Skip to main content

Bedtime Blues


"Experts" recommend a quiet activity before bedtime for a sound night's rest. Yeah...ok.

Am I the only momma out there who absolutely freaking dreads bedtime? In the social media world, bedtime often means we mommas get to stop for a moment, sip a glass of wine and get stuff done. And on the rare nights that actually happens here in our house, I definitely document it. However, it is such a rarity, because of this. Three little monkeys bouncing off the walls and going 110% ape shit. I'm serious. 7:00 hits and all of a sudden it's like somebody loaded them up on Red Bull.

They start running, yelling, acting insane and my voice goes in one ear and out of the other. It's enough to make one insane and some nights I feel like I'm there! That being said, we are only on week two of a new routine that goes like this:

7:00 - All screens off (TV screens, tablet screens, phone screens)
7:00-7:30 - Play Time, Books, Art, Board Game (Quiet Activity)
7:30 - Brush Teeth, Showers, Book, Snuggles
8:00 - Pass The F Out. Seriously, just go to sleep.

On Friday nights, if we've had a good week, the kids earn a small prize. After a full month of solid bedtime routine, we get to have a family night out whether it's a movie, dinner, bowling, skating, etc.

We immediately noticed a huge difference in cutting screen time during our first week. We realized that some things needs to change around here as having such a chaotic end to our day sets the tone for the following day. Rhylan was struggling in school, the twins didn't want to get moving in the mornings and the listening skills were non-existent.

What kind of routine do you keep on weekends? Do you keep the same routine? Or do you let them have a little flexibility? We are trying to find that happy medium between weekend fun, because I believe they deserve some just like we parents do and keeping them on schedule. This last weekend, we let the kids have maybe a little too much flexibility. Our Sunday night was exactly like that first paragraph above.

I guess what I'm trying to say here is that despite what you see on social media, we can't be the only family who struggles when it comes time to hit the sack! We're quickly learning that as parents we have to come together as a team and make necessary changes to better the home atmosphere to impact our kids' moods outside of home. It will constantly be a work in progress, but happy bedtimes make for happy days! I just hope I can keep my shit together as we make it happen!




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What I Learned from Frugal January

While I don't believe in new year resolutions, I do believe in goals, aspirations and dreams. As a society, we're made to feel that with each new year, we must make resolutions, which more often than not, fade by March or set us up for failure. The feeling of failure is never good for the spirit, so a couple of years ago, I decided to stop giving in to that societal pressure. I have found that self-reflection is an excellent place to begin a new year and set realistic goals. This year, I started by challenging myself to what I named Frugal January. It's exactly what it sounds like. I challenged myself to only spend on necessities. I gave up runs to the coffee shop and trips to TJ Maxx. I gave up frivolous, careless and impulse-based spending, no matter how big or small it was. I asked myself one question with every single purchase decision, "do I really need this?" If I could live without it, I declined it. Did this cause me physical pain at times? Yes! There were...
Post a Comment
Read more

2023 Taking Care of Me

For me, 2023 has been a year of conquering fears and making lifestyle changes. As parents, how often do we place ourselves on the back burner? It's so common and I am 100% guilty of it. This year, something inside of me clicked. Maybe it's the whole "wisdom with age" thing. Maybe it's finally getting the courage to go to therapy. Perhaps, it's a little bit of both. For me, it happened with a 3-step plan. It's a plan that terrified me, but I held myself accountable and put the plan into action.  Step 1: Medical Health January 2023, the 4th to be exact, started with a wellness visit to my primary care doctor. Was I even allowed to refer to her as that when I hadn't paid her a visit since 2018? Yes. 2018. Of course, we had the whole pandemic thing in the mix, but we can only use that excuse for so long. I hadn't had a women's well check since 2018. I was having all kinds of strange symptoms, that I told myself was just the downward spiral to 40 (n...
Post a Comment
Read more

14 Weeks

Weight Gain:  Up 2 more pounds  Babies Are The Size Of:  Approximately 8 cm long each Maternity Clothes:  Belly Bands are currently my friend!  Stretch Marks:  None Sleep:  Staying up later now and sleeping great until bathroom breaks! Belly Button:  In Feeling:  More energized! Having weird circulation issues with my legs going numb when I over-apply myself. Symptoms:  Ligament Stretching Pains Missing Anything?  Caesar Dressing Movement:  Still little tiny flutters Anything Making You Queasy or Sick?  Occasionally someone's cologne or perfume gets me.  Cravings:  Still can't get enough of spicy foods! Chocolate ice cream! Wedding Rings:  On Big Moments:  Had our 2nd ultrasound this week and it was amazing! Both babies are going great!  Looking Forward To:  The next ultrasound to reconfirm Baby B's gender and to confirm Baby A's. We have a strong feeling tha...
Post a Comment
Read more