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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!




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