June 15, 2009
good night, sleep tight
I love bedtime; it is easily my favorite part of the day. These days, I’m loving bedtime because having the Best Summer Ever is exhausting, but in general I look forward to the end of our day not because the day is over but because it’s the window where Wade and I have some sort of peaceful time with the boys, without any running or jumping or yelling (from anyone, ideally).
Until recently, our bedtime routine was always the same: after dinner, Wade took care of bathing the boys (which any more consists mostly of hanging out with whichever kid is not in the shower, while reminding the kid who is in the shower to save some hot water for his brother). After everyone gets clean and no longer smells like Little Boy (or goat, as Rita says) then Wade reads to the boys, typically from some long novel (currently: The Last Olympian, the final book in the Percy Jackson series, which I highly recommend). Then we take turns hanging out with each kid in his room — snuggling with Charlie and his million stuffed friends, or sitting with Henry while he reads a Batman comic or tells us a long complicated story about Star Wars.
Recently, though, we’ve been messing with the routine. Baseball keeps us out late some nights, so after games we pretty much just shower and go to bed (Charlie will fall asleep within minutes of laying down; Henry will read for a while before he’s ready to sleep). But the biggest twist is this: on most nights, if there is time, the boys beg to read together in Henry’s bed, instead of with Wade or me. They get under the covers with their headlamps on; Charlie brings his stuffed turtle or cat or whatever it is that he’s particularly in love with right now, and Henry reads to him.
The cuteness kills me every single time.
Charlie desperately wants to read like Henry does, without help, grabbing up any book and taking it all in on his own. Henry takes for granted that Charlie can follow any story, so he picks the most random things to read — comic books and video game manuals and big novels like the Percy Jackson books. I don’t know what anyone gets out of it educationally or intellectually, but it’s one of their favorite things to do.
I love bedtime because it gives me a chance to see my kids at their best, being kind to each other and laughing together and talking seriously about things like why the Hulk is green or what was in Pandora’s box. That half hour before sleep can redeem even the hardest day, for all of us. It’s also a chance for Wade, who misses the minutiae of the boys’ lives while he’s at work, to catch up with them and hear about whatever is on their minds. Which is mostly Star Wars and stuffed friends, honestly.
Are you feeling all nostalgic about bedtime now? Good, because the super nice people at GoodNites want to hear about how you get your kids to sleep at night, and they have prizes for your stories.
What’s in the bag? A $100 gift certificate to PajamaGram.com, a $50 gift certificate to Borders, a cozy fleece blanket, a bedtime journal for recording your own special bedtime moments, and a tote bag to hold it all!
To win the kit pictured here, go to SpecialBedtimeMoments.com and share a special bedtime moment at your house — a story, a tip for getting kids to stay in bed, a rundown of your night time routine, the recipe for the cocktail you make after everyone is tucked in, whatever.
(Kidding about that last one. This is a family contest, after all!)
Once you’ve done that, leave me a comment, on this post, the one you are reading right now, with the URL of the moment you’ve shared with your Special Bedtime Moments entry. Pretty please.
And before you say but that’s so much work! let me tell you this: you can enter any time between today and August 7, 2009, and since I’m assuming that you put your kids to bed every night (right?) then you’ve got plenty of time to write up precise instructions for your super secret duct taping technique.
(Again, kidding! We all know bungee cords work way better than duct tape for keeping wandering tots in their beds.)
But here’s the catch! The GoodNites people are providing three of those cool tote bags full of stuff for me to give away; I’ll be giving the first one away on July 3. So don’t wait until the last minute to write up your special bedtime moment — enter today, because who couldn’t use more books or new pajamas! My kids certainly could.
But wait, there’s more! The blogger with the most entries overall will win $1,000 worth of bedtime books, to keep or donate. I’ll tell you right now that I’ll be donating the books to a community group here in Oklahoma City, so this is an easy way for you to help out and possibly win something for yourself.
And to document what it’s like to put your kids to bed, so that you can share that with them when they get older. Kids love to hear about stuff like that, really.
Disclaimer: I have partnered with GoodNites® for this series of posts; I am being compensated for writing about my family’s bedtime routine and for promoting this contest, not for endorsing a product. Just so we’re all clear.
Posted by Susan @ 8:05 am • pretty things
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June 15th, 2009 at 9:29 am, Susan Says:
I don’t know if this will work - this is my entry, but it is the entry form… I can’t figure out where the link is to my actual story. Hope this works:
http://www.goodnites.com/na/Contest/Entry.aspx
Thanks for the great opportunity to win this giveaway!
June 15th, 2009 at 9:44 am, Holly Says:
I so love your bedtime story. Kids are so awesome when they are like this…. the things memories are made of.
June 15th, 2009 at 9:51 am, Liz Says:
I also cannot figure out where the link is to my actual entry, but hopefully this is enough.
http://www.goodnites.com/na/Contest/Entry.aspx
Thanks!
June 15th, 2009 at 10:26 am, Susan Says:
Thanks for the heads up, girls! New rules: Please cut and paste your special bedtime moment in the comments section here (there’s no way to grab the URL — sorry about that). And Susan and Liz, don’t worry — I’ve got you covered!
Thanks — sorry about that!!!
June 15th, 2009 at 12:10 pm, Erin Says:
I believe I hit submit before I cut and pasted-oops! Anyways, here’s a synopsis: once all four kids are in bed, I go around with hugs and kisses and ask each child to tell me their favorite thing from the day and also their least favorite. I can offer advice/encouragement to deal with the least favorite if needed and also share in their joy with the favorite. It also gives me some insight into what makes them happy and what worries/upsets them at each age.
June 15th, 2009 at 12:28 pm, Mrs. Goat Says:
Didn’t cut and paste but here is the basic post:
In Feb. my first son was born 7 weeks early and spent the first 46 days of his life in the hospital. Now he’s been home for 2 months and we still love the fact that we even GET to have bedtime moments rather than leaving him at the hospital and driving home without him. Even though he doesn’t always sleep through the night or pay attention to bedtime stories, the fact that we get those moments is beautiful in itself.
June 15th, 2009 at 1:06 pm, Susan Raihala Says:
I also didn’t cut and paste, but here is a summary.
When I was little, my parents divorced and my mom, sister, and I moved in with my grandparents. Each night, our grandfather would come into our dark room, sit on the foot of the bed, and talk with us for a few minutes. Then he would kiss us goodnight. We felt so safe and loved and watched over.
When my husband and I had children, we started the same sort of tradition and called it Snuggle-Bunnies. We lie down with the boys each night and talk quietly in the dark, rubbing backs or listening to stories or talking for stuffed animals. When it’s time to leave, I put my hand on each boy’s head and say, “The Lord bless you and keep you. Amen.”
It’s a wonderful way to end each day.
June 15th, 2009 at 3:24 pm, Lauren Says:
We divide and conquer at bedtime. I usually get the 3-yr-old because she’s in a mommy-only phase. Some nights she gets a bath first, but she’ll play in there until her fingers are shriveled and her lips are blue so we don’t do it every night! Then I wrestle her into a towel and some pajamas (she’s much more cooperative when she’s upside down) and she climbs into bed with Bear. He’s ratty and stinky, of course, because he has been very thoroughly loved. I read a story, usually Curious George, and then we turn off the light and tell a story in the dark. Sometimes she tells part of it, which is a fantastic new game for us. Her stories are so quirky and charming and almost always involve the main character getting ice cream. Then we snuggle and I try to get out the door before she thinks of something else to ask me for.
The 1-yr-old is easy. Daddy puts his pajamas on, reads a short board book, and plops him in the crib. Done!
June 15th, 2009 at 9:02 pm, Heather Says:
Our bedtime routine consists of bath around 7PM. After bath, we get him dried off and lotioned up and jammies on. Lately, Daddy and JonJon have been watching “pinkies” (Penguins of Madagascar on DVR) in mommy and daddy’s room (as J says) for a few minutes. Then we brush his teeth and then Daddy gives him a kiss and hug good night. JonJon and mommy go in J’s room and we rock for about 15-20 mins. I usually sing Rock a bye baby to him, but in his editted version. Instead of always singing baby, he wants me to say another name. He’ll throw out mommy, daddy,JonJon and usually a few of the kids from daycare. And occasionally the lamp or ceiling! After we’ve sang a few different lines of Rock A Bye Baby, he usually points to his bed and says “I go nigh night.” I give him a kiss, lay him in bed, and then turn on his vsmile and he falls alseep to the Thomas the Tank music. (He also has to have his seahorse and pinky(penguin) with him). I then tell him night night and that I love him. He then says “ove you mommy”. Then I shut the door and go relax in the living room for the next hour or so.
June 15th, 2009 at 9:14 pm, Pamela Says:
That was fun. Thanks for sponsoring this and encouraging me to write about our special moments. But judging from the fact that my toddler has tried to break out of her room twice tonight and our eight month old has needed me to go in and sing Silent Night three times already, I highly doubt what the Good Nights web site says about these being the most treasured times of my life.
June 15th, 2009 at 9:15 pm, Pamela Says:
That was fun. Thanks for sponsoring this and encouraging me to write about our special moments. But judging from the fact that my toddler has tried to break out of her room twice tonight and our eight month old has needed me to go in and sing Silent Night three times already, I highly doubt what the Good Nights web site says about these being the most treasured times of my life.
Oh! I just read the part about cutting and pasting! I can’t get back to it now.
June 15th, 2009 at 10:34 pm, Theodosia Says:
Robbie dislikes bed time; he’s ten months. After we put him in his crib, he stands himself up, shakes the bars of the crib and cries. He’ll hold on until he falls asleep on his feet. He’ll remain upright, asleep and swaying for few minutes but then he’ll topple over and wake himself up. He then stands himself back up, grips the rail harder, and repeats the falling asleep and falling over. After a few rounds of this, he’ll lie down and fall asleep.
June 15th, 2009 at 11:04 pm, Stephanie Says:
Since my husband works late nights, it’s just the girls at bedtime. Right now, my daughter is only 23 months, so the bedtime routine is very basic and consistent. After bath time and jammies, I read “Goodnight Moon,” to her every night, followed by her demanding it’s her turn to read, wherein she points at all the pictures and says ny-night to the objects in the book. (”Ny-night beears, ny-night cheairs.”
Then, we sing “you are my sunshine,” together, a song my own mother sang to me as a little girl.
Finally, we do the tucking in routine, where she decides if she wants to be on her back or tummy, by placing her finger on her mouth and saying “ummmmmm, tummy!”
Followed by my putting her silky blanket on top of her and her stuffed kitty in her arms.
I then tell her I love her, she tells me she loves me, and then says “ny-night, see ya laaader, bye bye mommy, see ya laader…over and over as I walk out of the room.”
This is the routine every night, and it is really my favorite part of the day.
Finally, we
June 16th, 2009 at 2:04 am, the planet of janet Says:
my entry:
My daughter’s father was dead, and for a variety of reasons, she grieved alone. We had moved into much smaller digs. She was suddenly faced with all-day preschool, instead of the genteel three-hour version she was used to.
Bedtime was a nightmare. She wouldn’t leave my bedroom. Wanted to sleep in my bed. Cried endlessly and tantrumed frequently.
In short, she was completely normal after suffering a traumatic loss.
But I was at the end of my rope, for I too had suffered. A different suffer than she had, but I needed my space at night and I was frantic to resolve this.
Turning bedtime into a predictable and therefore comforting routine seemed like the only option.
And so it began.
Jammies. Teeth. Bedtime book — the same one night after night after night after night.
Snuggles and kisses.
And my final words as I tucked her in — words that I invented in desperation but that she and I still use with each other to this day, 11 precious years later:
“I love you from the bottom of the ocean to the top of the sky … and all the way around the world.”
June 16th, 2009 at 8:10 am, jamie Says:
I didn’t know to cut and paste, but here is the entry. On summer nights when bedtime isn’t critical, I let the kids set up the camping tent in the middle of the living room. They love the process of setting it up, can hardly wait to get in and snuggle in for the night, and they sleep and play in it all the next morning.
June 16th, 2009 at 10:13 am, Stephanie G Says:
We have a 4.5 yo girl and a 2 yo boy. Sadly we don’t have much of a routine. I always thought the idea of a routine would be perfect, but had a hard time implementing the same thing every night. We have a bath most every night and usually a cheese stick after the bath. Our girl loves stories and our boy loves to rip the books from our hands. We do our best. As long as those little ones are in bed by 10pm we are happy parents. If they are in bed by 8 or 9 we are happy parents making the most of our “good-night”.
June 16th, 2009 at 11:53 am, monkeygirl Says:
The best bedtime moments happen with stories, funny voices for storytime, and teaching a love of reading. I love The Fisherman and His Wife. Fun!!!
June 17th, 2009 at 4:08 am, Heather Says:
The moment I shared: My son snuggles deeper into the crook of my arm with a soft sigh, wordlessly begging for just one more book before bedtime. And I realize love is living the moments you once would not dare to dream about.
June 18th, 2009 at 7:56 am, laurie Says:
Can Canadians participate?
Susan says: Canadians can win a prize here at Friday Playdate, but not the big grand prize GoodNites is giving away. So yes! and no! (If you’re in Canada, tell us a story here and that will enter you in my giveaway — I’m good with that.)
June 18th, 2009 at 9:05 am, Heather Says:
I didn’t copy and paste before I submitted, but here’s my entry:
My 17-month-old, Charlotte, and nearly 4-year-old, Amelia, share a bedroom. Charlotte sometimes has a hard time falling asleep at night. We nurse, rock and I sing, “You Are My Sunshine” to her before I lay her down. One night, she started crying shortly after I left the room. Over the baby monitor, I heard Amelia hop out of bed, pad over to the crib and softly sing, “You are my Charlotte, my only Charlotte, you make me happy, when skies are graaaaayyyy…” Charlotte calmed down while I was reduced to a weepy puddle of mush. It will always be my favorite bedtime moment.
June 19th, 2009 at 7:35 am, Karen Says:
We have three boys, so I guess it’s normal that before we say prayers together (after the youngest has his bath and everyone’s brushed his teeth), we are required to sing their “bravery song”–a song that makes little boys brave in the night. “Heart of Oak”, the official march of the British Navy. It is a cheering sight, to watch your two year old, four year old, and nine year old all singing “‘For who are so FREE as the SONS of the WAVES?!”
June 22nd, 2009 at 8:41 pm, Lauren Says:
This is my entry:
Over the last few months my son has settled into a nightly routine. Take medicine, get milk and then he tells me night night with a hug and kiss and then proceeds to tell our dog Maddie goodnight. He will not go to bed without doing so. It is really sweet. He then takes Daddy into his room to read books. Then Mommy enjoys a little peace and quiet! I really do treasure each night!
June 24th, 2009 at 1:00 pm, Susan Says:
THanks for understanding on my first entry
I went ahead and posted another “story” on the goodnites website and thought i’d cross post it here:
My favorite part of our bedtime routine is when we discuss what we want to dream about that night. After brushing teeth, PJs, reading and singing…we snuggle up in the dark for the first two songs on her bedtime CD and throw out things we’ll dream about.
Sometimes my sweet 2 yr old will decide she’s going to dream about visiting a farm and we talk about all the animals we’ll see; sometimes we’re going to ride a train and talk about all the things we’ll pass by through the window… it is so fun!
June 26th, 2009 at 9:34 pm, txhorns Says:
http://www.goodnites.com/na/Contest/Entry.aspx
I also forget to cut and paste before I hit submit. My story is about Daddy Tickles. Our girls share a room, so one of us tucks one in and then goes to the other girl to tuck in. My husband’s part of the tuck in includes “Daddy Tickles.” He’ll tickle the girls unless they say ‘No tickles.” Usually they say nothing and I’ll hear a little voice over their giggles saying “No tickles.” It’s a fun way to get the silliness out before bed.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:21 pm, Friday Playdate » grace in small things: forty one Says:
[…] This big bag of bedtime goodies that I’m giving away on Friday. Still time to enter! Full details are here. Added incentive: […]
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:13 am, 3carnations Says:
I wasn’t sure what url to copy and paste, as my entry disappeared after I submitted it, so here’s my entry:
Bedtime Ritual
Our bedtime ritual has been successful for a couple of years. We start with a snack of string cheese and a bedtime story. Then my son goes upstairs and goes potty. I come in and help him brush his teeth. He gets in bed and we pull out a longer book that we read 4 pages from in bed every night. Then I turn a CD on the sleep timer for him, hubby and I kiss him goodnight, we leave the room and close the door. Sweet dreams.
Thanks for hosting this!
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:15 am, paige Says:
Every night, my kids and I have the chance to forget about the worries and troubles of the day by reading. What we read doesn’t really matter…usually it’s a chapter of the latest book to catch our interest. What matters is that for a while, we’re all transported away from our daily lives and into the book we’re sharing. It’s the best antidote for rushed days and harried parents available. Books are magic!
July 3rd, 2009 at 1:54 pm, Gina Says:
My 9 yr old son still likes my husband or me to lay down with him for a bit at night. We chat about the day, about what he did or we did together. Sometimes it’s something that’s bothering him that doesnt’ come out during the day. Sometimes it’s just chit chat. There are many times that I end up dozing off with him. I often think “he’s to old for this”, I should just tuck him in and leave. But, I know I’ll look back fondly on our chats together. This is the time he lets his guard down and isn’t distracted by toys, games, TV or friends and can really talk with me or his Dad.
July 4th, 2009 at 2:50 pm, Friday Playdate » good night, sleep tight: winner #1 Says:
[…] and share your special bedtime memory with the nice people at GoodNites. Then leave a comment on this post, sharing the same memory. Already entered? Doesn’t matter! You can enter — at the […]
July 7th, 2009 at 1:01 pm, Jessica Says:
One of the most memorable bedtime memories was when my oldest son was 3. A few weeks before my son had a seizure and had been undergoing some tests. That day we found out that one of the tests had come back abnormal. That meant that we had to under go another test. I was upset and worried and was also 8 months pregnant so I was very emotional. Anyway, that night I tucked Michael into bed and snuggled up next to him. I petted his hair and whispered loving words into his little ears. As I snuggled him, full of emotions, I just started to sing to him and made up a special song just for him. From that night on Michael would ask for his special song. As he has gotten older, he’s 9 now, we have sang it less and less at night but every once in a while he will still ask me to sing it to him.
July 9th, 2009 at 3:01 pm, Austenfan Says:
My four year old daughter needs to have a consistent routine in order to feel safe enough to fall asleep. After we pray as a family, one parent reads stories to her. She goes potty and talks about the stories we just read. The final part of our routine is my favorite part. We start with “Night, night, don’t let the bed bugs bite. Sweet dreams, princess.” She replies, “Do you know everything?” It always makes me smile when she says it, as later on, she will think we know nothing. We tell her “yes,” then slip away from her room knowing that she is confident that we know our part.
July 31st, 2009 at 7:24 am, cagey (Kelli Oliver George) Says:
Honestly? After pajamas et al are commenced with, we snuggle as a family in bed and watch a few episodes of Shaun the Sheep. Yes, I just admitted we watch TV. Oops. Then, I read a few books to the kids. If they are not ready to drop off at that point, we talk about our day and what our plans are for the next day. Then, I sing a few songs and zzzzzzzzz.
August 2nd, 2009 at 9:35 pm, Friday Playdate » good night, sleep tight: winner #2 Says:
[…] and share your special bedtime memory with the nice people at GoodNites. Then leave a comment on this post, sharing the same memory. Already entered? Doesn’t matter! You can enter — at the […]
August 3rd, 2009 at 4:18 am, laurel Says:
As one of the only times our family is together during the day (mom, dad, toddler and a baby), we make getting into bed a family affair. We let the not-so-keen-for-bed toddler select at least one story and a reader, then how he gets carried to bed (upsidedown is a favorite, as is skipping) and by whom. We make a pit stop in our room to re enact a nursery rhyme while one of us gets the room ready for bed. Humpty Dumpty and Hey Diddle Diddle are a fav of us all and induces big laughs as we act silly. Then onto toddler’s room where we tuck him in, kisses, hugs all around, and he picks a song or two to sing (and a speed -twinkle twinkle at super speed is fun). It puts us all in a good mood to be silly before bed, and while it sounds like a long routine, it lasts all of about 10-15 minutes and after a stressful or tantrum day it makes it all worthwhile.
August 3rd, 2009 at 3:05 pm, Sue @ My Party of 6 Says:
Each of my children has a special song I sang to them at bedtime. Before my youngest was born, we knew she had health problems, and in fact, we were told she would most likely not survive to birth. After many months of fear and prayers, she was born much healthier than anyone expected. And we named her Grace. And every night when I put her to bed I sing her Amazing Grace. Because she is.
August 7th, 2009 at 10:14 am, Amy C-S Says:
Our four year old daughter is always laughing. She enjoys being extra silly at bedtime. She always does some special, odd, little thing to make us laugh right before we pray and read books. It is my favorite moment of our bedtime routine and one that I hope continues for years to come.
February 24th, 2010 at 3:39 am, Friday Playdate » tell me a story Says:
[…] year, I worked with GoodNites on their Special Bedtime Moments campaign; this year, I’m getting to work with them again, to promote a new — and super cool […]