Going to bed
All former or current parents of young children understand the sweet pleasantness and horrible annoyance of trying to get little ones to bed at night. After a day full of activity and learning and growing, both children and parents are exhausted. Stu and I are pretty strict about bedtime routines but not necessarily what the routines include (although we always say the bedtime prayer that starts "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep"). We've had lots of fun and unique (I think) "ways" the kids have liked to be tucked in to bed at night. If I remember correctly, it all started when Max was around three. I will list a few of the iterations of bedtime silliness we've been through so far, below:
1. Max's "home" - when Max was around 3, he insisted that I lay out a large fleece blanket, underneath his sheet and comforter, with the top edge tucked just under his pillow. He called this his "home" and would stand at the end of bed, count "1, 2, 3" and then leap into his home and snuggle in on top of his "home" and underneath his sheet and comforter.
2. I almost forgot, before Max could even speak very well, we would go to his room in preparation for bedtime and every night for what seemed like months and months and months, he would bring me the book "Peef, The Christmas Bear". We'd sit in the rocking chair and read that book every night. It's a very long book and I nearly had it memorized after a while.
3. Singing "The Green Grass Grows All Around" song - I think this one was incorporated in with the "home" era. First Max would snuggle into his home, then I'd have to sing "The Green Grass Grows All Around" song. Max and Ryann shared a bedroom at this time because Adam had been born and we wanted the oft-crying newborn to have his own space. Ryann would listen from her crib and both the kids wanted me to add extra verses. Pretty soon I was singing, "....a bug on the wing, and a wing on the bird, and a bird in the egg, and an egg in the nest, and a nest on the twig, and a twig on the branch, and a branch on the tree, and a tree on the root, and a root in the hole, and a hold in the ground (gaaaaaaassssp!) and the green grass grows all around, all around, and the green grass grows all around!!"
4. Doing "criss-cross applesauce" - recently, I taught the kids the touching game where you do certain "touches" on someone's back while sing-songing, "Criss-cross-applesauce, spiders crawling up your back, spiders crawling down your back, tight squeeze, cool breeze, now you've got the shiver-ies!" They so loved it, they began to ask for it in lieu of a bedtime song. Now, I am asked "Two criss-cross applesauces, please?!" and I have to do it twice in a row.
5. Singing "Mickey Mouse clubhouse" song - Somehow or other, Adam started requesting that I sing the themesong from the 1950's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show. I love doing this because now he knows a lot of the words and sings along with me. It's very sweet.
Now, if only after complying with their cute little wishes, the little angels would just lay their heads and zonk out immediately. But, I'm trying to enjoy each night because I know soon they won't need/want me coming to their rooms to "tuck them in" each night.
1. Max's "home" - when Max was around 3, he insisted that I lay out a large fleece blanket, underneath his sheet and comforter, with the top edge tucked just under his pillow. He called this his "home" and would stand at the end of bed, count "1, 2, 3" and then leap into his home and snuggle in on top of his "home" and underneath his sheet and comforter.
2. I almost forgot, before Max could even speak very well, we would go to his room in preparation for bedtime and every night for what seemed like months and months and months, he would bring me the book "Peef, The Christmas Bear". We'd sit in the rocking chair and read that book every night. It's a very long book and I nearly had it memorized after a while.
4. Doing "criss-cross applesauce" - recently, I taught the kids the touching game where you do certain "touches" on someone's back while sing-songing, "Criss-cross-applesauce, spiders crawling up your back, spiders crawling down your back, tight squeeze, cool breeze, now you've got the shiver-ies!" They so loved it, they began to ask for it in lieu of a bedtime song. Now, I am asked "Two criss-cross applesauces, please?!" and I have to do it twice in a row.
5. Singing "Mickey Mouse clubhouse" song - Somehow or other, Adam started requesting that I sing the themesong from the 1950's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show. I love doing this because now he knows a lot of the words and sings along with me. It's very sweet.
Now, if only after complying with their cute little wishes, the little angels would just lay their heads and zonk out immediately. But, I'm trying to enjoy each night because I know soon they won't need/want me coming to their rooms to "tuck them in" each night.
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