March 1, 2010

Goodnight, Moon

Charlie was sick over the weekend — he has strep throat, again. Honestly, I was a little relieved when the culture came back positive, because it meant that we could load him up with antibiotics and get on with our lives.

But still, it was a bummer that he was sick.

The upside of sick kids at this age is that feeling crummy slows them down enough that they suddenly want to snuggle. Seven and nine-year-old boys are very busy people; sometimes, it feels like they’re only interested in parents when they need food or money or a ride somewhere. Which is sad because I still need a hug every single day. Many hugs on some days.

Charlie felt terrible on Thursday night; at bedtime, he climbed under the covers and told Wade to send me in to read to him. And so we smashed into his twin bed and read a whole pile of picture books and then talked about how we would go to the doctor in the morning and probably have another throat culture and how that would be icky but necessary and then he would feel better. Poor baby.

Bedtime is the hardest part of the day for me sometimes; I’m tired, the kids are tired, we’re all processing our day and trying to wrap things up and unwind all at once. It’s hard for me not to fall into that zone where I’m tucking them in and mentally making my to-do list for the next day; it’s hard for me to stay present after so many hours of working and parenting. But in the same way that I start fretting about tomorrow, my kids will sometimes start worrying about today. It’s a good moment for both of us — all of us — to stop and snuggle and focus on this moment and not some other.

 * * * * *

GoodNites wants to encourage you to take time to snuggle with your little ones; they’ve created their Bedtime Theater program to give you a way to create stories about being brave and kind and independent. Read all about Iggy and his Wiggy bed, and then make up your own story. (Warning: That link totally has sound. Sorry about that.)

So who won the first GoodNites gift pack? Kimberly, who said that her favorite bedtime story was — ready for this? — “How can it not be GoodNite Moon? Ahhhh I love that book.”

Ha! I love that.

Congratulations to Kimberly — and good luck to the rest of you, who still have a chance to win (next giveaway is Thursday, March 4). I’m giving away two more super cool gift packs (leave a comment on the original giveaway post to enter), and the GoodNites people are giving $2500, which is awesome.

Disclaimer: I have partnered with GoodNites® for this series of posts and giveaways; I am being compensated for my participation in the Bedtime Theater program and for hosting these giveaways, not for promoting a product. Just so we’re all clear.

RSS feed for comments on this post.
TrackBack URI

2 Responses to “Goodnight, Moon”

1. March 1st, 2010 at 3:48 pm, Meredith Says:

   I would love to be entered for that sweet gift pack. I’ve been mulling over Iggy stories in my mind too!

2. March 1st, 2010 at 4:26 pm, Andrea Pauly Says:

   I read to my 2 year old daily, and nightly. He too is a big fan of Goodnight Moon. Chicka-Chicka-Boom-Boom is another often requested title.