The complaint of today, is that I think that getting kids to sleep (and teaching good sleep/nap habits) is definitely the most difficult part of parenting(that I've encountered thus far). I know I've complained about it before, but am griping once again. Everyone's tired, in yet getting them in bed (and sleeping) is nigh on impossible. Tonight it was the biggest boy falling asleep on the way home from Bible Study, and when I tried to put him right in bed, he awoke and said he wanted to stay up later. Well, later happened to be just long enough to have a snack and brush teeth. But it was too long. Everything turned into a crying session, and it took forever to calm him down, with James yelling, "stwop cwyin' "over and over. Elise should have been in bed by then, but of course couldn't sleep either with all the cryin'. So, eventually I got both boys distracted by telling them how to cheer up when you're sad (tell stories, remember fun times, think of fun times in the future, etc.) and they finally fell asleep. Then Elise took another hour to get down, wiggling, squirming and crying all the while. She did fall asleep on her own in her crib finally (no nursing, no pacifier = yay!) so we're making progress. That has taken many months to get her to that point, so I'm hoping it'll continue.
Quite a while ago, we were on a date, and an pair of older couples were seated next to us while we were trying to enjoy a quiet night without the kids dining on prime rib. Their conversation was varied, but one thing I recall one lady say was this, "My daughter-in-law takes 2 hours to put her kids in bed every night. Can you believe it?" The other lady of course couldn't believe it, but I wanted to speak up and say that I did! And 2 hours is on a good night! Our routine has many items, and I've tried shortening it, and it still takes just as long. I often omit picking up toys, but the rest are hard to ignore.
In our house, it goes something like this: pj's on, pick up toys, say prayers (with Daddy as he goes to bed about now), eat snack, brush teeth, go potty, get in bed, read Bible Story, each kid picks one song to sing (or 'hong to hing' as James says) and then hugs, kisses and good night. Seems pretty straight forward on paper, but still seems to take all evening. And even longer if it's bath night. And then get a baby to bed is: pj's on and diaper change, nurse her and feed her snack, let her get up and play a few (or until she burps, which is still necessary with her), rock her while I sing her two songs, then lay her in her crib (and wait until she's asleep so she doesn't cry and wake Daddy since she's still in our room).
If kids aren't overtired, I do enjoy bedtime. Conversation flows alot freer with the boys, and Elise just conks out. But the days when that happen are few to nonexistent. I know it will get better as they get older, and I do cherish this time, but would cherish it more if things ran more smoothly. Maybe I should pull out the timer for bedtime. That might make things happen more promptly, without so many distractions. For chores, it works great, so maybe that's what I should try for bedtime too. I hate ending the day so frustrated. Bedtime should be soothing and relaxing, not with me feeling gray hairs popping out all over my head. I told someone recently, that if anyone thinks they are sinless, just come to my house about 9 pm and put the kids to bed. Evil thoughts readily avail themselves. I'm so thankful to God as He's forgiven all my shortcomings, because they definitely are many!
In our house, it goes something like this: pj's on, pick up toys, say prayers (with Daddy as he goes to bed about now), eat snack, brush teeth, go potty, get in bed, read Bible Story, each kid picks one song to sing (or 'hong to hing' as James says) and then hugs, kisses and good night. Seems pretty straight forward on paper, but still seems to take all evening. And even longer if it's bath night. And then get a baby to bed is: pj's on and diaper change, nurse her and feed her snack, let her get up and play a few (or until she burps, which is still necessary with her), rock her while I sing her two songs, then lay her in her crib (and wait until she's asleep so she doesn't cry and wake Daddy since she's still in our room).
If kids aren't overtired, I do enjoy bedtime. Conversation flows alot freer with the boys, and Elise just conks out. But the days when that happen are few to nonexistent. I know it will get better as they get older, and I do cherish this time, but would cherish it more if things ran more smoothly. Maybe I should pull out the timer for bedtime. That might make things happen more promptly, without so many distractions. For chores, it works great, so maybe that's what I should try for bedtime too. I hate ending the day so frustrated. Bedtime should be soothing and relaxing, not with me feeling gray hairs popping out all over my head. I told someone recently, that if anyone thinks they are sinless, just come to my house about 9 pm and put the kids to bed. Evil thoughts readily avail themselves. I'm so thankful to God as He's forgiven all my shortcomings, because they definitely are many!
