Operating Hours 6AM-7PM

I wake up in the morning ready for the day. I leap out of bed, dress the kids, make the coffee, empty the dishwasher, make breakfasts, pack two lunches and then sit down to have coffee and return emails all before 8AM. I feel productive and full of energy. I can sweep through the house and clean, dream up parties I want to throw and schedule playdates and fun. I run non stop all day long, organizing, reaching out, playing, working.
But by evening I am tired. Around four I start dragging. And by the time 6:30 rolls around, cleaning up the kitchen after dinner and putting the boys down for bed is downright exhausting.
So after the boys are in bed at seven I close down shop. I may lie on the couch and talk to my husband, but other than I am done. I leave the kids rooms, turn on the monitors and head for my room. I slip on my pajamas and fuzzy socks, pour a glass of wine and curl up on the couch by a fire with remote or book in hand. Michael almost always has to work in the PM and if he doesn't he plays video games, so this quiet, personal time is no problem.
I watch reality TV or read my latest book group book. I might look at email or facebook, but I don't respond. It just seems like far too great of an effort and I feel like I won't be giving an alert, coherent response if I do. I also refuse to answer the phone unless it's my immediate family (with a few exceptions). I just don't/can't deal with it.
I'm weird. I know this. It's also so hard for me to drag myself out in the evenings for events and parties.
Part of this is based on an extremely odd fear I developed after I had children. I am terrified of staying up past ten. I feel like I must get eight hours of sleep. If I don't get those hours I have an irrational response of full blown panic. I don't know why. So I get less than eight hours. Who cares? I'll just be tired. I know this rationally, but inside, I just can't help it. I'm embarrassed to tell you this. But since I claim to be an open book I thought I'd just get it out there.
I used to be able to party. Michael and I would head out on the town three nights a week and stay out till two in the morning. Of course, that was always hard for me too, but I powered through it with caffeine and adrenaline. The same was true for all the theater I did. If the curtain was at 8 I needed to be prepared to have a ton of energy for the evening hours. And I did it! But it was never easy or natural. I don't have that natural alert time that night people seem to have. And I also didn't have my two little natural alarm clocks that needed me first thing in the morning. So my irrational fear of no sleep had not yet set in.
So where does this all leave me? Well, for now my operating hours are from 6AM until 7PM with a rare outing to have book groups or see a show. And if you need me after hours, Michael is available to pass on messages, my sweet night owl husband.
I hope that when my kids get more self sufficient and a wee bit older, I might be able to shift my operating hours later. I'll let you know when that happens.
Is anyone else out there a morning person? Do you feel the same way?