What makes a man? Is it the time change?

So, the end of daylight savings time brings with it an entire day of boundless possibilities. You know it is the ONE day of the year you have a full extra hour, and don't we all wish all year long for more hours in the day? OK, so if you said "no", you are a rarity! God bless you for your contentment! But those of us who long for more time in the day, today was that day! I am curious how everyone used their extra hour?

Mine? Let me tell you, I long for more time in the day often-- I guess I am not as content as I should be. I just love to accomplish, and never seem to have time to accomplish as much as I think I should be able to. Let me tell you about time changes in our house.

As a teen, young adult, and DINK (duel income no kids) I used to dread the spring forward. I am not a morning person and it would take me weeks to adjust. I loved the fall back change for the opposite reason. NOW however, even though I love the idea of having an extra hour, I hate what it does to a perfectly good schedule. You know the kind of schedule that young children need in order to function normally. So when the time change comes around, I resist it. You know, we don't celebrate halloween, Santa, or the Bunny, but did you know you could not celebrate the time change. Hahahaha... OK so it is not really a celebration, but we do adjust our schedule with the time. If in the Spring and Summer bed time is 8pm, then in the Fall and Winter it is at 7pm. The same goes with all of our other routines --except wake up time-- long story I'll share in a sec. We have our own sanity saving time! SST-- it also fits for Simmons Standard Time! :)

It is pretty funny. We started this a few years back. I have a pretty funny (my mom thinks it is cruel) story of how I tricked Olivia into staying in bed later. You see she is an early bird. Man she used to wake up the roosters. At 5:30 every morning she was ready to go-- you know, go eat breakfast... like... right then. Me, if I get up at 5:30, I have the hicups all day long. Well needless to say, I had the hicups a lot for a couple of years in a row. Here is the thing. I taught her early-- at 2 1/2 how to tell time on her digital clock. I made her a cute little card to sit beside it as a reminder. She was not to get out of bed till there was a 7 on her clock. Man this child loves rules and it worked like chocolate! She would wake a 5:30 and play in her bed till there was a 7 on her clock. When the time change came that Fall.. here's the tricky part-- I did not change her clock. All of a sudden, her wake up time became 8am when there was a 7 on her clock. Hahaha, heeheehee I got even trickier the next Spring. I did change her clock then so the 7 was still representitive of 8:00. She now knows full and well that her 7am is 8am in the rest of the house. I gave her the choice on setting it correctly and getting up at 8am or keeping it the same. She chose to keep it the same. She does amazingly well at adjusting the time in her head.

It has become like when I was in highschool. I would always set my clock 20 minutes fast to get me to school on time, but I knew it was fast and would compensate for it in sleeping longer. That kind of defeated my purpose.

So in SST time it is about bedtime for the girls and my peaceful sleeping house comes earlier. I actually do like it this way, because I am able to get more done by getting up earlier (for me it still feels like 8am even if it is 7am) and getting them in bed earlier. It is the half of the year I can honestly say, "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man..." the rest doesn't fit, but men are productive right??? So maybe this making a "man" will inturn make me productive. OK, so enough of my idiocy... Good night to you all may the last hours of this day be productive and fruitful!

Daniel 2:20-22
“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.
21 He changes times and seasons;
he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
22 He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.