…and if you live in Kansas, you literally get all those different types of weather in one night! Throw in some raging thunder and lightning and coat everything in a thick layer of ice by the storm’s end, that’s what I woke up to this morning. Fun times, Kansas, fun times…I should also mention the school district did NOT cancel or delay school today. No worries, though, it was sunny by afternoon and everything melted away, all concrete/asphalt was bone dry by close of daycare.

Today was a much smoother day, fewer kids with some parents having the day off and some being trapped at home with icy weather, but still not without challenges! I began my day salting my driveway, sidewalk and porch in the dark at 5:00am while being pelted with more freezing rain and ice. I bulked up some extra calories in my breakfast peanut butter cup smoothie since I was already sweaty and starving by the time I came inside. Lunch was healthy leftovers, dinner was healthy leftovers (everyone else got to have cheesy sloppy joe cups).

I’m not going to lie, I was drop dead tired today. I was tired before I spent an hour in the freezing cold tending to home maintenance. I was tired before any daycare kiddos arrived. I was tired before I sent all four of my own kids out the door to school. I know I need to be laying down in my bed by 9:00pm every night, but it’s never done. By the time I finish with daycare at 5:30pm, I immediately start making dinner, clean what I can, do at least 1 load of laundry (usually more), nag at kids to do homework, run off to any activities for any of my own 4 kids for school, try and get the kids all ready for bed by 9:00pm (which involves a nightly battle to confiscate electronics and lock them in my room), and THEN try to find some time with the hubs (which almost always involves us trying to speed-watch shows that have been piling up on the dvr). All of this within 3.5 hours. Proper bedtime never happens. But I’m going to have to start prioritizing my evenings differently and gradually shift towards this earlier bedtime. It’ll suck because I have always been a night owl, never a morning person. I’m more productive and creative at night, and I just like nighttime! I acknowledge that my lack of sleep is a huge contributor to my weight loss dilemma, and the struggle towards my ultimate weight goal will always be harder than it needs to be until I address this. I’m not sure how I’ll start shifting my schedule around and becoming more efficient with daycare, the house, my own kids, my husband…I suppose I just need to jump in and try figuring out what works and what doesn’t. It’ll be stressful, I’ll make mistakes, but something needs to change now.

I noticed on my Facebook timeline today that 7 years ago my extremely-pregnant self was at an Amos Lee concert in Lawrence, KS! Sir, you do not play in Kansas as often as you should, so I propose this…next time you are flying across the country, simply fly into the Manhattan, KS airport and swing by my house, literally live 3 minutes away. I’ll put on a pot of coffee, or if later in the day, we’ll break out the gin (no clue if you’re a gin drinker but I certainly am). I’ll make you a cheesecake, or whichever dessert you prefer, I’m an excellent baker and I can make you just about anything. Then, you just play me my favorite songs for a while, and when I’m good you just head on back out to wherever you need to go. Oh, and bring Mutlu with you, I like him, too! You guys can duet! Don’t worry, I’m not one of the crazies at your shows professing their love for you in between every song or yelling for you to take off your jacket. Nope, not my shy/awkward self, I’m just here for the live music! But since you aren’t playing here any time soon, my song for today will be “Give It Up”, one of my favorites but I’ve only heard you play it live once, a lifetime ago at the very first show of yours I ever went to (good lord, that was at OU in 2009 or 2010)…hey, we can change this…😉

Well, it is time for another day to come to a close. I need my herbal tea, I need my oils, I need my fuzzy jammies…nighty night!

~~ Amie