At Night

Do you ever wonder what exactly people are doing when they say getting the kids ready for bed? I also take part in the curiosities of this statement when I hear it from my friends. What do other people do? I have a routine (somewhat) but for some crazy reason it somehow finds a way to drag itself out for at least 1 to 2 hours a night. Is this normal?


Ella is a bit....well..... she is strong willed. Strong willed in the sense that she wants to do what she wants to do and she wants to do it her way. You can plead with the girl, you can be stern with the girl, you can barter or beg or compromise to no avail.

We start by having bath time (to help relax you know) and it ends up taking 20 minutes longer than a day at the pool. It's "Watch me swim like a shark Mommy!" "Watch my foot go in and out and in and out like this Mommy!" " Did you know I could see my face in here Mommy." And truly I do love it. I love watching her be silly and funny and I love spending time with her...but come on girl! It's bedtime!

So maybe it goes on like this:

Me - "Ella - we really need to wash your hair and get it nice and clean - Ella are you listening to Mommy? Ella?"

Ella - "Well Golllldiilocks was NOT a bear, was she?" "No, because if you were the Momma bear you would NOT have warm porridge would you Mom?"

Me - "Ella how about we wash up and THEN talk about Goldilocks and the Three Bears"

Ella - "I want to swim. I am still dirty. I need to soak. My ouchie is hurting!"

Me - "I will be so careful around your ouchie with the wash clothe. Maybe tomorrow we can start earlier and you can soak and play longer. Let's get washed up!"

Ella - "I want my Dad to give me a bath." "I want my Dad!" "I want my Dad!"


This could go on FOR-ever. I mean it. I don't even remember sometimes when we started and how it ended. LOL

When we finally get out of the bath, it's time to pick pajamas. She has to have the "right" ones. They are never the same - but we are so obviously prolonging bed time. This takes a while.

We then have a bed time snack to avoid hearing from her bed 30 minutes after we thought she was asleep: "Mommy, Daddy? I'm hungry - I want cereal! I need something to eat!"
She usually decides on "Peanut butter crunch cereal, no fruity pillows, no the one's that have the strawberries."
OR
"Hey don't we have that kind you put sugar on that one time that wasn't really sugar but that other stuff?" OK, so you get the picture right? The actual eating of the cereal - this also takes time.

Now it's off to brush teeth. Please don't let me leave Gage out. He is here all the while wanting to know (complaining) about why Ella can't just DO something without talking so much. Wondering (complaining) why she takes SO MUCH TIME for everything. And asking (complaining) about why she is so whiny at night and early in the morning! So the teeth brushing is a process for us. The kids argue over who is on the right side of the sink. Who knew everyone had to have assignments? Table assignments maybe but sink assignments?

Then story time.

Ella - "Mom I want five books tonight."

Me - "Lets talk about two books"

Ella - "I want three books"

Gage - "I just want ONE book!!!"

Ella - "DADDY!" "I want Daddy!"

Wade - "Two books Ella"

When story time is over she tricks me with her chubby cheeks and soft kissy lips and tight squeezing arms into laying in her little tiny bed with her little voice saying "For just a couple minutes - OK?"

And Gage is annoyed again - not remembering he once had chubby pinchy cheeks and tight squeezing arms too. And don't tell anyone, but he still does sometimes. How I love those times that don't come enough.

So some nights you will find me trying to find a way to sneak out of her room stealth like on my tip toes when she is half asleep. Other nights she will get a hold of me like a vise (if a vise was so cute and you couldn't help but to keep tightening it around your neck) and I can't bare to leave her until I know those lids covering those big blue eyes are completely still and won't open until morning.

And when they are finally tucked in and sleeping I feel happy I was a part of that crazy messy bubble of a run on sentence that is my life. I watch them and am amazed at the wonders that they are. I can't wait to meet the older versions of them, sometimes wondering what kind of people they will become.

I wonder if when I talk to other people who are "Getting the kids ready for bed" If they are in their own sitcky sweet bubblegum bubble. Their own long conversation that is this life.