Archive for the ‘sleep’ Category
May 23rd, 2010
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As busy parents, we don't get to watch a fat ton of television. There are a few shows that we watch faithfully (Lost, Flash Forward, Survivor, Amazing Race) and we generally watch them after the kids go to bed and we've done all of our "chores" for the night (cleaning up, making coffee and lunches, etc). We often begin around 10:15 and watch a 1-hour show to finish in time for the 11 o'clock news. It generally works out pretty well. But not tonight…
My husband and I have been fans of Lost since the very first Episode. Thanks to the DVR, we've never missed an episode. I'd argue that it's the best written television show I've ever seen. If you haven't seen it, you should absolultely, without a doubt, get the DVDs and watch all of the seasons.
Of course we've been watching faithfully this season and have been waiting for tonight's finale forever.
ABC had to go and throw 4.5 hours of Lost into the mix tonight, though, making it very difficult to fit that into our "after the kids go to bed" TV routeine.
We figured with the DVR skipping commercials, we could fit it into a mere 3 hours. We really want to see it tonight for fear of some yahoo on Facebook spoiling it for us (you know it'll happen)
The kids generally go to bed between 9-10 in the summer, depending on naps, what we did that day, etc.
So we planned very carefully. We spent the entire day outside, being active. We went to the Montour Trail and took a 2 mile bike ride. Then headed to Wildwood Highlands for 18 holes of (mini)golf and some games, then home for more bike riding and outside water play. No naps were taken.
We thought our recipe of sun, activity and no sleep woudl SURELY mean an easy 9 p.m. bedtime, making us able to finish tonights episodes by midnight and still able to function tomorrow.
Apparantly the kids are not Lost fans.
It's 9:40 p.m. and they are still hollering to us, forcing us to play the "run up the stairs and see what they need" game (or else they'd just keep hollering louder till we came, trust me).
I've tried explaining the quality of the character development and overarching storylines. I've tried telling them bedtime stories about the Dharma inititive…all to no avail. 
Go to sleep little people!
Do you have certain TV shows that you try to get your kids to bed early so you can watch?
What's your game plan? Does it work or do you find yourself as "lost" as me? (or not Lost, in my case)
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As busy parents, we don't get to watch a fat ton of television. There are a few shows that we watch faithfully (Lost, Flash Forward, Survivor, Amazing Race) and we generally watch them after the kids go to bed and we've done all of our "chores" for the night (cleaning up, making coffee and lunches, etc). We often begin around 10:15 and watch a 1-hour show to finish in time for the 11 o'clock news. It generally works out pretty well. But not tonight…
My husband and I have been fans of Lost since the very first Episode. Thanks to the DVR, we've never missed an episode. I'd argue that it's the best written television show I've ever seen. If you haven't seen it, you should absolultely, without a doubt, get the DVDs and watch all of the seasons.
Of course we've been watching faithfully this season and have been waiting for tonight's finale forever.
ABC had to go and throw 4.5 hours of Lost into the mix tonight, though, making it very difficult to fit that into our "after the kids go to bed" TV routeine.
We figured with the DVR skipping commercials, we could fit it into a mere 3 hours. We really want to see it tonight for fear of some yahoo on Facebook spoiling it for us (you know it'll happen)
The kids generally go to bed between 9-10 in the summer, depending on naps, what we did that day, etc.
So we planned very carefully. We spent the entire day outside, being active. We went to the Montour Trail and took a 2 mile bike ride. Then headed to Wildwood Highlands for 18 holes of (mini)golf and some games, then home for more bike riding and outside water play. No naps were taken.
We thought our recipe of sun, activity and no sleep woudl SURELY mean an easy 9 p.m. bedtime, making us able to finish tonights episodes by midnight and still able to function tomorrow.
Apparantly the kids are not Lost fans.
It's 9:40 p.m. and they are still hollering to us, forcing us to play the "run up the stairs and see what they need" game (or else they'd just keep hollering louder till we came, trust me).
I've tried explaining the quality of the character development and overarching storylines. I've tried telling them bedtime stories about the Dharma inititive…all to no avail.
Go to sleep little people!
Do you have certain TV shows that you try to get your kids to bed early so you can watch?
What's your game plan? Does it work or do you find yourself as "lost" as me? (or not Lost, in my case)
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I always enjoy reading the "funny things kids say" threads and discussing them with friends. (Except, of course, when they're not really that funny but the parents' think they are). I have a funny one I thought I'd share with you, in the hopes that you find it funny too (and if not you can nod and smile and pretend I'm funny).
Last week, after several days (and by several I mean SEVEN LONG DAYS) alone with the kids because of the snow storm I was at my wits end. They were being relatively good, but we were all feeling cooped up and bored with our routine of finding creative things to do in the house. Ben was being unusally cranky by the seventh day (he was also fighting a cold).
This is the boy that never naps. In fact, he doesn't sleep much at all. Some days he really needs a nap…but getting him to take one is a challenge (and by challenge, I mean pain in the ass).
I dediced to try the "lay all the couch cushions on the floor, pop in a movie and pretend we're camping" approach, hoping he would fall asleep.
And guess what, he did! Less than half way into the movie he konked right out. Matthew stayed awake to watch the whole movie.
Less than an hour into the nap of all naps (which, when I can get him to sleep, will last hours…long, peaceful hours), I got up to go into the other room for ONE MINUTE.
One lousy minute!
And then I heard arguing. It went something like "uh uh! Nut uh! ut uh! Nut uh!" and there were two little voices, not just one.
It didn't make sense, Ben was asleep!
Ben proceeded to wake up and be EXTREMELY grumpy (the only thing that makes him more grumpy than not taking a nap when he needs one is being woken up from a nap before he's done napping) and I yelled for Matthew to come in and demanded he explain why (oh, god why!?!) Ben was awake.
And he said….(wait for it…)
Well, well, well….I woke him up to tell him he was sleeping.
No joke.
Somehow I don't think he'll end up in Gifted Education.
So what funny logic have your kids come up without of the blue?
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I always enjoy reading the "funny things kids say" threads and discussing them with friends. (Except, of course, when they're not really that funny but the parents' think they are). I have a funny one I thought I'd share with you, in the hopes that you find it funny too (and if not you can nod and smile and pretend I'm funny).
Last week, after several days (and by several I mean SEVEN LONG DAYS) alone with the kids because of the snow storm I was at my wits end. They were being relatively good, but we were all feeling cooped up and bored with our routine of finding creative things to do in the house. Ben was being unusally cranky by the seventh day (he was also fighting a cold).
This is the boy that never naps. In fact, he doesn't sleep much at all. Some days he really needs a nap…but getting him to take one is a challenge (and by challenge, I mean pain in the ass).
I dediced to try the "lay all the couch cushions on the floor, pop in a movie and pretend we're camping" approach, hoping he would fall asleep.
And guess what, he did! Less than half way into the movie he konked right out. Matthew stayed awake to watch the whole movie.
Less than an hour into the nap of all naps (which, when I can get him to sleep, will last hours…long, peaceful hours), I got up to go into the other room for ONE MINUTE.
One lousy minute!
And then I heard arguing. It went something like "uh uh! Nut uh! ut uh! Nut uh!" and there were two little voices, not just one.
It didn't make sense, Ben was asleep!
Ben proceeded to wake up and be EXTREMELY grumpy (the only thing that makes him more grumpy than not taking a nap when he needs one is being woken up from a nap before he's done napping) and I yelled for Matthew to come in and demanded he explain why (oh, god why!?!) Ben was awake.
And he said….(wait for it…)
Well, well, well….I woke him up to tell him he was sleeping.
No joke.
Somehow I don't think he'll end up in Gifted Education.
So what funny logic have your kids come up without of the blue?
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It's a wonder I'm not thin. Really. You do the math.
We have 14 stairs from our first floor to our second floor. Up + down = 28 steps. I have two kids, each of which gets out of bed approximately 429 times on a given night.
28 x 429 x 2 = skinny, right?
What is it with bedtime? Why do my kids get so needy at bedtime? Generally we close and lock the gate at the top of the steps so they stand there and scream for us with a dozen different excuses. I've occasionally left the gate open and Matthew the good kid that he is, will still stand at the top of the steps. Ben, on the other hand, will wander down and scare the living daylights out of us when he magically appears out of nowhere.
The littany of excuses is comical, really. We usually get the "I have to go to the bathroom" (just go!) and I need covered up (If you hadn't have gotten out of bed and therefore uncovered yourself, you'd still be covered).
The times that make me laugh are when (Matthew usually) doesn't even have an excuse and he has to try to think of a reason that he dragged me all the way up those 14 long steps (and probably woke up his brother "whispering" MOM!! at the top of his little lungs). He stands there, so serious and says "uuuuummmmmmm….uuummmmmm, I……just……..ummmmm" and then what follows is usually good for chuckle.
We've gotten:
-I need my toe covered up (seriously)
-Take my empty cup!
-I dropped my bear (while he walked right by said dropped bear to come and tell me that his bear was on the ground)
-I'm scared
-I love you and miss you
-I need to pee again (four times in a row and I get suspect)
-I don't want the blanket on me
-Is tomorrow show-and-tell day?
-I need to brush my teeth
-I need to wash my hands
-I don't want to watch the baby move (don't ask me, I'm still clueless)
I think I'll start offering housework if they get out of bed. It seems like they'll do just about anything if it means a reason to get out of bed. Is it wrong to make a four-year-old scrub toilets?
So what crazy bedtime excuses have you gotten?
And what's your bedtime strategy? Keep going up and putting them back in their beds? Leave them alone and hope they'll fall asleep somewhere? Lock them in their rooms so they can't keep coming out?
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