Before Sunrise

*confession*

Not so long ago, Alab used to be my alarm clock. He would climb our bed and kiss me good morning. I would push his “snooze” button by hugging him and that would give me another 5-10 minutes of sleep. It worked just fine. I got a few minutes of added sleep. I was able to do a lot more since I always slept late and had all the time to do whatever I wanted. Whether it be cleaning, reading, surfing the internet or getting my hands busy with sewing or knitting. But in the process I short changed my children. I end up giving scraps of my day when I should give them my prime.

I’m obviously not a morning person. It was always my goal to wake up before sunrise but I never did. I’m not a morning person because of habit and not necessarily because of how my brain works. Some people claim they work better at night. Some work better before dawn. I, on the other hand, just love to sleep in. However, I see no advantage in keeping it as a habit. I always saw the sense of waking up early but was always too lazy to follow through. But ever since I decided to work on it and surprisingly made it happen, it drastically changed the flow of our day and even how I parent.

These are some of the consequences when I sleep late and wake up late:
* morning time is wasted.
* I’m not alert and therefore almost always not in the mood.
* Good breakfast is not ready.
* I’m more lethargic.
* I tend to stay in my pajamas the whole day.
* My kids end up having too much screen time.
* Before I know it, its already 11:30am and we haven’t done anything.
* The day is wasted.
* Meals aren’t well prepared.
* Plans for the day are sidetracked.
* The house remains a mess.

Basically, I feel like I’ve failed them, including my husband. Clearly, changes needed to be done.

The motivation to wake up before dawn was really to have an hour of quiet time to gather my thoughts, write in my journal and spend time reading the Word. I usually do this during nap time of the kids but felt that I needed to do it before the day started.

Day 1 of transformation: woke up at 5:55 am.
I loved the silence, the color of dawn and the morning chill. I was hooked.

Just like any habit, I took it a day at a time. But I had to be consistent. The objective is to be able to do it daily that it becomes second nature. That my body would get used to its rhythm. I make sure I am in bed by 10pm. That means having dinner earlier and tucking in the kids at 7.

My first hour for/with Him makes all the difference.
It’s an hour of nourishment. I’ve never scribbled words nor uttered prayer thoughts this much.  It refreshes and calms me down. It prepares me for the day of physical and emotional exhaustion. It reminds me of my role as Nanay. It gives me the right perspective. It allows me to lay all my worries and anxieties. It sets the pace.

By the time my husband and kids wake up – I’m ready to give my all.

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