GO TO BED!!!!!

I thought you couldn't survive without sleep??? So why do my children fight it??? Why do they not GO TO BED....WHY DO THEY KEEP GETTING UP...WHY DO THEY INSIST ON CRAWLING INTO BED WITH US???  Shouldn't one desire to be comfortable to sleep and cramming four bodies into one bed just isn't comfortable....I remember doing all of this to my parents and remember how being with them felt safe...I also now understand how they felt and why they were so tired all the time!!!

My first child slept with us until she was 8 months...some times with us and sometimes in her car sleep...at least she slept.

My second one...I am smiling...My little Mar...she needs her own blog...she was the spitter upper, poop up the back kid at 4 am and screamed and fought sleep...We would drive in the car, thinking she was asleep and find her wide awake....We even had to buy a tent  for her crib (yes they make those) because she wouldn't stay in bed. I even got the looks from people when we told them how she slept and the "unasked for" advice of, "oh you just need to keep putting her back in bed, even if it takes 77 times..."  Funny those people never offered to come do it...and if you know me...I did the 77 plus 100 times more and spent the  $80.00 bucks on the tent.  She may need therapy someday but for a while I got some sleep. Might I mention she also quit taking naps at 15 months. That tent was for my sanity during the day.

My third one, he is our boy and at least with that, he is our easy one with  bedtime, so far. We just put him in a "big boy bed" so anything can go now.

I googled sleep deprivation about about 1,200,000 and more results popped up.  Each link  had a  short description of how lack of sleep leads to mood disorders, poor diets and even death.  They also state how we have come accustom to these fast paced lives and are giving up sleep because of them.  All I can say is yep... everyone now a days is moody and we have incorporated Mcdonald's into our diet and fast paced lives.....(even with apple dippers, it isn't healthy???z;0)

We put our kids to bed at 8 every night school or no school....There are some nights it doesn't always look like that but we try.  I believe like a lot of things, sleep is a learned habit and I want my kids to learn good habits.  As I write this, I am convicted on what my sleep schedule is like.

I hate going to bed and I hate getting up.  I desire so bad to get up before my kids in the morning, to work out, pray and read, have my coffee, see my husband off to work.....I fail miserably in doing so.

On the other side, I want to have lights out like the Waltons every night... everyone saying their goodnights from their beds..... but once those babies of mine are in bed or in and out of bed 5 or 10 times, I just want to vedge or if anything just finish laundry....again failing miserably on the right thing.

I know this is just a season of life but also really wonder once it is over,  will I adjust to what I want?  Even before kids, I didn't go to bed early and seldom got up early unless I had to work.  Did I just learn a bad habit and now have to break it so my children can learn a good one?


I really am up for the challenge, but like my 7 year old, " I don't want to go to bed...."

This summer I think we started heading somewhere in the right direction. We got rid of cable in hopes to use our time at night better.  It has helped a lot.  Most nights we are going to bed at a decent time but I still am not finding the motivation to rise early!

My mind is now mush...it must be telling me to go to bed. ...Like my kids, I am dreading brushing my teeth and washing my face.  I think I know too it is because either the moment I fall asleep I will hear foot steps or wake up in a panic because of something I forgot to do or need to remember to do  something in the morning.........still up...hoping something else pops in my head....night