Tuesday, September 13, 2011

i am placing all my hopes on candybars.

let me tell you what the nocturnal hours have been like  here:
bedtime.  not always on time, but pjs are put on, teeth brushed, a little girl with longer hair gets it brushed and loosely braided for the night, prayers are said, and three little girls get tucked in their own beds.  sometimes (most times) a second prayer is said with each little girl who is anxious and nervous for what the night will bring to them, all alone in their own little room.  tuck-ins and reassurances are generously given, and then night begins for the parents.
well, the night begins, as do the interruptions from three, nervous little girls.
they are not always all nervous on the same nights, just sometimes.  peyton in the only one who is consistently nervous, and she tells us everyday that she is "grateful when there are no bad dreams".
she usually ends up in our bed with us, after she wakes up crying.
now a bad dream isn't what you expect it to be with this little one.  she had a "really bad one" last week.  you  know what it was about?  she got something stuck in her toe at lake powell and it made a hole in her foot.  but in her little mind, that is awful!
last night, she fell asleep on the couch.  merrill was up late with an uncomfortable cyst swelling in his armpit (remember this?) so we left her there, tucking the other two into bed.  only the oldest of my bunch was worried last night.  bedtime went on for almost 2 hours due to the nerves of this child..
i was later awakened by ashley.
(i am unable to tell you at time, i used to look at the clock when these things would happen, and that is just a bad idea.)
lynn hijacked her bed, kicking her out, and into my bed.  i was all for sleep of any sort, so i welcomed her into my bed.
then peyton arose, crying.  crying and needing to go potty.
after we took a trip to the potty, i went to snuggle her in her bed.  sleeping there until it was time to start our day.
needless to say, i am one tired momma.  so tonight, before our circus of bedtime rituals, to try to insure one good night's sleep, i bribed my children.
"if you can all sleep in your own beds the whole night, i will give you a candy bar."
shall we see how this ends up?
let's do.
but let me say this:  i know it would be more than enough to keep me in my own bed the whole night.

5 comments:

Maecy said...

Oh Mindy. I feel the pain! Abby woke one night crying that an opera house had been burned down to be replaced by a new one. Awful! Tragic! Does she even know what an opera house is? 20 min later, my nice assurances had an edge. Hoarder, I tell ya.
Let me know how candybars work out. I may have to thief that one.

BookwormMom said...

Hey, I'm all about bribing them...anything to get that precious sleep!

I'm sorry they have such anxiety, though...tough on them and you.

Bits and Pieces of Me...Emily! said...

I am all for bribing, we have tried that several times with Luke, who ends up in our bed, every single night, and has done so since he was four, I keep wondering if I am going to to wake when his sixteen and still find him sleeping in our bed! :) Hopefully they will get use to sleeping in their own rooms! I longed for my own bedroom from the time I was seven! :)

Ally's Corner said...

I bribe mine with money!!! I'm not kidding. .25C here .50C there and maybe a dollar. Yes I'm crazy but sometimes I have to do it!!!!

Jocelyn said...

I bribe my kids all the time too...hey if it works I am all for it! Sounds like you have had lots of sleepless nights...you need the candy bars for energy:-)