Monkeys jumping on the bed

Bedtime has become a real pain in the sleep. For some reason, our lovely bedtime routine is no longer the lull it used to be. In the past, I put my lovely angels in bed, kissed their foreheads, and had Mommy time and sleep. Now, I put them in bed, kiss their foreheads and have up to hours of antics.

Each night is a new experience. One night, I'm actively herding. Literally chasing my kids to get them in bed, running back and forth to keep those adorable monkeys from jumping on the beds. The next night, it is the "I need a drink of water" symphony.

Then, there are the nights when one child will happily sleep and the other won't. Those are the worst. I will think to myself, "maybe if I take the non-sleeper to bed with me, I can get some rest." Anyone who has tried to sleep with a wound-up preschooler knows this is complete folly. It ends with a cranky Mommy sending an unhappy child back to bed in the middle of the night.

I'm not a great sleeper to begin with, but when my kids aren't sleeping well, we all get cranky. It's a horrible spiral. It's when I get loopy and try to bribe them with things to behave. Which leads to more cranky behavior.

It might not be so bad if they slept in on the mornings when they didn't sleep the night before, but it just never quite works out that way.

I'm considering getting some of those Japanese sleeping compartments installed in my house. That way, when I really need sleep, I put the kids in their compartments and just shut the doors. Those compartments are too small for them to jump in, so they won't get hurt. And I can't hear the endless calls for water through the doors. You know, those Japanese really have some good ideas.