The Battle of the Beds! Round 1

Hey Y'all:

I've talked about this on a few occasions but today I'm determined, to get my kids out of my bed. I am currently sitting at my desk with a Tiger Balm heat wrap around my neck because my three children insist upon sleeping with my husband and I.

This morning I woke up on the very edge of my queen sized bed with the twins between my husband and I. I'm done! I came to work today and my very smart, talented and efficient Mom friend informed me that I really need to get it together and put them back in the bed. Feeling incompetent with this darn thing on my neck, I agreed wholeheartedly. Beginning tonight I'm going to make them get back into their bed after our midnight or 3 AM trip to the bathroom.

I know that Leah will be the most difficult because she hunts me down in the house. If I'm in the bathroom and she can't find me she runs through the house calling my name "mommy where are you" and when she finally finds you I receive a huge hug and notification "mommy I was wooking all over for you". So the midnight madness is going to wear her out no doubt. She's going to scream and holler but I'm going to keep to my guns and put her back in her bed. Myles is also going to be difficult because he just wants to be close to me. Erick is continuting his pattern from birth (he was always in my bed!). I've tried to make their bedroom and cool experience but I guess I've not done well. They just don't like sleeping in their rooms! No more excuses though it's my goal to set bedtime in order.

Here is how it would work in my ideal world. I don't get home until 8:00 pm so please don't judge me for the times listed by each activity.

• Bath time - 9:00 p.m.
  
• Pajama time - 9:20 p.m.
  
• Story time - 9:30 p.m.
  
• Drink of water/milk - 9:45 p.m.
  
• Potty time - 9:50 p.m.
  
• Prayers - 9:55 p.m.
  
• SLEEP - 10:00 p.m.
  
• Midnight or 3:00 a.m. wake up for potty (this is typically when they end up in my bed)
  
• Back to their bed!

Round 1 starts tonight with hubby out of town. Hopefully the 'it takes 7 days to break a habit' thing works for this as well!

Please share your bedtime rules/checklists with me. I need HELP!
Until next time...
MUAH!

Related Posts:
Ode To My Bed
I Keep On Falling....

I keep on falling....

Hey Y'all:

I missed Twin Tuesday yesterday so I had to put a quick one up about the little ones.

It's official the twins are now toddlers, so over the holiday weekend the Hubby and I converted their cribs into toddler beds! Yay! We were really hoping that this would encourage them to sleep in their own beds (check out my previous post regarding co-sleeping).

We have a problem! Not so much about them getting out of their beds to come to ours (which is happening of course) the problem is Leah.

She keeps falling out of the bed!

The other night we tucked her in kissed her goodnight and went to bed. At about 2:30 a.m. there was a thud and a high pitched scream from our little girl. I jumped up and ran into the room and found my precious doll on the floor hollering! Not sure how she did it because there are rails on the bed but some how or another she fell through the hole in the middle. Last night to avoid the thud and scream I put a blanket on the (carpted) floor. Sure enough she fell through but landed on the plush quilt.

Poor kid... what to do? Guess we'll have to invest in some more rails to keep her safely inside.

Until next time...
MUAH!

Ode to my bed...

Hey Y'all:

At one time you were all mine. The hubby and I could lay across you with plenty room to spare.
Now my dear bed you are over crowded.
There isn't room to move around from side to side
No room to stretch my arms wide
No room my dear bed for the rightful owners to occupy!

Listen folks I don't know if anyone else has experienced this but I'm not a fan of co-sleeping or the family bed! For the past four years my husband and I haven't had a full nights sleep in or own bed (except for the RARE occasions the kids are gone all at one time, which is almost NEVER) We have been officially kicked out of or own bed.

Most children only sleep in their parents bed if the parent is actually present, not the three Brown children. They could care less if we are in the bed or not. Erick, Leah and Myles believe the queen sized bed in our room belongs to them. We moved out of a two bedroom dwelling into a three bedroom to give everyone enough space but it feels like we live in a studio apt between the hours of 9p.m. and 6a.m.! The twins absolutely REFUSE to sleep in their cribs. I've tried everything, we went through the "let them cry stage" tried to get them to sleep together, I even went to the extreme measures of leaving a tee shirt I'd previously worn, in the crib to see if it was my scent they needed. NOTHING has worked!

On a good night (which again is rare) we all start off in our respective spaces. The twins fall asleep in my arms and I carry them to their crib. Erick is tucked into his comfy Thomas themed bed and mommy and daddy both head off to the confines of the 'master suite'. Then around 3 a.m. all hell breaks loose. Erick makes his way into our bed, we send him back to his, he comes back, we take him back, he returns... after the fourth back and forth I'm to tired to fight so he remains in the bed with us. Then around 3:30 a.m. Leah starts crying we go check on her, give her back the pacificer, she's not consolded so we end up picking her up and bringing her to the bed. It's 4:00 a.m. and Myles is now awake and wants out of his baby jail as well. By this time all five of us are in the bed.

My back is killing me because Erick feels the need to put his foot in it. Leah is laying on her dads chest and Myles is somewhere in the middle (I have to put him in the middle to make sure he doesn't fall out of the bed!) I decide I can't take it anymore so I head to Erick's bed. One of the twins might cry again for something to drink so the hubby gets a drink for them and decides he can't take the crowd either so he pulls out the couch beds and calls it a 'night'. By the time we all wake up in the morning, no one is where they started off.

What do I do?

Until next time...

MUAH!