...a rousing game of Whack-a-Mole: not because I'm going around with a mallet hitting anyone on the head :), but because trying to wrestle all four boys into bed--and keep them there--feels nearly impossible sometimes. I get three in, but then--POP--out comes one. I corral him back into his room; but uh oh, there goes another.
Shav is the easy one; once he's in bed, he stays there and can't get out. Gotta love cribs...and boys that are too little to climb out. :) But the other three! I go around, turning out lights, giving kisses, pulling blankets up under chins, feeling thankful that I finally got Tobin wrestled into bed (because when you're two, bed is not a place you want to go, especially if there are lights on in another part of the house and a daddy awake somewhere away from you!). Tobin's in bed, but where's Josiah? He slipped away to go downstairs and give Jeff a good night hug and kiss, but he hasn't come back. How long does it take to say good night anyway? "Josiah," I call down the steps, "you need to come up now!" He does, a little reluctantly, and I rejoice that everyone is in bed. I say good night and breathe a sigh of relief. Time to make my way down the stairs and enjoy a little me-time.
But wait. What's that I hear? Tobin needs to poop? Groan. Back up the stairs I go. It feels like it takes forever to get him settled again, and my patience level is not quite as high as it was the first go-round. But I make it through without losing my cool, sometimes by remembering my grandmother's advice, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." OK, I'll keep my mouth shut so I don't hurt his feelings by my impatient tone of voice. Blow him a kiss. Out the door I go. Down the steps. Ah...
Oh no. David's up now? What does he need? A drink of water. Sigh. Didn't I remind him that he needs to get a drink before he gets in bed because, of course, if he gets up to get a drink, Tobin will have to get up, too. Here we go again. Will they ever all fall asleep??
Who needs games at a carnival when I can have such fun playing Whack-a-Mole in the comfort of my own home?
But at least, my boys are such cute moles. ;-)
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6 comments:
My friend with eight said it was a lot like herding ants. :)
very sweet and funny! we have that game, too, so i know just what you mean! at the moment adam goes to sleep at 6pm, which makes it a breeze to get eric into bed at 7:30-ish. baby wakes at 3am for a feed, and other mums have suggested i try to push his sleeping pattern to start later so I only get a 6am or so wakeup, but honestly, it suits me better to have an easy evening. adam only takes 20 mins or so to feed, and then sleeps again til 6am or so, which works for us.
Katie, when I wrote this, I was thinking, "How do people with large families do it? I can't imagine!!" :)
Morning, I think your schedule sounds wonderful; and I'm so glad Adam is a good sleeper for you! It makes a world of difference!
Oh, little boys are famous for delaying bedtime! My son usually decides it is imperative that he must clean out his bookbag or trim his fingernails or *anything* when we tell him it's time for bed. It's like bedtime comes as a surprise to him every night!
I've been thinking about your MIL visiting y'all for the next few weeks. I would consider it helpful if you can write a little about the relationship you have with her, basically kind of *how to have a good relationship with your MIL*. As a Godly woman, I know you would be well-spoken on this topic.
Oh, Mary! What a suggestion! I would LOVE to write a post about this, telling what I've learned through the years about MIL relationships. I'll keep this in the back of my head, and hopefully during the next few days, words will pop out of my fingers. :)
Thanks for asking me to do this; I'm honored!
I will say, in brief, that I'm blessed with a wonderful MIL...but our relationship didn't start out well, and it's had to grow during the years.
Oh, there's so much I could say! But another time. Soon, I hope...
Wow, we have our own version of Whack-a-Mole at our house too! At least Asia can't get out of bed yet :)
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