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I've finally (somewhat) won the fight to keep Roo and Sue Sue in bed at night. When we transitioned to big girl beds, they wanted to run around upstairs for hours. Now they look at books until they conk out. Whatever. They're in bed... that's half the battle.
Roo has now moved on to a bigger challenge. She does not want to sleep under her covers. She wants to sleep on top of her comforter with a random blanket on top of her. Every night when I tuck her in she says "I want to sleep on top of my covers." Again, this would actually make sense if she didn't then want a blanket on top of her.
Lately I've started putting Roo under her covers when I go to bed. She's sound asleep and doesn't notice. Or does she? Every morning, she's back on top of her covers... and the bed is made, so it's not as though she's just rolling out of the covers during her sleep! For now I've given in. What's the harm with sleeping on the covers? She's the warmest of the bunch and doesn't need much to stay warm at night. I'm hoping that in the winter, if she's cold, she'll realize the benefits of snuggling under a cozy comforter!
Some nights my daughters... all four of them... go to sleep before their heads hit the pillow. Nearly every night, Cakes and Tortilla are out fast. Roo and Sue Sue are another story.
They want to talk... and talk... and talk. In a perfect world, they would go to bed later than they currently do. Unfortunately, Cakes and Tortilla can't handle it. They need to go to bed at their current bed time and it would be a nightmare to try to convince them that their sisters should be allowed to stay up later.
I've tried everything. I try to wear them out during the day, but not make them "overtired." I tuck Roo and Sue Sue in last. I've let them read books. I've let them whisper to one another. It always results in them becoming loud and out of control. I'm ready to pull my hair out. It doesn't matter what I threaten them with: taking away coveted stuffed animals at night, taking away their Pillow Pets if they misbehave, even revoking a privilege for the next day... in that moment in time they simply don't care. In fact, they usually just laugh at me. Not every night is a disaster, but it seems to happen more and more often.
So please, please, please, provide me with some sanity tonight and tell me what you do to get your kiddos to stay quiet in bed.
When Hubby and I bought our first house we were overwhelmed by the amount of space we had. The home included our "master suite" and two other bedrooms, plus a den downstairs. We turned one of the extra bedrooms into a "reading room" and the other into our guest room. We decided to upgrade our own bedroom furniture. I really wanted a King size bed. I grew up sleeping on a double bed and really like, want, need the extra space. I wanted to be able to sprawl out, roll around and sleep without running into Hubby or any cats. Hubby argued that a King size bed wasn't practical for the size of our bedroom. I relented and went with the Queen. I wish I had fought harder.
A King size bed absolutely takes up a lot of space. But it's space well worth it. Since we bought this bedroom set approximately six years ago, I have spent countless nights kicking Hubby's legs off my side of the bed and shoving cats toward Hubby. I often wake wondering how I managed not to fall out of bed given the fact that I'm practically clinging to the side of the bed.
Having four preschoolers makes me want a bigger bed even more. When everyone became 100% potty-trained, the gate over their bedroom door had to come down. Now it's at the top of the steps, meaning the entire upstairs is fair game.
It's actually pretty fun to have my daughters come in my bedroom to "check on me." I pretend I'm still sleeping while they climb into the bed and crawl under the covers. Then I'll open my eyes and feign surprise that four little girls are in my bed. On these mornings we'll stay in bed for awhile just being silly and giggling. Still, we could use more space because those mornings often end with arguments over who is going to sleep next to mommy and whose turn it is to lay on one of the pillows.
Hubby's work schedule has changed again and he's now home in the mornings. I know the girls are excited to "check on" both mommy and daddy in the morning. We may have to be like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and have a huge bed custom-made for us!
I read a recent article in Redbook about the lengths some couples will go to in order to save their marriage. Several couples shared their various problems. One of the couples talked about how the husband's snoring nearly ruined their marriage. The husband snored relentlessly, to the point that the wife, soon after their wedding, moved into the guest room. One night, after tossing and turning, she woke up her husband and threatened to punch him in the stomach if he didn't stop. Folks, I feel her pain.
Hubby snores. I've never thought about punching him in the stomach while he sleeps, but if it stopped his snoring, I might consider it. If I don't fall asleep before he does, then I know I'm in for an interesting night, possibly sleepless night. There have been times I have been startled out of a deep slumber, convinced someone is breaking into the house, only to realize the loud noise is Hubby's snoring.
A few years ago Hubby went to the doctor to discuss allergies and snoring. The doctor prescribed a new allergy medication and advised Hubby to lose weight. The medication didn't work. He's better off with an over-the-counter decongestant. In the last year or so he's dropped 30 pounds (that was his estimate, not mine... I never considered him overweight). If he loses any more weight he's going to look like he has an eating disorder. Still, the snoring continues. He also turns into "mean Hubby" in the initial stages of sleep... so if I dare attempt to rouse him and ask him to roll to his side (less likely to snore that way) then I'm practically daring him to argue with me... arguments he claims he has no knowledge of in the morning.
I know snoring can be signs of serious issues for the snorer. I suppose when we have time he should have some type of sleep evaluation to make sure his snoring isn't the sign of something serious.... until then I'll continue running upstairs the minute we decide to go to bed so I can be the first one in the bathroom and the first one in bed and hope I fall asleep before Hubby starts sawing logs.
I have always joked that having my daughters share a bedroom is the equivalent of hosting a slumber party every night. When we first transitioned to toddler beds, those girls were running around their room well past my bed time.
I try to be a "go with the flow" mom. Sure, I have rules and expectations, but sometimes it's fun to throw it all out the window and surprise my girls. The other night Roo, Cakes and Sue-Sue were climbing in their sisters' beds and pretending to be that sister. After everyone had brushed her teeth I said "OK, if you want to stay in the bed you're in, that's fine... but you have to actually sleep." So Roo claimed Cakes' bed, Cakes jumped in Sue-Sue's bed and Sue-Sue went to Roo's bed. Tortilla wanted nothing to do with this and I can't blame her. I hate sleeping in any bed but my own.
At first, it all seemed to be OK. Sure, when I said goodnight to Sue-Sue she insisted I call her Roo (remember, she was in Roo's bed). I reminded Roo that she was in Cakes' bed and could she please get up to use the potty rather than wet the bed. (In all fairness, Roo has had only one accident since becoming 100% diaper free, but Cakes seemed a little skepitcal about having Roo in her bed). Everyone settled down and I felt comfortable leaving the room.
Just as Hubby and I sat down to eat we heard the pitter patter of little feet. Roo was running down the hallway claiming she needed to use the potty. She sat down but nothing happened. I soon had her settled back into Cakes' bed. A few minutes later we heard a loud thud. Sue-Sue had fallen out of Roo's bed. After getting her squared away more noises followed. They wanted to talk. They wanted to sing. They wanted to run around the room. After about an hour I lost my patience. Everyone was sent back to her own bed... and was sound asleep within minutes. As for Tortilla, she slept through the whole thing. I can only imagine what sleepovers will be like when their friends are involved!
Several months ago (March? April? Time tends to blend together these days) Hubby and I made arrangements for the girls to sleep over at grandma and grandpa's, giving us an unprecedented night to ourselves. Then a flu bug ruined those plans and two of the girls and I were down for the count. It was quite a disappointment since Hubby and I had spent weeks planning our night out.
To celebrate our upcoming wedding anniversary Hubby secretly arranged for his parents to take our girls this past weekend. At first I was unsure and almost said no. We already had plans to attend a pool party during the day with his parents and I was concerned our daughters would be exhausted. In the end I decided to give it a try.
My main concern was what would happen at bed time. Our daughters have never spent a night without us. I shouldn't have worried. Cakes and Tortilla conked out right away. Roo and Sue-Sue treated the whole affair like a slumber party, but when grandma and grandpa moved them to another room and turned on a night light they settled down. In fact last night Tortilla asked to go sleep back at grandma's, so I guess the night was a success.
As for Hubby and I, we went to see the latest Harry Potter movie. It was OK. This was my least favorite book, so it shouldn't have surprised me that this installment of the movie wasn't so hot. Still, it was nice to be out without worrying about rushing to get home. Bed time was a bit strange without hearing the usual stirrings and sounds from the girls' room. All and all it was a fun time and a great surprise from Hubby. And in case you're wondering, I only called my in-laws once to check on the girls, so I think I handled the sleep over fairly well!
Every week when I wash my daughters' bedding I end up gathering up a toy box full of "stuff," too. They each have certain things they like to take to bed at night: Tortilla needs her blankie and also likes to have a small stuffed lamb with her. Sue-Sue has her blankie (actually she has two identical blankies and often wants both at night) and a stuffed polar bear she received about a year ago during a doctor's visit. Roo sometimes wants her blankie, but her animal of choice changes on a regular basis. Right now she's all about a stuffed penguin I bought at Kohl's when they had their Curious George themed books and toys. Cakes needs her blankie, but often doesn't want an animal.
The problem is that throughout the week they end up bringing more and more stuffed animals to bed. It starts innocently enough. One day Roo will be attached to a stuffed flamingo and want to take it to bed. Why not? But then a few days later she wants Curious George, and the penguin and the flamingo. Some nights I really don't know who has what in bed with them until we're all upstairs. When I announce "bed time," everyone goes running and I never know who has grabbed a new toy. This week when I did laundry I was amazed Tortilla even found room for herself in her bed. Here's what I found in her bed: her blankie, stuffed lamb, a large stuffed dalmation, a smaller version of the dalmation, a Dora doll, a Beanie baby teddy bear and a purse, yes, a purse. I was surprised to find there wasn't anything in the purse. I fully expected to find it stuffed with another animal, or, at the very least, some magnets.
I'm all about having comfort items in bed. If they want certain things with them to help them sleep it truly doesn't bother me. But when those things start taking over their bed, well, it starts to become an issue. So each week I clean out their bed, leave one or two treasured toys and start the process all over.
First a bit of housekeeping: I have family visiting from out of state this week. I am going to do my best to keep up with posting, but may not be as good at visiting my favorites. Please forgive me... I will resume visits by next week.
Perhaps the biggest challenge we've faced during the toddler years is the transition to toddler beds. This isn't just a "multiple" problem. I know parents with singletons who have been ready to pull their hair out during this phase. But put four little girls in the same room with no rails to keep them in bed and you might as well declare every night a slumber party.
At first, Hubby and I took turns staying in their room until every last girl was asleep. We had to do this or the "last girl standing" (usually Roo) would climb in the beds of her sleeping sisters and try to wake them up. I'm not making this up. On numerous occasions I found her in Tortilla's bed trying to shake her awake. This meant we were in their room until at least 9 p.m. most nights. We would take turns eating dinner. While I ate, Hubby would sit in their room and vice versa. It was no way to live.
This went on for at least a month. Finally I reached my breaking point. I would stay in their room for a half hour and then leave.... or so they thought. Really I would just sit outside their room and at the first sound go back in and startle whoever had climbed out of bed. Slowly, they started realizing bed time meant exactly that... time for bed.
I'm not sure what the turning point was. Exhaustion? (on both their part and ours). Somehow we managed to convince them to stay in bed. Now one of us stays in their room for about five minutes to make sure everyone settles down and then they're good for the night. Now if I can just figure out how to keep them from singing "wake up mommy" at 6:30 a.m. I'll feel like I have really mastered this whole sleeping thing.
