Oh, where did the day go!

I got to sleep in today!  Whoo hoooo, that doesn't happen often.  The older to got up and watched tv.  Ally woke up and ate then went back to sleep!  Awesome.  But that put our entire day off balance.  Ally slept in so took a late nap.  Which put everything late.  We were gonna go to my moms to visit, but by the time we were in the car it was 5:30! We still needed to go grocery shopping!  So a quick (as quick as possible) trip to Wal-Mart was all we had time for.  We stopped at McDonald's of coarse for dinner. 

It was so nice out still when we got home I took the kids for a little walk in our neighborhood.  Where we might have lost a bottle because I can't find one!  Ally is almost 10 months and now we lose a bottle! I am so bummed.  I either dropped it somewhere or she carried it off somewhere (she's a walker now)! She also unrolled a roll of toilet paper and snuck up the stairs today.  I do have a safety gate, but my 4 year old opened it!  And they all went up!  I was close behind, but she got up 3 stairs before I realized it! 

So the kids didn't get to bed until 8:30 and it took the older two forever to fall asleep!  Now here I am blogging instead of sleeping.  I must thou!  It is my therapy, and helps me keep my sanity!  Evie remembered we were supposed to go to grandma's.  I got off the hook with maybe we can go tomorrow!  Hope she forgets I have no intention of going anywhere tomorrow! 

Spring time disturbing nap time!

I love spring time, until the thunderstorms start up!  I used to like them, but the kids get so freaked out!  I spend forever telling them its ok and trying to explain!!! They are laying on the couch for quiet time watching Tinkerbell and the lost treasure!  But every time the thunderclaps they are up trying to see the thunder!  So much for quiet time.  I miss the days when they napped!  But now if they do fall asleep they are up all night!

  I changed they're bed time to 7pm which works out so much better than before, because no matter how late they are up they wake up at the same time!  Which is killer for me!  So I try very hard to have them getting ready for bed at 6:30 and in bed no later than 7.  It is amazing how much better it works out.  They're old bed time was 8!  I would fight with them all night and they'd pass out around 10!  Turns out they were just so over tired they couldn't sleep!

Now we eat dinner between 5 and 5:30 then they play quietly (if I have my way) until 6 or 6:30.  The time we start getting ready for bed depends on if they need a bath or not!  Then its pajamas, brush teeth, wash faces, brush hair, pick a book, and then head to bed.  Where I read them a book, and then turn on a movie.  They alternate picking a movie.  Usually Topher is asleep within a few minutes.  Evie watches the movie most nights then its lights out! 

To help them follow the bedtime routine I made cards with pics on it showing each step and put them on a key ring.  It helped them follow the routine until they learned it! Now we all have our bedtime routines down pat!

Christopher's meltdowns have tamed some since we instituted an earlier bedtime.  The best part is the bedtime battles are far less.  He still has many sensory issues we are working on, and the doctor thinks there is something more (psychological) but getting a diagnosis is impossible.  They sent us to Chicago Children's hospital psych department, and that was a joke.  I sat in a tiny sardine can room and talked to a psychologist and she watched him play in the little room.  How on earth she was supposed to understand him under those circumstances is beyond me!  I cant afford to drive to Chicago once a week!  Plus, he needs to have Occupational therapy and Behavioral therapy but that's 40$ a week plus gas!  We can't afford that!  I don't know what to do!  So I'm stressed and stuck!

Creating a Schedule!

I need help. I desperately need to create some type of schedule for our daily activities. I never know day to day what we will be doing or when we will do it. This makes planning for anything almost impossible. I just plan things and hope for the best. I don't know how many doctor visits I have had to reschedule due to kids taking naps late in the day. I don't care if the schedule is perfect I just need some type of a guideline. However, I don't know how to do this I have never been on time for anything let alone follow a set schedule. We have always just let our kids tell us when they are hungry or tired and worked around that. For infants this strategy is fine, but as kids age and become more vocal and active this no longer works. They become over tired and can't sleep or are really cranky. I would like to avoid these tantrums, and show the world the well behaved kids I see when they are not hungry or sleepy. My dad says my daughter is always cranky, but he never sees her when she isn't tired or hungry. I don't know what to do or how to do it. I think for my kids this is a necessity, but I am at a complete loss. I think life would run smoother if the kids and I new what to expect next. How the heck do you do that? Any ideas!

My daughter won't sleep!

My 18 month old daughter has never been one for sleeping a whole lot. Now that she is getting older it is getting harder and harder to get her to sleep. She has always slept in our bed and usually falls asleep in my or my husband's arms. She has regrettably never learned to fall asleep on her own. So if we can't lay down with her for whatever reason she is a bear. Also sometimes she just won't fall asleep. I don't know why. She can be super tired, but instead of sleeping she just goes and goes. As long as she gets whatever she wants she is fine, but if you tell her no she throws a fit because she is so tired. I don't know what to do. I have tried letting her cry in her crib, but I can't do it. We got up to 20 minutes of her just screaming then I quit. I couldn't handle it. Also during that time period she was extra clingy to me and extra whinny. I am at my whits end. I want her to get the sleep she needs, but I also want it at predictable intervals. So life can move on without tiptoeing around naps. I would like to create a schedule and have nap time at nap time. I don't know how to do this. We have always just let our daughter tell us when she is hungry or tired and worked around that. For infants this strategy is fine, but as kids age and become more vocal and active this no longer works.