Normally, my kids go to bed around 7 pm. Truth be told, it's because I am a light weight. 6:30 rolls around and I am about to loose my ever living mind. So, since the Captain was a baby, our kids have gone to bed at 7. You know, on nights that we don't have t-ball or one of the other thousand things we have going on.
Anyways, they went to bed late last night, and then the little ones didn't take a nap today, so when Brandon announced that he'd be playing tennis for the afternoon, I decided that I would put every one to bed at 6:30.
My plan was simple. I would bribe them with Sponge Bob. Unfortunately, I was to worn out to realize that what I was planning was all backwards. I made three shiny little faces promise that they would go strait to bed, and stay in bed, if I let them watch Sponge Bob. It was the perfect plan. Lots of snuggling, early bedtime, a relaxing evening. Right?
Wrong.
Because apparently, mommy is a sucker. The night quickly spiraled into a string of, "mommy, I just wanted to let you know my tummy hurts really bad." And of course, "There was this thing that happened at school today..." Because what mother punishes little boys for sneaking downstairs to tell about tummy aches and school happenings? My boys are so good at seeking out and exploiting my weak spots.
At 8 pm, I told them that I would cancel movie night if I saw one of their sweet faces again. 10 minutes later, I heard a bumping and thumping overhead, so I made a stealthy but silent run up the stairs to spy on them.
What did I see?
Three little boys, naked as jay-birds prancing like unicorns around their bedroom. Their little sister, who is always the first to sleep, is watching and clapping! She barely has enough room to sit in her crib, it is so full of blankets and pillows and stuffed animals that her brothers have thrown in.
The boys are separated, Lilly is rescued, and 5 minutes later Brandon walks through the front door.
"So did you have a relaxing night?" He asks, while Lilly is clapping for her daddy and blowing kisses at him.
"The Naked Leprechauns doing their Prancing Pony interpretative dance was a little weird, but other than that, it was a nice night." I reply.
I'm smiling on the inside too, the sweet taste of chocolate is still on my tongue, it's medicinal effects soothing my nerves. It was a good move; chocolate melts in a much more soothing way than the ice cream.
ah, yes, been here MANY MANY times. although i think i'm a harsher mommy than you, because i sometimes lose all sympathy for earaches, tummy aches, headaches, nose aches, elbow aches, and knee aches when i have reached my limit with trips out of bed.
ReplyDeleteok, that sentence beginning with "naked leprechauns doing their prancing pony..." is just amazing. i got the most vivid visual imagining this scenario!
and also, why do big kids like to play a game of "let's-see-how-much-crap-we-can-pile-in-the-crib-with-baby-in-there"? my older kids do this too. it's a miracle he doesn't suffocate...