Bedtime

This is still part of the to do list, I just didn't include to do list in the post title because today is B on the Challenge.

Beat Bedtime Blues By Being Better


Bedtime


I know some people may think this is an odd topic for a to do list. It's not. Writers and non writers alike have trouble stopping what they're doing and going to bed. It's not always easy to get to bed at a decent time. I will admit I suck at it. Most of my nights go on until at least 2AM and many times well after that. I can't stop writing/critiquing/revising/etc. It's a harder feat when you have kids.

Which is something else that this goes with. Getting kids to bed on time. That's almost as hard as getting ourselves there. Kids want to stay up. They want to play, or watch TV or if they're like mine-they're just plain nosy. My oldest is always complaining about going to bed because she's afraid she'll miss out on something exciting.

No matter if you need to get only yourself, or both you and little ones-decent bedtime is hard to accomplish. I've found that no matter what I try, I can't get to bed early. There are too many things I have/want to get done and I can't do it until my kids are in bed. Plus, I'm a night owl, always have been. I function better in the late hours of the night-or VERY early hours of the morning. Either way, I can't make myself get to bed early.

Things to try...If you're one of those people who can tell yourself you're going to do something, and it actually works, then do that. Pick a time you would like to go to bed-do it in advance so it's on your mind-and then that's when you'll stop whatever you're doing and go to bed. Motivate yourself with figuring. Figure how many hours you have until you need to be up the next day. Then motivate yourself with that. You want to get some sleep, so decide how much you need to really function. No one wants to be a grumpy Gus.

If you have little kids that make bedtime a chore...find something that helps them relax. There are several different things we do over here. Some nights it's an herbal tea (decaf btw) My kids love it, they love that they have their own tea, and it's got natural herbs that help them to relax. Win-win. Something else is music-something without words and with smooth sounds is what helps mine. Reading is another excellent way to get the kids to wind down. For mine, it's the Bible. Any children's books just get them riled up. Finally, a massage. Yep, I give my little ones massages, have since they were infants. It came highly recommended by several health professionals and also two different parenting classes i took. My daughters absolutely love it. I usually just gently rub their backs and they get sleepy within a minute or two. Kids stress out too, ya know.

So, yeah this was a bit longer than intended but, there ya go.

Happy Sleeping :)