In the weeks since D&R joined our immediate family, last night was in the Top 5 Worst Bedtimes Ever. Something has got to give, and since wrapping them in straitjackets isn’t a viable option, I’m brainstorming new bedtime routines.

I’ve wondered might be keeping them awake … if it’s anything other than the group dynamic. We don’t let the boys have sugary drinks at dinner, and they don’t snack afterward. In fact, we only have dessert a couple of times a week, and even then, they don’t get a whole lot. They eat balanced meals and only get caffeine as a special treat (and not at night!).

Separating them at bedtime has been about the only thing that works, but having to do that equates to punishment for Lane and me, since one or both of us is going to have to monitor each separation location.

Our bedtime routine usually includes a verbal checklist (brush teeth, pick up toys, put on PJs), then everyone gathers together for prayers. It’s ironic how even prayer time can prompt a fight, b/c everyone wants to go first. We started going in age order, reverse age order, or seating order to divvy up the sequence. Everyone gets a turn to pray, and if they don’t want to, they just say, “Skip.” That seems to be working well for us at dinner and bedtime.

I also enjoy reading to/with them, and sometimes they ask me to sing to them or rub their backs, but usually it is such a hassle just to get from dinner to baths to prayer time that I’m exhausted and frazzled. I miss those quiet moments, and I’d like more of them. So, I’ve been thinking …

With school right around the corner, we’ve got to get a more steady routine in place. Instead of trying to put the younger three to bed at the same time (A&J get to stay up a little later), I think I’ll try doing shifts. At 8pm, we can put R&R in bed and take time to read a story, sing a song, scratch backs, etc. just with the two of them. At 8:30, D. needs to head to bed, and that can be his quiet time one-on-one. A&J can stay up till 9pm, which will give them big-kid time to talk, read, etc. J shares a room with D, and D doesn’t like being in there by himself, but we’re working on it.

I’m also brainstorming some relatively simple changes that I can make to my morning/evening routines to help lower my stress level. I enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning (though I don’t *have* to have it), but more often than not, I forget to set the timer, and by the time the morning rolls around, I’m too busy getting all of us ready to even think about the coffee pot.

It would be nice to have a cup of coffee and sit on the patio, take some time to read my Bible and pray, have a grown-up conversation with Lane or just be still and enjoy the quiet.

Maybe an evening walk would do more good than just exercise … it could be a time to think in solitude and work out my frustrations. I’ve tried repeatedly to get up earlier in the morning, but it just isn’t happening. I think I need to accept the fact that I’ve turned into more of a night owl than an early bird.

Anyway, those are some of my thoughts. I have a hunch that my own quality of sleep will improve when the boys’ bedtime routine becomes less stressful. It’s hard to wind down my brain to rest when I’m so aggravated at them. It would be nice to have an evening conversation with Lane that didn’t sound like a Police Blotter report (Suspect Name; Offense; Time/Place of Offense; Victims’ Name(s); Punishment).