Still writing...

The latest column on bedtimes...

Kindergartener. Say it with me. Yep, I have one. My son is going to be a kindergartener. We have several adjustments ahead of us, but adjusting from the not so strict bedtime; to being rested for a school day is one I want to get handle on.
Teaching the kiddos good sleep habits has been one of my most deliberate parenting choices. I have read a bunch of books and followed my heart and happy to report I have three pretty good sleepers. Respecting the fact that I probably have little to do with what kind of sleepers my babes are, and that all mamas have to do what feels right for them, I will try to steer away from my soap box. But let’s all agree sleep is undeniably important.
We shoot for 10-11 hours of sleep. And naps are out of the question according to my guy. With the increased demand on school aged children and little time for naps, I will follow his lead. However, unbeknownst to him I added that hour into his night time rest. We have established some routines at our house in an effort to reduce difficulties falling asleep and with some luck bedtime resistance. You know that endless bedtime thirst and one more hug and kiss (though I will be sad when that one goes away).
I did a little more research and found that there are two ways to help your kiddos prepare for school bedtime; waking them up earlier and sending them to bed earlier.
So here is how I am going to tackle this school-time bedtime schedule. Wanting to be consistent I plan to keep our current routine (don’t reinvent the wheel, right) and just shift the current 8:30ish bedtime back by 15 minutes every couple of days, until we get closer to 7:45. Also, feeding them breakfast right when they wake-up, I hope will get them going earlier.
Consistency, time, and knowing it may take a couple of weeks for my kindergartener to become accustomed to a structured bedtime routine are my tools. We have so much to look forward to this school year.

Activites...

I desperately need to enroll the children in some activities for the fall. They all are asking to do something. Even their father is on my case to do something. I would like to have some sort of system that says one sport and/or activity after school per child per season. However, there is something to be said for needing to try a bunch of different stuff to determine their true interest. I may be over thinking it, but I just don't want to be running for hours and hours on head every day. There is value in a family dinner several nights a week as well. So with that being said, I am planning the following:

Fall
Wyeth: Soccer and Wrestling
Ella: Gymnastics
Fara: ?? She may be forced to wait

Winter
Swimming for all

Blah, blah, blah...I am over thinking it.

QsOTD

Fara: "Uh oh, I got my foots wet."

Wyeth: "If a guy breaks into our house, will I still be grounded?" Um, yeah. I am not sure how the two would be related.

Ella: "Oh shit, I fell down." It made me laugh, but I did remind her that little girls shouldn't talk like that.

The July Absence

So, July was a tough one here on the Little Known Moments home front.

When I named this blog, I did so with the intention of being quite honest about ALL that goes into being a mother. And with that being said, this isn't a blog about what it is like to be a wife. BUT, I will be honest. When we are having a "marriage moment" my role as mother is affected and I struggle.

And there are you have it. I was quiet, because I was coping.

Sweet Baby Far-far

My sweet Chib...

You are not much of a baby anymore. You are run and laugh and talk in complete sentences. Once you are potty-trained you leave your babyhood in the dust. And my guess is the potty-training thing is just around the corner. You show tons of interest, it's me...I lack the motivation it takes. Sorry... please forgive me.

You are an adorable child. Quite the ham. Like in picture, you are wearing the flames for Ella's kitchen as a hat. The more people laugh, the longer you kept it on. Wyeth and Ella love to laugh with the adults when you are being silly, which you find delightful. You love your siblings. You aren't always as kind as I would like to see, but I know you cherish them both.At your two year well-baby, we learned that kinda little for your age. Except for your head, it's huge! All those brains I suppose. You were 22 lbs, which is in the 10 percentile. It's hard to impress our pediatrician, but you weren't about to perform to win her over either.

Your hair!!! I know it's not the top of your list as you are learning language and walking backwards and how to color in the lines, but really... it's time to grow some hair kiddo! Your sister had you beat at this age. No pressure, just sayin'.

I love you, my darling girl. Let's work together on finding healthier ways to deal with our emotions. I vow to do a better job of remembering you are only two and you work on not biting those who wrong you. Deal?