No more late nights

It used to be - when my kids were little, that I loved staying up late after the kids went to sleep, to enjoy the quiet night hours. I would get work done on the computer, have a private conversation with a friend on the phone, read, or just enjoy the peacefulness of the house.

No more. Having teenagers in the house has completely changed that!

I can no longer stay up and wait for my kids to come home, let alone wait for them to go to sleep! My work schedule, as well as my simple need for sleep has found me in bed way before the big kids. I purposely leave the light on in my room so that DB (who is usually the last one in) will come into me to let me know he is home and turn off my light.

Life has come to the point were my teenagers are tucking me in at night instead of the other way around.

When Ari is in this country and he is working late in his office, he gets to see the kids before they go to sleep. Usually, though, he's in bed as well, way before them.

I can't keep up. My lifestyle has changed. As long as I have Ely in bed by 7:30 PM, I know my night is winding down.

That's just my reality these days.

So now, my quiet time is in the morning. Either the kids have left for school or they are sleeping in. I don't have the peacefulness of nighttime, becuase of the banging going around me - neighbors homes being built, but I can use the mornings - when I have them, to do my work, talk to a friend, or read.

Reality is a funny thing. It sort of creeps up on you. And suddenly you realize that the way you thought things were, aren't really that way at all. They're different. Not bad, necessarily, just different.

My new reality is changing everyday...