Operation: No More Tears

Transitioning with a move can be hard. I think our kids did an awesome job. They miss their friends and favorite KS hangouts, but they're jumping into life here in the north. The biggest thing we needed to rein in post move was bedtime. It got a little out of control in transit: sleeping on a mattress on the floor until we got beds, later bedtime because Dad was a single Dad for a week and then Mom & Dad were busy unpacking, transitioning to sharing a room in a new house, etc. What came to life was "Operation: No More Tears".

We sat down and had a family meeting to discuss our bedtime routine and how it wasn't working for anyone really. We brought up some ground rules, like kids need to sleep in their own room, Mommy & Daddy need to sleep in their own room, and no kiddos leaving the room post bedtime unless they have to go potty (or poopie, C chimes in).

Here's our bedtime routine compromise, put together by our family:
1. Brush teeth, go potty, get jammies on
2. Each kid picks out one book to read
3. Kids get tucked into bed
4. Lights out, M turns on her book light (she likes it LIGHT, C prefers the dark!)
5. Mommy (usually - or Daddy!) reads the next Bible story from our favorite Jesus Storybook Bible 6. Mommy (or Daddy) reads M's favorite Psalm 23
7. We pray, Mommy sings "It Only Takes a Spark" (sung something like this... not sure what key I sing it in... hehe!) and then Mommy leaves the room while kiddos go to sleep.

It may seem like a cumbersome system, but I personally love it. I enjoy that quiet wind down time with my kiddos. With a few different steps, if Daddy is home, we can sub in and out, too!

What is your routine like?

Solving the "I Wanna Watch a Show" Conundrum

My kids' default, probably not unlike many of their peers, is to want to watch TV.  My default is NO SCREENS.  Especially not in the summer!  Moving back home means we need to soak up these rays, people!  At my kids' ages (5 & 3), they are not totally independent, so we decided to come up with an "Activity Jar" (actually made from my hubby's pottery when we took Ceramics together in college... awwww for cute!).  We brainstormed our favorite activities and put them on slips of paper.  Then if my kids need ideas of what to do, we pull a slip.  So far we haven't decided on any hard and fast rules - like you HAVE to do that activity for a set amount of time - if they want to put it back and draw again, that's ok at this point!  :)  So far, I'm sure in part to the novelty factor, they are in love with pulling an activity from the jar and do the activity with enthusiasm.

Here is our activity list:
Brain Quest cards
Activity Book
Dance Party (a family favorite!  Disney Pandora and we are SET!)
Lace Ups
Trains
Take a Break (Quiet time on the couch -- C-man put that one in -- interested to see what happens when that one is pulled!) 
Play Princess (Or any dress up)
Pretend Play (like House or Kitchen)
Paper Airplanes
Puzzle
Read
Go to Library
Bake Something
Playdoh
Go for a Walk
Board Game
Color/Draw
Legos
Hide and Seek
I Spy
Do a Chore (one of my inputs!  But seriously, they enjoy wiping down pretty much any surface from the table to the sink!)
Watch a Show (there is a bonus slip of this in there! I do have to say I enjoy most of their shows and feel good about them watching things like Magic School Bus and Wild Kratts!)

What are we missing?  What are some of your kids' favorite activities?

Happy Playing!