Search Results for: blog bedtime struggles

Bedtime Struggles

We had a hard time transitioning Jessie to her big girl bed that we gave up and put her back in her crib with a crib tent. When we needed to move Baby E out of the swing where she’d been sleeping because of severe reflux to her crib, we wanted to move Jessie to her new room so the children wouldn’t wake each other. We knew, however, that Jessie still wasn’t ready to sleep in her twin bed so we moved her crib into her new room. We hoped that sleeping in the room she’s not used to in … Continue reading →

St. Valentine’s Day

Today was a day my husband and I routinely ignore on an annual basis as something designed by marketers to make money selling situationally overpriced flowers and unnecessary calories to unsuspecting and uncreative individuals wishing to mimic the idea of love in a physical form. We ignore it to save money, to save time, and to save sanity. Often we would exchange a handwritten letter to one another as an indication that today is a day when people remember their love and commit to strengthen it anew in the face of the day to day struggles of any relationship. Today … Continue reading →

Planning For Life’s Little Surprises

When you work from home, it may be tempting to fill up your schedule with as much work as you can possibly cram into it. As tempting as it is, it is important to leave some room in your schedule to accommodate things that arise in the course of your everyday life that you can not predict. When you work from home, the amount of time that you are able to work is influenced by other things in your life such as the demands of home and family. The influence of home and family life on the amount of time … Continue reading →

Reflections on the Past School Year

Now that school year is over with, you may have seen Facebook posts from friends about how fast the year has gone by. Many parents will proudly declare that their child is now in such-and-such a grade. My own children were excited on that last day of school to announce they were now officially in the next grade…10th and 8th grade. And of course, there is the joy of my oldest son finishing high school. Every year it feels the exact same way…as a parent, you can’t help but ask, “Where did the time go?” I can still remember that … Continue reading →

The Influence of Older Siblings on Preschoolers

A preschooler is blessed to have older siblings. A big sister is great for reading bedtime stories, doing hair and laughing. A big brother will play all day outside, let you win, and doesn’t mind if you get dirty. A sweet relationship develops between older and younger siblings. There are trying times, challenges, and disagreements but in the end a bond is formed that cannot be broken. Most big brothers and sisters have no intention of being a poor influence on their younger siblings. Many times what is acceptable and age appropriate for an older sibling is not acceptable or … Continue reading →

The Sleep Nazi

I’ve been called a lot of unflattering things since becoming a parent, but “Sleep Nazi” is not one of them. Allow me to clarify: I am often accused of being a “Sleep Nazi,” only I don’t consider it unflattering at all. In fact, it’s a title I wear with unrelenting, in-your-face pride. If you saw how my child acts when she doesn’t get a good’s night sleep, I guarantee you would dig deep to find a much more complimentary title for me. I am a stickler when it comes to bedtime; namely because my child is an absolute wreck if … Continue reading →

Go To Sleep!

I have written many times about the troubles we have with getting the toddler to sleep. She has been having terrors about being left alone in her room and going to sleep. She’s also waking in the middle of the night and having trouble going back to sleep. If there’s a thunder storm, we’re guaranteed to have her awake and wanting to sleep in our bed. We just don’t know what to do. I bought some children’s books on thunder to help Jessie with overcoming her fear, but she mindlessly ripped them to shreds along with one of her Fancy … Continue reading →

The Thunder Rolls

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Sleep has become a big issue in our house. The toddler is not having any of it. She’s done. She wants to be out partying and doing whatever everyone else is doing. It’s really not all that exciting out here, but I’m sure it is for her. Jessie was such a good sleeper when she was a baby. We would put her in her bed and she’d flop over and go to sleep. She’d sleep through the night. She took three good naps during the day too. It was wonderful. We had a few rough patches with sleeping but they’ve … Continue reading →

When Baths are a Battle

When you welcomed your child into your home, you may have had idyllic ideas about the joys of bath time–perhaps you imagined a cherubic baby, all a-glow and splashing gleefully in the tub. The truth is however, that some children do not like baths, and for some parents, bath time becomes a struggle and a battle and ANYTHING but fun. What can be done? Several months ago, I touched on the subject of expecting children’s attitudes about bathing to change over time and that sometimes they might be into it and at other times they might not. For some children, … Continue reading →

The Adventures of Gus & Phil

No matter how well your children read, there is nothing like hearing a story read aloud. They can close their eyes and call upon their imagination to paint the vivid pictures that the stories convey. Listening to stories promotes creativity, improves vocabulary, and promotes relaxation allowing a child to wind down in the evening in preparation for sleep. Pair the valuable act of listening to stories with the values in the Adventures of Gus & Phil, and you have a winning combination. According to the author Ivan Benson, these stories were originally created “as a medium to talk about events … Continue reading →