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« Previous EntriesTuesday Tales – I’m Not Tired Yet!
Tuesday, March 13th, 2012Raise your hand if you are tired from lack of sleep thanks to the clocks springing forward. . .
Imagine me sitting here waving my hands wildly! Although extra hours of sunlight are a wonderful thing, they wreck havoc on the sleep cycles of the kids in the house, which transfers over to the adults. Their bodies still think it is earlier, the sun is out, and they do not want to settle to get ready for bed. The timing on a rerelease of a book written and illustrated by Marianne Richmond could not have been more perfect.
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky; ISBN: 978-1-4022-6878-6; Picture Book; $16.99 March 2012
As the mother of an eight and almost five year old, I have heard a lot of excuses from my boys on why they are not tired and/or do not want to go to bed. I have to admit that NHL and JSL have very active imaginations, but nothing quite like Ralphie.
Ralphie is a six year old little boy who is the star character of I’m Not Tired Yet!
One example of Ralphie’s favorite animal is the polar bear. When he says that he can’t sleep because of a mosquito buzzing in his ear, she quickly suggests polar bear cuddle time. Sure enough the beautiful illustrations from Richmond allow us to see the sweet embrace of mother and son as polar bears. 
Of course, children will see the repetitive nature of Ralphie’s mother saying good night to him and something cropping up soon after. Then, as his mother is about to leave, something seems to come to Ralphie’s little mind that requires his mother to stay a little longer.
When I read this book with JSL (4), he curled up next to me to listen to the story. He loved that Ralphie was young, but not too little. What I really liked was how JSL immediately wanted to try the fun items that Ralphie and his mother were doing in the book. We were apes, we did fish kisses, and other adorable items that did not get my little guy too amped up before his bedtime.
I believe this may have been the first time we have read one of Marianne Richmond’s books, but will not be the last. JSL has already asked to check into some of her other titles to read together. Ending the day with some laughs was a definite plus for us.
What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.
Disclosure: I received this book complimentary of Sourcebooks in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. An Amazon Affiliate link is included in this post for the book mentioned. I will receive a percentage of money for the sale should you opt to buy the book through that link.
The Sleeping Blanket
Monday, January 23rd, 2012There is nothing better during the cold months than to curl up under a cozy blanket and read a book. It doesn’t matter whether the book has pages to flip, or is found within my Kindle – it is just as relaxing. All that I need are my newly knitted blanket and current book.
I am about half way finished reading Kingdom Keepers IV – Power Play by Ridley Pearson. I love these books and have written about them before. Although they are not specifically written for adults, I enjoy them because the story puts me into the magical world of Disney. There is something special about favorite characters battling the evil Disney Villains like Maleficent and Cruella De Ville.
Sunday afternoon, the boys were busy playing Nintendo and it seemed like the perfect time to catch some more of the Kingdom Keepers adventures throughout Walt Disney World. I read for quiet a bit and then I felt like I was being put under a spell. Of course, the Evil Queen was not in my house. I felt the need to close my book and eyes.
After I woke up from my nap, I joked to TechyDad. I think there is something to this blanket. Several nights this week, I would curl up on the couch to sit and watch television or read, only to fall fast asleep under the blanket.
Does this cozy, soft, warm blanket have special powers to make those who curl under it forget their mission to read or get work done?
Hmmmm. . . could it be?
After TechyDad and I came up with this theory we asked the boys to test it out, but for some reason they refuse to try it. Of course, I still am going to test it with them one of these days – insert evil laugh here!
Do you own a special blanket, pillow, or something else that just seems to make you fall asleep? Makes me wonder if the baby blankets like this do the same for those that have received them?
Bunking it for a Week
Saturday, January 7th, 2012Dear NHL and JSL,
Today marks one week since the arrival of your new bunk beds. It has been a challenging week. Change is hard and this was definitely a big change for all of us. Not only did bed placement move for both of you, but night time routines became different.
Daddy and I could not longer sit on the edge of NHL’s bed to make sure you were quiet and went to sleep. No, going to the top bunk was really an option. We realized that this caused some hurt feelings after day three when you declared that you no longer wanted bunk beds and wanted your own room. JSL was also upset about not being about to jump into NHL’s bed to give him a hug before bed. Giving up is not an option. We explained to both of you that this was a big adjustment for the two of you, Mommy, and Daddy. New routines and ideas had to be brainstormed to help both of you with these items.
Had the two of your stayed in your room when we were making the beds, you would have heard some complaining. This is not an easy task and will certainly be something that I cringe about. On Friday, while preparing for the furniture store to come back and fix something, I had to remove everything off the top bunk. I completely forgot where I was and stood upright on my knees. Ouch – hitting your head on the ceiling hurts! I think we need some warning labels on your top bunk NHL.
Thankfully, once you are asleep, you both seem very happy and well rested. We all need to remember that it is going to take time, lots of hugs, and patience to get used to our new lives with bunk beds.
Love,
Mommy
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Buying Bunk Beds
Thursday, January 5th, 2012As a child, I remember going to my friend’s house and dreaming about bunk beds after seeing her brothers room. Fast forward to having two little boys of my own and a small house. Yes, my love of bunk beds suddenly changed to fear. We started our search for bunk beds well over a year ago. When JSL was three, we knew our clock was ticking. We went to stores, browsed, and went home to think about things. Since JSL seemed happy in his toddler bed, we didn’t think much of it until sleepless nights and a four year old bunking in our queen sized bed. If the boys wanted to stay in the room together, two twin beds were not an option within the space. The boys insisted that they did not want to be in different rooms and were excited about bunks.
So, what was I afraid of? Let’s be real here, there are a lot of different types of bunk beds on the market.
Not All Bunk Beds are Created Equally:
- We went to countless stores in our area last time we looked and over the last month. I would not order online because I had seen in person that many bunk beds are very different than they appear on a website. Where some looked sturdy to the eye, they wobbled horrible if we just touched them, no less put our children into them. Others had ladders that frightened me and I could not imagine my children using, no less me when making the top bunk.
- The spacing between the bunks are not standard. I kid you not, they can be VERY close, very far apart, or just right. Some allow you to adjust this, but most are stuck the way they are built. Some of the sets made me worry about the kiddo or adult sitting in the bottom bunk. I mean, you should be able to sit up in bed and not worry about getting a concussion. Of course, the mother in me also knew that the kiddo on the bottom would possibly try to kick the top bunk while lying in bed, so a little distance would help to avoid this at least while the kids are smaller.
- On the flip side, the top safety rails on bunk beds are often VERY different. My oldest son NHL is 8, but he is a restless sleeper. I knew that we had to had a bunk bed with a top rail that would hold his mattress and still provide a great barrier to stop him from falling out of bed from six or more feet above the hardwood floors.
- Support for the mattress is not a given on all of the bunk beds that are out there. When we looked in the past, most of the bunk beds had 2-3 supports across the bottom of the top bed. A bunkie board would help with this, but I had nightmares of the stores that had these on their floors with the mattress sagging out and almost spilling onto the bunk below. Luckily, most new bunk beds sold at furniture stores have the new slot system. Without a box spring, you need to have other items in place to support the mattress. We also bought each of the boys a bunkie board to help with this.
- There are other factors to consider with the safety of bunk beds while shopping around. These are just some of the more hidden items that became very important to us during our search.
Rationalizing the Investment:
Quick note here, I am the person that thinks of all big ticket items in terms of a trip to Disney World. A fix to my car is converted into plane tickets, or nights we could stay in the magical destination that we adore. So needless to say, when we were pricing bunk beds, my brain naturally went to this route and thank goodness some of the furniture store associates had a good sense of humor.
TechyDad and I eventually realized that bunk beds are an investment. This is something that our boys will be using for many years to come. We had to get something that would hold them at their current ages and well beyond. Our kids, the most important items in our lives, had to be safe on them. If being safe and covering the items above meant spending more money, it had to be done.
We were lucky. We knew that we had to get twin over twin bunks. We also knew that we could not get storage drawers under them because of the room set up. Our dimensions left us searching for an old fashioned bunk bed style using a ladder and not a stair case (yes those exist). There was no room for a built in desk or shelving either.
We eventually realized that the simplicity of the bunk beds that we wanted would be a good thing. When we narrowed down our search there was something else that we realized was important. Some bunk beds can be converted into separate beds. Yes, they can be stacked one on top of the other, but they can also go on their own. Not all can do this. In addition to this, not every set that can be made into two beds has the option of supporting a box spring under it in the new format. TechyDad and I really wanted to make sure that if/when the boys want their own rooms, or we move to a larger house, that we are not stuck with bunk beds. We also knew that we wanted to be able to put the box spring support option back in and not have platform beds.
Yes, the bunk beds that we finally selected from Raymour & Flanigan do all of these items and passed our personal safety test factors. The boys are slowly adjusting to the new sleeping arrangements and TechyDad are also working on some rules of use.
Do you have bunk beds for your family or did you have them as a child? I would love to hear about your experiences and any rules that you had to make sure everyone was safe.
Bunk Beds for the Boys
Wednesday, January 4th, 2012
Nightmares of the Preschooler Kind
Thursday, October 27th, 2011The boys go to bed at about 8:00 most evenings. Typically, they sleep through the night really well. Sometimes, one will get up to use the bathroom and then go back to sleep until 6:30 or 7:00 if we are lucky. Watching the boys sleep peacefully is a wonderful thing. This means no stuffed noses, coughing, nightmares, or anything else traumatic. Here is an example of just this. JSL sleeping nicely on his Pillow Pet Puppy.
Unfortunately, sleeping around here has not been going well for most of us. The little guy has been up at least two times a night the last 4-5 days. He is usually in a panic and wants someone near him. TechyDad has tried to settle him back to sleep in his toddler bed, but that does not usually work well. If JSL settles, he will start to whimper soon after. Needless to say, we allow him to join us in our queen sized bed. Two adults and a 4 year old is a bit much for this space.
So what does a four year old have bad dreams about? These are some of the items JSL has mentioned:
- The Roku remote was lost for ever.
- His stuffed Tigger came alive and someone made it dead (his words)
- Mommy and Daddy threw away all of his toys.
The lack of sleep is starting to take it’s toll on the adults in the house. Caffeine can only do so much for broken and low sleep amounts.
Have your children had nightmares? How do you help them to settle back to sleep and ease their fears? What types of things have your children had bad dreams about? Please let us know. Sure we have an eight year old, but it’s been a long time since we had nightmares like this with a little kiddo.
More Summer Sleep Needed
Saturday, July 9th, 2011Dear NHL and JSL,
We need to talk. The summer is here and the sun is out a lot later. Daddy and I would love to let you stay up to enjoy the extra hours of daylight.
There is a problem though. Although you will go to sleep at night and typically stay asleep…you wake up WAY too early the next morning.
No matter when you go to sleep at night, you are both up almost as soon as the sun comes up. NHL, we can almost count on you being up before the alarm clock goes off at 6:00 each morning. Daddy needs to get up for work, but you are really allowed to sleep to 7, even 8 if you would. JSL may sleep a little later, but not by a lot. Most mornings you are up by 7.
Lack of naps, lots going on, and less sleep is starting to show up with behaviors that are not so nice. So let’s make a deal. If we let you stay up later to play at night with Daddy and enjoy the extra hours of sun, you will try to sleep in. Ok?!
Love,
Mommy
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Taking Daddy’s Hand to Dreamland
Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011
Spontaneous nap after play
Wednesday, November 17th, 2010
A boy and his crib
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
