There are many things I didn't know about parenting when I first signed on. But specifically, I wasn't aware that as a mother you are also supposed to be an alarm clock.

Not only are you responsible for waking up your children and husband, but you need to continually check on them to make sure they get out of bed. So, in essence, you also are the snooze button.

Because I wake up early to run, before I leave the house I must make sure the first shift, my older daughter and husband, is up. I can wake my younger daughter when I return from my run, but if she wants to shower in the morning, I have to wake her earlier, but not too early. So, essentially, she needs to be woken up while I am in the middle of my run.

I have returned to my house many times to find everyone still comfortably snoring, curled up in their bedding like they are settling in for a long winter's nap. This, despite the fact, that I have turned all of their lights on and woken them before I left. When I re-wake them, I am met with startled screams. "Mommy, I don't have time to get ready now, why didn't you wake me earlier?"

You would think we didn't have a working alarm clock in the house. We do. We have four perfectly functioning digital alarm clocks by everyone's bed that are set to go off at their prescribed wake-up times. Yet, somehow, the mother-alarm-clock is the only one that is truly effective.

Oh, and let's not forget my work partner, photographer Chad Flowers. I call him after I leave carpool on my way to the office to wake him up. He groggily answers his phone from the comfort of his bed and tells me it's too early, that he wants to sleep for a few more minutes as I give him a probable rundown of our day that I know he is not fully understanding in his sleepy state.

I'm thinking about going on strike. That's right folks, one of these days this time piece may just go off the grid and not set a clock. If that happens, you can be sure a lot of people in my life will be getting a late start that day.

Amanda is the mom of two, a reporter for WRAL-TV and the author of several books including three on motherhood. Her latest book "I Love You to God and Back" came out this month. Check her website for more information. Find her here on Mondays.