Pre-parenting, there was activity I routinely took advantage of any time I could; I have very faint (it’s been years) and found memories of it, I believe it’s called “sleeping in.” I remember the pleasures of staying in bed and nodding off, for sometimes hours at a time if I wanted. These days the concept of sleeping in is few and far between and has a very different meaning than it once did.

Our regular schedule includes everyone getting up, ready and out the door by 8:30 to get to school and work on time. When our weekend rolls around at the end of the week, I remind Azul at bed time, “We don’t have anywhere to go in the morning, no school or work tomorrow, so feel free to sleep in.” He always says, “Okay.” Just as convincing as could be, but I know exactly what will happen in the morning, my new “sleeping in.”

When I say my new sleeping in, I  mean, I am awoken by a tap on my forehead, when it is still fairly dark, by a tiny five year-old pointer finger and a wide awake set of eyes looking right at me and a nose almost touching mine. “How did you sleep?” is the first question Azul asks, before saying, “It’s time to cuddle.” And then he jumps in bed with me. I always lift up the blankets, scoot over, and make room. I love when he cuddles with me, having those little arms clumsily wrapped around my head is heaven, which last about twenty seconds if I’m lucky.

Now, from the time he asked his initial question of how I slept, he has not stopped talking, and I know I have no one to blame for his chattiness but me, but come on, it’s still dark! The conversations range from, how to build a waterfall in Minecraft, to something one of his friends said at Pre-school the day before, it’s a free for all and anything can be the topic of conversation at this hour.

Within a few minutes he remembers there are blankets to dive under! He suddenly becomes a mole desperately digging to escape a predator at all costs. Blankets are now being pulled and pushed — I usually have either a knee or elbow pushed up against my full bladder, and my little rodent narrowly escapes by reaching the empty space on the other side of me. With my eyes closed I am saying, “Ouch. That hurts. Be careful. You’re on top of me.” Sigh! But, my eyes are closed which means I am “sleeping in.”

Oh, don’t get me started on the shrieking cat in the background!