Jet Lag is the Pits

We have been back in Kuwait for almost a week.   People would think that over four years and countless travel that jet lag would get easier, but it does not.  You start to figure out a few tricks to help it a bit, but really all that does is lessen it from two weeks to about 7-10 days.  The worst would be when traveling back to Moscow in the winter.  It is dark all the time.  Which makes it hard to wake up.  The result being that you are up all night and go to sleep around 5 am and then wake around 2 pm if you are lucky.  It takes a good 10-14 days.  It is one of those so tired moments where you can barely open your eyes and you keep trying but seem to can't keep them open.  So you go back to sleep.  But Moscow in the summer was much easier.  With it being daylight till 11pm you just whisk the kids to the park.  The last trip to Moscow took 3 days!  I think it is a record!  And I have found in Kuwait it seems to be okay.  For now.  At least in the summer.  We just go to the pool and let the energy burn off.

For all of you that might not understand jet lag here a few things about it, particularly if you have kids:

• kids are not on the same schedule.  one is up at midnight ready to go to bed at 2 when the other is just waking up at 2 and manages to keep the other one up so they don't go to sleep.  
• they want to be in your bed and four do not fit in a queen sized bed
• you could continue to sleep if your kids weren't waking up (at different times)
• and naturally you wake when the kids are sleeping, so when they wake you want to sleep
• you can't take a sleeping pill to help you get back on schedule
• you are hungry at very odd times
• if you don't get the kids to sleep before the sun rises you are screwed. SCREWED!
• you are a walking zombie
• you feel completely dragged and have no energy to leave the house, but if you don't leave the house then you are screwed
• and you need milk or food and have to go to the store :(
• because you are hungry
• you need friends to help.  playdates are the best
• there is nothing on tv at 2, 3, 4 am
• how do you entertain kids at 2, 3, 4 am when your husband is trying to sleep because he has to go back to work the next day
• the kids and you are extra cranky from the lack of sleep
• and right when you think you have conquered it, it rears its ugly head again
• oh and did I mention you are hungry.  I mean seriously at the most odd times
• in the midst of all of this you still have to unpack, which is awful, because you have 5 duffel bags of stuff that you brought back
• and then you have to find a place for it all.  there is still a pile in the living room that has not made it to a home yet
• then you have stuff in a pile for other people that asked you to pick up stuff for them, and you have to continually tell your kids that it is not theirs and they don't need to touch it.  But why momma?  BECAUSE!!!!

I am sure there are more that I am not thinking of at the moment.  Thankfully we are past our jet lag.  And are ready to start the week in a bit of normalcy.  We shall see how it goes.  

Sleep tight!!!