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by Megan Slone

Beep. Beep. Beep. I reach over and slap the alarm clock. It's six a.m. and time to start getting the family around for church. I look over at my husband snoring soundly next to me and wonder how on God's green earth he manages to sleep through that beeping every morning. Then I receive a swift kick to the bladder. "I know," I say, "I'm going." I throw the blankets off and roll my very pregnant self out of bed and waddle to the master bath.

After using the restroom, brushing my teeth and washing my face, I head down the hall past the new nursery, to the second bedroom. The door is open just a crack, enough to poke my head in and peek at my beautiful baby girl Brooklyn. She is getting so big, it's hard to believe she turns three in June. All I can see is her bouncy red curls falling crazily around her angel face. Off to the kitchen, I walk past the guest room down the stairs and through the living and dining room. I start the coffee pot and sit down to stare out the window, it's going to be beautiful out.

***
"Chow!" My eyes open instantly. "Great, another sleepless night," I mumble to myself. I sit up and get off my flat ass mat I call a bed and walk to the line of half asleep women just to hear them griping about the break-your-teeth-out cereal we're having again. I grab the nearest seat after I make my way through the line. I open my bowl to find out they must have ran out when they got to my bowl cause it's only half full. "Ugh, why do I even bother?" I force my way through every bit, hoping I don't chip a tooth again and throw my bowl in the tote.

I go back to the bunk I call home and lay down. After tossing and turning and trying to get comfortable I come to the conclusion that I'm not going to be able to go back to sleep with everyone else wide awake. So once again I get up, I grab my mug and pour some freeze dried instant coffee bullshit in and head to the hot pot praying that it has hot water or water period. After getting my coffee I go sit down at the picnic table and look up towards our family skylight which is really just a whole in the roof with a piece of plexi glass and metal bars covering it and wonder what it looks like outside.