Must Sleep NOW

I was a naughty mommy this afternoon.  I took a nap.

I don't mean a 20 minute cat-nap on the couch.  I mean a turn the phone on silent, lock my bedroom door, down for the count, half-a-night's sleep kind of nap.  Don't I have children I need to care for?  Why yes, I do.  That is why I was a naughty mommy.  I took George with me for my nap, but I let the rest of them fend for themselves. 
I was just SO tired.  Unnaturally tired.  Perhaps I have a little bug of some sort and I do feel a bit chilled, but not really sick.  And don't worry about me-- a monster nap doesn't affect my ability to get a good solid night's sleep.  It's a gift I have-- the ability to sleep.  Insomnia is not in my nature.

When I was a teenager, doing a 6 AM early morning seminary class every morning, I was constantly sleep deprived.  I would go to bed by 10 PM, but then if I woke up at 4:45, that just wasn't enough sleep for me.  I would eventually have a bit of a break down and get overwhelmed by life, my wise mother would comfort me by reminding me that I would feel better after a good night's sleep.  SO TRUE.

Now as a mommy myself, I can tell so clearly when I am behind on my sleep.  It feels like my world is crowding in on me.  Everywhere my brain looks, I see and feel life closing in.  Everything feels like a big, important thing.  I'll stress about a dirty floor.  If a child excitedly speaks of the upcoming holidays and how fun it will be, I feel unreasonable angst over what I need to get done to make it happen.  Little things seem really hard to get done.  Changing a diaper-something I do 10 times a day-- feels like a major chore.

This is how I was feeling today, so I took my mom's advice and got some sleep.  While the children didn't have a very productive afternoon, and I did hear occasional scream for help (which I ignored), I am feeling a bit better.  That being said, I'm looking forward to going night-night soon.