proactiv

just like the anti-zit medicine. only not.

remember back in march when we conducted this little experiment and put the boys in a toddler bed to free up the crib for #3? well, we had been progressing nicely for several months, the boys were learning to climb up on their bed as exhaustion began to set in (therefore passing out in bed rather than all over the place). it looked like the experiment was working wonderfully.

but.

there's always a but, isn't there?

over the past few weeks, playing themselves to sleep began to look more and more like pandemonium and actual sleep time began to move later and later past our theoretical "bedtime." and, of course, morning still came at the same time. so my over-tired little guys have recently turned into cranky little monsters -- no more sweets & joy & joyness around here. (on a side note, i find it ironic that exhaustion in small people tends to lead to less sleep rather than more, thus compounding the problem -- hurrah).

yesterday i had had enough. it was time to get proactiv.

like the zit medicine's mission is to seek out & destroy unsightly acne & to restore a healthy complexion to the teenager, mine was to seek out & destroy pre-sleeping pandemonium & to restore peace & order to the bedtime universe.

i wasn't sure how it was going to happen, but i knew i had to try. i started by firmly placing the boys back in bed every time they crawled out. they had a blast for the first 15-20 minutes, let me tell you. lots of giggles. i held my ground & didn't say a word or even make eye contact. finally, they realized i was serious & stayed in bed. when i left the room, however, it took about 3.5 seconds for them both to land all 4 feet on the floor & take off to find a toy. so in their bedroom i decided to stay. every time a toy was tossed to the floor, it was removed from the room. there were many attempts to flee and even more tears. but, in the end, we achieved sleep...and after only an hour and a half -- about 30 minutes earlier than they had been putting themselves to sleep.

not fantastic results. but not shabby, either, for the first attempt.

move to today's nap. we had our story, our prayer, kisses all around -- the usual. then, i turned to sit on the sofa rather than leave & one boy tried to slide out of bed. i told him "no" (didn't even have to get up) and he climbed back into bed without a fuss. his brother never tried to get up. a few of the same toy issues happened, but in under 30 minutes, both boys were out cold.

so far, so good.

it's more time-consuming for me than i like, but sleep is a wonderful gift from god. not just to the kiddos. moms need the sanity break, too, you know.

and the prosecution rests

EXHIBIT A: N's leg
EXHIBIT B: N's back

EXHIBIT C: N's hand
EXHIBIT D: W's angry face & a mouth full of chompers


Mr. Foreman, has the jury reached a verdict?

negotiations

can it really be called "negotiating" if only one party involved is willing to be a touch flexible? i don't think so.

i think that's just called being pushy.

is it wrong to think about stuffing dead fish down the air ducts when we leave this place as a nice "welcome home" present for mr. pushy himself?

the hunt is on...

after a VERY long week and a half, our townhome is under contract.

it was very long for me & very long for 2 little boys & very long for the poor cat.

for me, i had to keep things -- not just tidy -- spotless around here so that i could pack up and leave at a moment's notice. that's really quite difficult with 2 toddlers who want to pull out everything that i want to put away. but somehow we managed.

managed to blow my cover, that is. up until the past 2 weeks, the hubby had resigned himself to a house that didn't quite meet his expectations in the cleanliness department. i had him thoroughly convinced that there was just no way it was going to be that clean. not with the rugrats demanding all my time and energy, that is. now he knows that it can, in fact, be done.

darn home staging.

for the boys, it was a long 2 weeks because i took away half of their toys, was constantly telling them not to do something messy, and made them ride & nap in the car more than they really like to do. poor bubs.

and then there is the poor cat who had to spend hours locked in her kennel while strange people visited the house. the last time we tried to stuff her in there, i thought she was going to take b's arm off.

needless to say, we are all relieved that this phase of moving seems to be drawing to a close.

but the next task is just as daunting: find a house that's a bargain in an area we want to live with a floor plan we adore. oh, and hope nobody out bids us!

thank goodness i have a god who is bigger than this dilemma.

trust in the lord with all your heart & lean not on your own understanding.
in all your ways acknowledge him & he will direct your paths.
proverbs 3:5-6