cranky |

Truth be told, I haven’t been getting a lot of sleep. So I’m writing my blog tonight, turning in nice and early and planning to get up when my body says it’s time to get up. For the past few weeks, I’ve been caught up in the pre-holiday frenzy and I’ve been staying up late. For most people, this isn’t a big problem. But when you’re an early riser, like a 4:30 or 5:00 A.M. early riser, going to bed after midnight is problematic.

So tonight, I plan to engage in a little self care. I’m finishing up my blog. I’m taking a bath. I’m putting on the comfy jammies. I’m drinking a glass of warm milk. I’m telling myself a story. And then I’m tucking myself in for the night.

Because you know what? I’m finding that just like a small child, when I don’t get enough sleep, I get cranky. I get irritable. I find myself inching ever closer to a total meltdown in the candy aisle at Target. So before I throw a complete and utter tantrum and get taken out of the store and told to wait in the car, I’m taking a little preemptive action and going the heck to bed. I choose not to be another one of those drivers on the California highways who is perpetually running late, engaging in complex multitasking, frustrated, angry and focusing on everything but the road. I’m setting my intention tonight and catching some ZZZzzzs so I feel inclined to make a space and wave for other cars to merge in front of me while I sing Christmas carols at the top of my lungs.

I’m making space for an awesome day tomorrow, by simply putting things aside and crashing tonight. *YAAAaaaawn* I’ll let you know how it goes.

Nighty night.

Love,

The Fat Chick

By the way, interested in getting a little extra help as you plan your fitness efforts for the new year? Why not join one of the special fitness groups on the Fit Fatties Forum? Ragen and I are creating four special groups to help you get and stay fit. See you there!

As you can see, my awesome husband and I went down and used the church kitchen and made a few cookies yesterday. And by a few, I mean about 60 dozen. Every year, we make cookies to give away as Christmas gifts. It’s a holiday tradition. Another holiday tradition is to start out having a really great time making cookies and end up really annoyed at one another. Best I can figure, the main problem is that we end up getting tired and cranky. And despite my best efforts to end our baking session sooner this year, and to be the one to say “enough is enough.” I still didn’t say “enough is enough” quite soon enough. Hence we had some very cranky Christmas elves in the holiday baking tree.

We can look at our kids and figure out that they just need to go down for a nap. We understand that no appeal to logic or pleading for better behavior will work. That kid just needs to go night-night for half an hour or it’s GAME OVER. Why is it that we can’t figure this out for ourselves? I know my hubby and I get cranky when we are both hungry. That’s why we instituted the sandwich rule. But we haven’t figured out a “nap” rule or a “time out” rule for ourselves. I have some friends that have asked me point blank to please be the adult in their lives to tell them, as it says in the book, to go the f#@k to sleep! I haven’t agreed to do that yet, because I can’t even figure it out for my ownself.

I want nap time back, like in kindergarten. I want to eat a cookie and drink a chocolate milk and then lie on a mat in a darkened room and have 30 minutes of quiet time while my teacher contemplates her impending nervous breakdown or next career move (to an easier job like CIA agent). I want to lie there in a quiet room and just listen to myself breathe. Can we have nap time again?

I know I can actually do this myself. I know that I can sit quietly in a chair and meditate. I know that I can take a few minutes to do a progressive relaxation. But honestly, who the heck remembers to do that? Not me! What about you readers out there–do you have any advice? Or can you meet me every day about 2:00 PM with a carton of chocolate milk, a cookie and a blankie and tell me to lie down on my mat for an hour? Please? Thanks!

Love,

The Fat Chick