Bedtime

We've been having a super difficult time getting the kids to go to bed lately. We put them in bed at 8 p.m., and they are still awake at 9:30, 10 o'clock. Last night I got so fed up with it I came up with an artful parenting plan. (my old plan consisted of me yelling up in increasingly irritated tones "Kids, go to bed!!!!!")

Last night, after two hours of listening to them yuk it up in their bedroom when they were supposed to be asleep, I got up, went to the laundry room, grabbed a two-foot high pile of their laundry, and took it upstairs. I switched on the light, and said "I can tell you guys really aren't sleepy. There is so much to do around here, you might as well spend your time usefully, so put away this laundry. And clean the room when you are done. Then you can try going to sleep again. If you still aren't sleepy after the laundry and cleaning the room, I'll find you something else to do. I think we'll do this every night until you get tired, because it's obvious I am putting you to bed too early."

This evening at dinner as I reminded them that they had 30 more minutes until their old bedtime aka their new cleaning time, they looked at each other in trepidation. After several minutes of silence, Kimi finally asked, "Will you give us another try to go to sleep instead of working?" I replied, "Well, I'm not sure. You would have to be really quiet. I wouldn't want to hear any talking whatsoever, and no moving around that tells me you are playing quietly. If you think you can lie still and be absolutely quiet, I would be willing to let you try it." She assured me she thought she could do it. And so my lead instigator became my number one collaborator. She spent the last 20 minutes before bed reminding her sisters that they had to lay completely still and not talk!

The end result is that I spent two very quiet hours before my bedtime enjoying the peace. Amazing what a little artful thinking can do. It's so easy to continue to do the same things and continue to get results you don't like. And so easy to change your behaviour and get an amazing result. Yaaaayyy for me! One of my better parenting moments. :)

Cabin Update

We spent Friday night and Saturday up at the cabin this weekend. The guys finished getting the outside weatherproofed - the whole back of the cabin didn't have any siding on it as it all had to be replaced due to rot. The siding also had to be repaired where we added windows for the two lofts on either side of the cabin. This weekend they finished the trim on the inside of the cabin, and it looks fantastic. Dennis did an excellent job trimming out the windows and putting up baseboards. With the beautiful paint job and white trim, the place is really coming together.

Our next project is building bunk beds for the kids' room. Right now they sleep with us in the loft. We figured out a plan to put in 8 or 9 bunks in the room off the kitchen.

It is becoming easier to spend time up there as we stock the cabin with kitchen supplies, bedding, etc. I've had fun this past week looking through thrift stores for our pots, pans and other kitchen gear. There is such good stuff out there, and so cheap. Also fun because it is vintage, I'm recycling, etc, etc. Good all around. Everything up at the cabin, with the exception of a rug and the construction supplies, is second-hand.

Hopefully, soon we'll just have to pack an outfit, pajamas & toothbrush (come to think of it we should get toothbrushes for up there so we don't have to bring them) and leave the house. Not having to cart up bedding & supplies makes things much simpler.

It's a boy!

We are having a boy! I'd post a picture, but the only one I have since the little guy wasn't cooperating is a frontal shot of his face, which looks like a very cute little skull. I think it may scare people. At least I can tell his bone structure is very symmetrical. I already had a name picked out for a girl, as I had convinced myself that's what I was having, so am trying to think of boy names.
If you have a suggestion for a boy's name, leave a comment below.