Confusing dreams and reality

Without my kids for the last week and a half, I have been completely off-schedule. I sleep at odd times. I work at odd times.

What is strange to me is how much my life has changed since I had kids and how impossible it is for me to settle back into the kid-free lifestyle. One of the things I lamented the most when I had kids was losing the ability to just go back to bed whenever I feel like it. Now, when I have time without the kids, I still can't do it. I can't seem to nap effectively. And when I'm in bed at a random time, I have the most bizarre dreams.

I also notice that without my kids, I lose myself in work. I really like my job. I love it, in fact. But when my job invades my dreams, it's a little worrisome.

I had dreams about my staff,  about trying to reconcile the financial statements, even about the Starbucks I go to.

When I dream about work, I feel like I'm never home. A few years ago, I worked a number of shifts in the Emergency Room in a row. I had a dream that I was triaging patients in my garage and admitting them into my house. It was awful. I felt like I worked all through the night.

But, now the kids are back. Now I dream about my kids at work. I'm trying to take care of them and trying to get my work done at the same time. So...pretty much I'm dreaming about my life. Everything is back to normal.