A new routine

 

As was obvious from our last post. Things were a little crazy in these parts. After praying and fasting. We have found some new things we are trying to make us a happier home and a happier family. The first change started last night.

A brand new bed time routine. Seems as right now, the night time is our worst time. We have pretty good control and behavior during the day. The night time, the crazies come out and in full force too.

The old- We would read scriptures, pray, have a story, then if Cody was home each of us would lay by a kid til they were asleep. If he wasn’t home (which is more often then not) then I was splitting myself between both rooms as well as trying to feed Lacey and get her to sleep at the same time. It was chaos, I was grouchy, the children were pushing every button they could. Getting up, needing drinks, needing to go potty, needing food, needing, needing, needing. Ugh. I shudder and tense up just thinking about it. Most nights ended in Julia screaming for a few hours. YUCK!!!

The new-I made a bedtime chart that hangs on each of the kids’ doors. It is kid friendly with pictures. Our routine, Snacks, brush, jammies, scriptures, prayers, stories, tuck in bed, 15 minutes of reading (for them to look at books), lights out, soft music on, and then the last picture is a puppy sleeping on the moon, they both have puppies that they sleep with, and that picture means that we sleep in our own rooms all night long.

Bed time was a breeze. Julia tried twice to pull the old shanagins, but since we had had a special family meeting about this very routine, we all knew what would happen and when it would happen. She suffered the consequence of having her door shut for one minute. She climbed right into bed and drifted off to sleep on her own. She did wake up 3 times last night. Twice to go potty and the other for loves. She never asked for us to get in bed with her, she just loved us and said good night. It was quick, it was easy, and I still loved her when I woke up this morning. YAY!!!!

We also made a morning routine chart, which is similar. It is filled with a few basic things to do each morning. All of which we do just because we live here. The kids also still have their sticker charts. They are rewarded for doing things with out being asked. Like, doing nice things for each other, or helping out Mom and Dad. When they get 20 stickers they get $3.00.

As for time outs- with Julia they are pretty much unsuccessful. My project tomorrow is to make her a time out jar. It is similar to a snow globe. It is filled with glitter and will take 2 minutes for the glitter to all fall to the bottom. Instead of sitting in her room with the door shut when she is being wild, we are going to have her sit at the counter and watch the glitter fall. It is supposed to be relaxing, and will hopefully calm some of the wild-ness this little girl is filled with.

We are thankful for the answers we have found, and with a few other changes we made earlier in the week, we had a much happier home, happier Mom, and happier Julia. It was fabulous!

Oh and Lacey, she can’t be left out right? She is a joy. An absolute joy. We love her to death. She is a rolling maniac. The queen of stories, and a champion of an eater. She lights up the room with her smiles, and she seems to always be apart of everything. If everyone in the room laughs, she does too. She is captivating, we love watching her and giving her all of our attention. So much so that the children are fighting over her…