Is it just me, or is Handsome Dude HUGE for his age? He is only four and keeping him in pants is exhausting. Perhaps capris will become uber manly soon? One can only hope.
Handsome Dude woke up from his nap this afternoon, loudly screeched/moaned/wailed, and then flopped on my bed and fell back asleep. Such a shame. He's so pleasant, you know?
Nap time for Little Dude might be coming to an end.
I shall have this day for mourning.
Little Dude is only 3! All of my kids napped until at least 4 1/2. For I loveth naps. But Little Dude is displaying a pattern of resistance these days. Here is an example of how a typical nap time with Little Dude goes.
Me: Go to sleep.
Little Dude: O-Tay, Mom.
Me: Do not get up. Do not play toys. Do not turn on your light. Do not talk to your bunnies. Just go to sleep.
Little Dude: O-Tay. Give me "free" kisses.
"Free" kisses refers to three kisses, and actually refers to about 15 kisses, for the lad enjoys it when his mother kisses him furiously on the cheek numerous times in a row. And I oblige because he is my last baby and Sweet Pea might slap me if I tried that business with her.
So, I go upstairs and continue with educating the girls. One of my favorite past times, didn't you know?
I hear a toilet and race downstairs.
Little Dude (shocked to see me): What! What, Mom!?
Me: You are supposed to be asleep!
Little Dude: I have to peeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Me: You were supposed to do that before. Go to sleep.
Little Dude: O-Tay.
I go back upstairs and then I hear some rumbling. Back downstairs, I find Little Dude has found his whole entourage of stuffed bunnies and puppies and has invited them to join him in his crib for story time. And yes, the boy still has a crib. He is my last baby, you know.
Little Dude (shocked to see me): What! What, Mom!?
Me: No playing. Bed.
Little Dude: O-Tay.
Back upstairs I go, only to hear someone playing the piano downstairs.
Little Dude (shocked to see me): What! What, Mom!?
Me: BED!
Little Dude: O-Tay.
By now, we are done with school and I am trying to tidy up my house. Which is odd, because it is usually so clean. The phone rings and it is my beloved calling to alert me of his impending arrival.
Don't get too excited, folks. He's just gonna come home and go hunting. For he is a hunter man. Have I mentioned this?
While I am on the phone, I spot Little Dude in a completely different bathroom then the one he was in previously.
The toilet is full of toilet paper and the boy is naked from the waist down.
Little Dude (shocked to see me): What! What, Mom!?
Me: Dude!
Little Dude: O-Tay.
And that, my dear friends, is the tragedy of my life. The loss of nap time. I think I am just going to have to switch him to quiet time in his room from now on. He could use some more bonding time with his puppies and bunnies. And yes. He still talks in his creepy bunny voice. And no. I don't have time to record it for you. Plus, every time I try to record something, I say one of the kids' factual names. And THAT is against the rules.
***
I am tired today. I stayed up until 1:33am reading a book, which was genius on my part. I have this fantastic, not nerdy at all, set up for night time reading. I have a flash light app on my phone and I prop it up on my chin.
There are a few problems with this plan:
A) My chin mysteriously changes settings on my phone. Once, it added a shortcut to reach one of my Facebook friends. And this was a Facebook friend that I don't really know.
Oh, come ON. You have those sorts of Facebook friends, too, readers. The "who is this person and why is Facebook telling me it is their birthday?" Facebook friends.
So, my chin kept starting to try and message this not-so-much friend. Which would have been awkward. Since we don't really know each other.
B) I often drop my book on my face. Last night, the book corner hit so hard that I had to check if it left a mark.
C) It didn't.
D) Sometimes, I read until 1:33 am. And then I still have four kids and a full day of home school.
***
Tomorrow is December 1st. This is brilliant news because December 1st is the last day of rifle hunting.
Oh, boo.
Now, David is still not sure if he will continue with the bow hunting, so who knows if the end is near. The man is relentless. He also informed me of plans to build a ginormous tree stand/house, complete with a floor and windows next summer.
My husband is a man-child.
He also drinks a jumbo mug of hot cocoa with 274 marshmallows on top every night for his bed time snack.
See? Man-child.
Aaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnndddddddddddddd . . . I love him.
Also, word on the street is we might get vision insurance on December 1st. Not that we ever need help with the glasses.
Someday, I'm going to do that photo tutorial you have all been begging me for.
Someday.
Wow-- can't believe your kids napped until 4 1/2! Mine both started to drop their naps BEFORE they turned 3.
ReplyDeleteA travesty, I tell you.
We still have quiet times though-- for 2 hours. Yessir. 2 whole hours.
1 hour of laying in bed and 1 hour of playing quietly in their rooms or listening to books on CD.
But something tells me LD might have a little trouble staying in his room... ;)
I also stay up way too late reading, and regret it in the morning. Then I promise myself that I'll go to bed early that night.
Then I don't.
Vicious cycle.
Hey, at least Little Dude didn't go streaking across the street while the neighbor was having a Mary Kay Open House with nothing on but his water shoes.
ReplyDeleteSo what do you stay up until 1:33 am reading? Inquiring minds want to know.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that prevents me from reading until 1:33, or 31:33 as I originally typed it, is the disturbation factor of the gentle slumber of my spouse. As hard as he works, you'd think he'd sleep a little harder.
My girls napped until their sixth birthday. SIXTH! And my boy, not so much. He quit just before he turned five.
It occurs to me that your children are possibly even closer in age than my children. And you had FOUR of them. I had three in 3 1/2 years and quit forever.
This is the reason I love my kindle app on my iPad...built in light so no bookmarks on the face : ).
ReplyDeleteDaughter1 napped thru kindergarten (not literally) Daughter2 only til age 3 but we had quiet time after that. We both needed it!
My oldest daughter never napped much. Or went to bed at night. Her sister came in and asked if it was ok if she went to bed! :) Perhaps Handsome Dude is using up all the sleep from Little Dude?
ReplyDeleteNap time is a joyous, gleam of hope imbedded into each day. I mandate quiet time for my one non-napper. There is no technology, and no pestering Mommy! It is bliss. I usually read and slumber myself because I too have a read too late problem. I could never manage 1:30am, though, or the middle schoolers would drive me over the edge the next day. What, do tell, are you reading?
ReplyDeleteI am glad it was only your power supply....i am a worrier and was afraid something was really really wrong! Glad you are back...i enjoy the read!
ReplyDeleteyou people DEFINITELY need vision insurance, just sayin'!! ;)
ReplyDeleteDON'T give up on the naps yet! I was thinking that Little Louie (4) was probably done with naps, but I continued to make him have quiet time. And now, he is back to napping a couple hours a day, every day. It might be a phase---don't give up hope!!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteHer Daughter's Hope by Francine Rivers
ReplyDeleteWe have made the transition to from nap time to quiet time. It hurt. It was downright painful for Momma, but it happened.
ReplyDeleteQuiet time, however, encompasses all 4 of the homeschooled kidlets because the homeschoolin' Momma needs her one "no, I won't strangle my kids today because I love them and chose on purpose to homeschool but I am going insane and can't take another question in my ear so they all must have quiet time NOW" (insert deep gasping breath) moment. Quiet time is the only reason I am not a permanant resident at the Loonie Bin.
I had to cut out my first daughter's naps because I would end up going to bed before she did. That is not good for a three year old. Holla :)
ReplyDeleteThe end of nap time?
ReplyDeleteOh dear.
I am SO sorry for you. It's truly one of the worst times in a mother's life!
I cannot decide if quiet time is what keeps me out of the loony bin or what drives me there. None of my children seem to need the sleep I was led to believe that they would. This should not surprise me since their father doesn't either. What's a sleepy girl to do?! My children do "quiet time" like a Wac-A-Mole game. Sigh. Perhaps I am not scary enough but I try very hard. I sympathize greatly with your LD "quiet times".
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I didn't realize your husband was a bowhunter--something about all the guns. :). But could that mean that maybe, just maybe my boys are not the only boys in the world that play "Cameron Haynes", "South Cox" and "Nate Simmons"? If you have no idea who these people are, never mind. I guess then I am alone in having kids with heros no one else has ever heard of.
*Hanes* that would be. However, if you've never heard of him it matters not. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat else would you hunt with an UZI?
ReplyDeleteIt might just be me, but I have a hard time picturing your children being called by any name other than their bloggy names :) So when you said you usually use their real names on recordings I had to stop and think about that for a second, lol!
ReplyDelete