Nap Time Woes

Naptime.

It's the only shot I get at a break in my 10.5 hour day, and when it goes badly, I get crabby.  Crabby Abby is not nearly as pleasant to be around as Happy Abby.

Lately naptime has been, shall we say... rough.  Connor has outgrown his naps, but I still make him because I  haven't outgrown his naps :o) .  So that's rough spot number one.

Then there's the crazy running around that ensues as I'm trying to lay each child down in their nap spots and helping kids to the bathroom, changing diapers, swaddling babies.  They think it's a free-for-all lately, and it only amps them up.  It's only been like this in the last month or so, but I'm tired of it.

So today we did something different...

After lunch was over and sort of cleaned up, I corralled everyone into the living room where we watched about 10 minutes of Signing Time while I changed the toddlers' diapers and helped them try the potty chair, all in the living room so nobody can escape the pre-nap confinement calm-down area.

Then once everyone was changed/pottied, I brought them one by one to bed, starting with the baby.  Once they were in bed (would have done this before laying them down but had to find it) I started a lullaby cd for some background white noise and to act as a sound cue that it is time to sleep.  Now that our noisy air conditioner isn't being used, it's too dang quiet for them to sleep!

So while it still took some time to get a couple of them to fall asleep, it was calm and peacefull and felt much better for all of us.  They are now, all 4 of them, sound asleep, and I'm going to get some birthday invitations done and some things ready to be mailed.  And drink more coffee! :o)