I did it. This year I did not stay up until 1 a.m. last Tuesday finishing cookies for the teacher’s holiday cookie exchange. (The parents provide the cookies; the teachers get to select a plate of cookies to take home.)

This year I made “Holiday Bites” — a simple, easy, and apparently ravingly awesome little confection. Ingredients: peppermint kisses, pretzels and M&Ms. Yes. That’s it. And in 20 minutes I made 6 dozen. BAM!

But even though I knew the teachers would enjoy them, I felt a little guilty. There are some amazing teachers at Over Achievers APs High. Really. There’s the head of the Arts & Humanities program who has inspired and encouraged my kids. A funny, enjoyable Latin teacher. A Foreign Languages resource teacher who saved a senior year. An incredible instrumental music teacher. A super “I can even make your kid like Pre-Calc” math teacher. And the list goes on. (OK, if you teach my kid, and I didn’t list you… Thank you!!)

I wanted to do more. But self-preservation and common sense meant I had to step back a little from my usual “the show must go on” mentality. And it was really a good choice.

Then the next day Petula Dvorak’s column came out about these “work-all-day, mom-all-night” moms in the Washington Post. It hit a little too close to home. There are many of us who want to work/play/create/volunteer/sleep in a 24 hour period. And when you run short of time, you run short on sleep.

Thankfully, I’ve gotten off the over-achiever Mommy track. It was the best decision ever.

Tonight, we ordered in Chinese, watched NCIS re-runs and chilled as a family. And I fell asleep in the chair. (True confession – I had to pick up The Johnnie last night from college after her evening class because of a dentist appointment this morning. And yeah. I am short on sleep today. The next thing on my agenda – SLEEP.)

So any of you who are convinced you must run the school auction committee (at 2 a.m.) or paint your bathroom, come over to the sane side of life. I won’t judge. And I’ll even make you a cup of coffee… if we make to next weekend.