Can I get a ZZZ? How about a little shade?

I know this insomnia thing is bad. For the 3rd night in a row 1:30 AM rolls around and I am wide awake. This calls for extreme measures - I'd really like to go to bed at 6PM, but at this hour I need to be aware because not using pot holders and setting steak knives instead baby spoons can create problems.

Ohhh, the evil plots of a sleep deprived stay-at-homer!
Last night 7:00 rolled around, both kids were in bed! With a little strategic planning (ie boot camp for babes) the afternoons are busy. This helps, not only so I can stay awake, but can put them to bed dog-tired right after dinner. ;-)

"Let's walk to the park!" Who cares if it's almost 100 degrees?
We take off with the Chicco umbrella stroller for a little off-roading. Will eagerly walks beside the stroller looking for dinousaur bones as we experience Death Valley in San Antonio. It is a little hot for April...
  
I started to feel a little guilty: Avery burned her hiney on the slide and Will's face, though covered with a baseball hat, was slightly tomato - let's not talk about my shoulders which hurt so bad I’m issuing a bra ban.

We return from our 90 minute adventure. Avery and Will needed something to cool them off.
Maybe a water hose?
  
So I let them waste water - this is hard for me to do because I worked in water enforcement at the EPA and our water supply is truly valuable. Anyway, the whole time water is running down the cul-de-sac I watch out for SAWS, and enjoy my children laughing with sheer pleasure of this refreshing treat. Bottom line, we had a great time AND they were in bed really early!!!

Yahoo! So I managed to sneak in bed a little before 8pm. Dave wondered what happened to me when I didn't come back during the prevail of the number 1 Natural Wonder of the American West Coast on the travel channel last night (Promise, nothing else was on). He wandered in and I was under the covers praying I wouldn't wake up at 1 again. I forced my eyes open reading Real Simple Family and a cheesy murder mystery until 10 and then lights out. Surely, as tired as I was I will sleep through the night.

Fat Chance - 1:30 like an electric cattle prod I am awake. After an hour of shutting my eyes so tight I expect crows feet tomorrow I give up and high tail it out of my room. I'll clean the kitchen, fold laundry, organize the pantry, make a grocery list, put together PB&J sandwiches, and then I can sneak off to the grocery store right when it opens.

Hallelujah, I'm awake and not paralyzed by sleeplessness. After much productiveness in the kitchen plus scrapping recipes in a photo album I am hungry for breakfast. Instead of the traditional GoLean Crunch I prepare 2 eggs over hard, toast with jelly, and raspberries. Ahh, Heaven (but its dark outside). And I realize this is just not right - it's 5:15, I can't do this any longer, I'm going back to bed. And I dreamt about sleeping until 7:30. Now that, my friend, is Heaven!