, exercise, shop, run errands, and go to Bible Studies. I liked to go visit with girlfriends, go to the library, talk to my extended family on the phone, etc., etc.
I kept busy and before I knew it, it was time to pick up my girls after school, (and usually a van load of their friends too, and I'd drop them off at their houses, one by one), then back home to fix a snack for my girls, and as we sat at the kitchen table, I'd listen to them tell me all about their school day, and what was going on with each of their friends etc. I'd play games with them, watch them do gymnastics, or practice cheers, and I spent time with each of them, and I enjoyed every minute.
I'd fix dinner, clean up dishes, and they'd get baths and showers... then I'd take a bath, put on my p.j.'s, and watch tv with the family. I'd help with homework when needed, read a book to the youngest one, put her to bed, and make sure the older girls got to bed at a decent hour. It was a routine that varied at times, but for the most part, I could handle it all, and have energy to spare, even though I stayed up late. I loved being a busy mom...and I loved my three beautiful girls.
Now a days I am an early to bed, early to rise person. Not much activity to keep me up late. My life is so different from those late night times of long ago when I was running a home and taking care of my children..
All of my girls are married adults with kids of their own, and now they have the busy schedules, and my husband and I are retired.
We have 11 grandkids, and we enjoy hearing about their busy lives, and seeing them when we can....which is usually about once a month for family get-togethers to celebrate birthdays. (And a little more often with the ones who live right here in town.)
Our lives are completely different now that my retired hubby and I spend all of our time together. It is nice to have each others company throughout the day and night. Sometimes it takes two of us to accomplish the things that formerly we could handle by ourselves, but we call it team work! (:>)
We love outings with the grandkids. This picture of John and our youngest grandson was at the zoo.
We can take a little trip on a whim, go to a movie, or just go for a ride, visit an antique mall, etc. or go out to eat. I no longer have to stretch the food budget as far as it can go to get through the week, and I don't have so many household duties, because my husband helps me with them.
Life has slowed down quite a bit...and yet we do find things to do, and we have activities with church, and family, and friends. But it is just a much slower pace. I am not nearly as active as I used to be, and so I have time to be on facebook, or to write, and read blogposts. My husband and I do daily devotions together and spend time praying for our family and friends, and those in need. In fact, we pray for many of you! (:>)
In today's world, I am in bed at 9:00 PM most of the time and asleep by 10, and I get up at 5 or 6. I am amazed at how our internal clocks get into the rhythm of making us tired, and sleepy by a certain hour, and then waking us up at the same early hour everyday...I don't ever need alarm clocks. It is amazing how God made our bodies to function like that! The Bible says..."He giveth his beloved sleep!" Sleep is necessary, to refresh and rejuvenate us!
As a kid I always heard the saying..."Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise!"...well I'm not sure about all of that...but I do feel like my body does need a regular sleep pattern, and I do feel better because of it.
It seems like just yesterday I was a child, living a care-free life, and then, BAM!... I was a young adult, then middle age,...and now I am a senior. Life certainly does seem to zoom by! I am thankful for every bit of it. My life has been greatly blessed...and God is so good! Of course at age 62, I may have quite a few years left to enjoy...so I am not giving up quite yet! (:>)
How about you? What is your normal routine?
21 comments:
I can very well identify with most all of what you said. I have no complaints about my less hectic schedule and a regular bedtime, normally between 10 and 11.
It is amazing how fast the time flies! You have a beautiful family; many blessings there indeed!! As moms with children at home, we often are always scrambling around to get it done (and loving most of the time doing it too); I sometimes miss those days, but each new season of life does bring new challenges and blessings so it is all good I do believe!
I'm an early riser and try to get to bed around 10 p.m., lately I've been staying up way too late playing Word Tornado on Facebook :)
have a great weekend
betty
You almost wrote my story except I 2 girls and a boy and I have 5 grandchildren with one on the way.
Such a beautiful post, beautifully illustrated.
I love the photos that go along with this post. Beautiful!
What a wonderful post, Linda! The pictures of your life's journey were delightful, and everything you write about is so true! God gives us the strength and energy to get thru those years of child-rearing, and the gives us respite as we get a bit older. We are not able to retire yet, but are so looking forward to that freedom and more time to spend together! I too love how our internal clocks work so well if we keep on schedule, our bodies know what they need! You have had a very busy and blessed life, and so many wonderful memories that you share. It won't be that many years before you have great-grandbabies snuggling into your laps! :-)
Oh Wow, Linda!! You could very easily put a person on a guilt trip, couldn't you? Do you?
About me (well, you asked). I am not a morning person so that makes me a night person. We go to bed between midnight and two most of the time. Last night we didn't get home until 12:30. Our daughter from London Skyped about three-thirty and we and the grand-daughter chatted for a bit.
I set my alarm for nine this morning but the tellephone woke us up a few minutes before.
If I go to bed at nine I am up by four and can't go back to sleep.
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4:00 - 6:00 AM is writing time, so I guess that qualifies as early. After a full day at the office, a 10PM bedtime's about right. I usta be a nightowl, too. Those days is gone, eh?
What a great post! You have a beautiful family. :)
I'm good at waking up early. I love those quiet hours. It's the "going to bed early" that's hard for me—but I'm working on it. :)
Your family is so blessed to have such a loving, caring mama and grandmama.
Hope you have a lovely day.
Funny the variations, reading through the comments. I'm a seasonal sort of person really. I am a get-er up-er, but I don't like getting up in the dark, so it slides back an hour or two in winter. Not often in bed before 11.30, but still up with the lark in summer. It's that sun creeping over the horizon that calls to me.
That was a lovely post :-) I really enjoyed hearing about how your life has changed and I can relate to how busy it is when your children are younger.I was always a early bird but now I have teens I stay up later as teens come alive at night don't they! Having a younger child tho means I get up early too and this does make me a bleary mummy!
I'm a night owl who use to "hate" to get out of bed early.
My husband is an early to bed early early early to rise man. hah
He is up at 4:00 am everyday. UGH
I'm up at 7 for work hah
He is usually sound to sleep by 8:30 and it is my tv, computer, reading or whatever I want to do time. ;)
Amazing how your schedule completely changed . . . you adapted so well to each stage of life.
Enjoyed your post . . .
I love these photos and the narrative you shared on life and routines. I'm in the stage where I stay up late doing the household chores. It's definitely not easy. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing a bit of your life. Juggling home and work is a delicate act so my weekdays are hectic but weekends are more relaxed for me. Thanks for visiting my blog.
I wish I could say I stay up late organizing or sewing or being productive. But after the family is in bed, I have my "me" time, which his spent checking email, blogging, playing computer games or watching movies. Yeah, productive! I know it will catch up with me. I am trying to get to bed by midnight these days. Have a lovely tomorrow!
Like you, I used to be a night owl. When I became a teacher in my thirties, everything seemed to change. To be mentally alert for my students at 8:00 in the morning, I found myself needing to get to bed by 10:00 at night. Or maybe my body just needs more rest these days.
At any rate, I'm up by around 6:00. I teach in the morning, write in the afternoon, and take care of miscellaneous tasks in the evening. Then I watch a show or read from a book around 9:00. Then bed by 10:00!
Thanks for sharing your routines and how they have changed. You have a great life!
What a fabulous post, and I so enjoyed the photos too. Have you seen my srt in my etsy shop- pop in and have a peep:www.etsy.com/shop/soulbrushart
Wonderful photos and I loved the chronicle of how your routine has changed. Our latest change was in October when hubby retired from his "retirement" job of driving a school bus. Since he no longer has to be ready to head his school bus out from the "bus barn" by 6 a.m. on school days, we can now rise about 7 a.m.
He does indeed rise and shine. But I have a hard time morphing into a coherent human being in the morning. No shining for me until I have had a couple quiet cups of hot tea and maybe even breakfast.
Hi Linda. I loved this post!!! When my children were young, we could have been sisters. Our schedules were so similar! I can identify and I loved reading how your days went.
Loved this Linda!! It's been a while since I've visited the blog world, so I'm getting all caught up and I've missed your wisdom! I'm glad to be back to the blog world again for reasons like you!
Blessings!
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