by tascha |
{If you have a blog, please consider linking up with us at the end of this post! Please link to a blog post URL in which you have talked about a child-training tip or Bible teaching idea for children!}
My oldest child took a nap after lunch until she was 3.
My next 2 girls stopped naps around 18 mo. {Girlie #3 was born when #2 was 18 mo!} Needless to say, Mommy was not thrilled. But we had established “quiet time” with the oldest one to be used on such days that Mommy just needed a rest. so we taught the younger 2 to have quiet time also.
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| sometimes this happens |
I use “quiet time” at least twice a week now. Always on Sunday. and one other day [or 2] that warrants its use. It is not used as a punishment, and some times the girls actually ask for it if we’ve had an unusually active morning.
{This is simply the way we do this. it is not the “perfect method” for everyone. nor is it for every family. Just what we do. and I pray it can be a blessing and an inspiration to someone.}
When we first started this with our oldest, I made her have quiet time every day for about 2 weeks. When the younger 2 girls quit their naps, they had quiet time every day for a few weeks also.
The training for this is quite similar to
the bedtime training. The first few times there must be strict [loving] discipline and correction when they get up before they are supposed to. Our children have a CD of gentle instrumental hymns that lasts 1 hour. They know that they must remain in their beds [except to potty] until the music is finished. [This established time must be very clear to the child, such as a timer beeping or music stopping.]
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| sometimes at supper {LOVE} |
During the training process you cannot expect to actually rest yourself. You must be up and ready to train. You must explain [as much as possible] what “quiet time” means. During this time they may have a book. or one toy [or not]. But they must, at ALL TIMES, be in their own bed. They may not be silly or talk with their siblings. On occasion, one or both of them do fall asleep. More often though, they just lay there while mommy rests. or actually gets something accomplished. {smiles}
Once they know and are [mostly] doing what is expected of them, I tell them that while they have quiet time Mommy is going to rest. They are not to come talk to me. They are [still] not to get up or be silly. {AND, if Mommy is asleep when their music is over they are NOT to wake me but stay in their room and play.}
This simple few weeks of training for each child has afforded me many hours of rest through the past several years. It has been a priceless treasure of investment into our life as a family, my life as a wife and mommy, and my children’s lives, as rest is vital to physical and emotional health!
{Please link to a blog post URL in which you have talked about a child-training tip! and link that post back here if you like}
**family notes
We have had “quiet time” in our home since our oldest was 3 years old. She is now almost 8! And, on occasion, she must still participate [though sometimes I allow her to have a quiet activity beyond a book]. I do expect that this summer when school is out that the younger ones will have quiet time and she will not be required to do the same. And I anticipate some whining over that fact. But knowing that “quiet time” has a stopping point {except for Sundays} should give them something to look forward to!
I realize that some may see this training as a difficult task, but when weighed against the irritability that I will inevitably have without an occasional break [not daily, just occasional], it is more than worth it.
And, in our house, this time cannot begin later than 3:00 pm or, if they fall asleep, they do not go to bed very well. {smiles}
Of course, not every single “quiet time” is smooth and without need of correction, we are all human. My children sin. I sin. But training the simple things [such as how to lie down quietly] while they are very small will truly become a blessing when they are older.
And, on occasion, the little man’s afternoon nap will slide right in along the girls’ quiet time and I really DO get a few minutes… quiet. blessed quiet.
by tascha
We made our own wrapping paper this year!
brown packaging paper from the Dollar Tree
Christmas foam stamps from the same store
[3 packs=6 stamps {ink included}]
it was lots of fun
I think we’ll do it again next year!
by tascha
{If you have a blog, please consider linking up with us at the end of this post! Please link to a blog post URL in which you have talked about a child-training tip or Bible teaching idea for children!}
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
Training is about more than just morality and spirituality [though vitally important!]. but we live in a physical world and must also train our children to live right physically as well. this includes healthy sleep patterns.
{I am in no way trying to tell anyone how to train their children. Every family and situation is unique, and God will guide you when you seek Him! This is simply what the Lord has allowed to work for us. and I pray it can be an inspiration for other young families. because a good nights sleep is the foundation for a productive day-for mommy & child!}
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| {LOVE} |
From the time my babies are physically able to sleep through the night [e.i. they have done it on their own more than 2-3 nights in a row] we begin the process of training them to go to bed at ‘bed time’ and not to get up until ‘morning.’ Some children will reach this age at a few months old. others will not be ready til nearer their first birthday.
All of my babies [4 thus far] have slept through the night consistently since they were at least 3 months. I realize this is not normal, but the training is a good place to start-no matter your baby’s age. Sleep plays an important part in our body’s health and establishing proper sleep patterns can begin very young.
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| OH, the JOY! |
First, we established a “bedtime” time. And we have been as consistent as possible with this time until they are securely familiar with it. [you’ll know when this familiarity happens because either their bodies {fall asleep} or their minds {go wild or get cranky} will start “checking out” at that time if they are up later.]
We then established a
routine. This is a quiet and restful time and we considered how long we wanted it to last. We begin it that long before bedtime.
This is when we have our Devotion Time. No matter what has gone on in the day, this does not change. It has had a bit of a remodel from time to time, but it is basically the same as when we began it nearly 5 years ago. and it always ends with “The Quiet Song” and prayer. then it is time to tuck them in and leave the room.
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| the baby feeding the baby |
As infants, a baby cannot really be a part of the reading/singing/praying. and when it was just the one baby, I would sing to her and pray with her right in her bed before tucking her in and turning out the light. sweet dreams. goodnight! We began this family devotion time when the second blessing came along. and as new blessings have been added, they are held during this time unless unduly fussy. in which case they are put in their crib until devotions are over.
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| loving his BIGgest sister |
Our devotion time begins around 8:00 unless we have been at church late or had a [rare] special function where we get home later than that. Our goal is that the children be tucked in and kissed by 8:20. The baby’s bedtime lingers later… his last bottle is usually at 8:45. Then he is tucked in and left to fall asleep.
The key for us has been to let them
fall asleep in their own bed as often as possible as early as possible.
consistently. and putting them back to bed promptly if they get up [this is not a time for discussion. on any topic]. and there must be clear, consistent consequences if they continually get up or are disruptive to “roommates.”
LINK-UP!! {closed}
{Please link to a blog post URL in which you have talked about a child-training tip or Bible teaching idea for children!}
Most of the time, a child will sleep through until morning without much training. And, while my babies have all learned to sleep through the night very early, that does not mean there was never any regression and re-training.
Our youngest daughter decided just after her 1st birthday that she needed to stay awake until 11 or so and wake up about 2 or 3 every morning. again. She was very active and had no signs of any illness or discomfort that would prompt this regression. So I said: No, ma’am!
*interjection: If my children have begun showing signs of illness, all rules are waved. They may call for Mommy or come right to my bedside in the night. While rest is imperative, knowing that Mommy is there for them when they are sick is also vital!*
Since there were other children who shared the room with her, it was a little tricky. but the older two had a blast during the [almost] 2 [very loud] weeks it took for her to re-learn how to go to bed, quietly. and sleep [or remain quiet] through the night.
The older 2 [then 5 & 2 1/2] went camping! We found a little extra space in a room that was not used for sleeping [it is now the girls’ bedroom!] and made them {as my Granny would call them} “nests”: piles of blankets on the floor all covered with a sheet and their special blanket/doll/animal.
It was an adventure for them. and doors were closed between all of us and a very upset little girl. The first few nights I or hubby would {usually} calmly reprimand her at intervals through her crying. laying her back down and recovering her. but NEVER took her out of her crib. If she awoke during the night, I would stand outside her door to be sure she was not ill or hut before going back to bed [though I rarely slept if she were awake] and letting her get herself back to sleep.
By the second week, she was crying less than 30 minutes before going to sleep or simply being quiet, and she was quiet if she did waken in the night. The older girls moved back into their own beds, and they have been [mostly] sweetly co-habitating ever since. 2 years and counting! [BUT, she did stop taking naps less than 2 months later. and that helped even more.]
Currently, the youngest girl [now 3] still has an occasional problem -mostly she likes to kick the wall by her bed til she falls asleep. but that is dealt with swiftly and lovingly and is not as frequent. The older 2 [now 7 1/2 & 4 1/2] do very well. even if they don’t fall asleep right away. and if any of them get up for any reason other than using the restroom, they are send directly back to bed. no discussions.
the baby-man [6 months] sleeps from about 9-7 {he has independently progressed to this from 3 months when he slept from 10:30-5}. Our oldest girl gets up at 6:30 to ready for school. the other 2 wake about 7:30.
linked up at: oursimplecountrylife/hearts-4-home
holyspiritledhomeschooling/big-family-friday
thebettermom/better-mom-mondays
by tascha |
upon first glance you must think
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| this is a haphazard mess! |
and, in a way, you would be correct 🙂
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| but there is control in the chaos! |
with EVERY. SINGLE. couch pillow forming walls
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| and the coffee table edging the ‘front’ |
with all their throw blankets spread out.
one on top of the other.
[cause no one’s blanket can be left out!]
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| my girls lounge in their CASTLE! |
can you find them? LOL
and yes, they KNOW they are PRINCESSES!
My girls ask to play CASTLE- and I know that I will have, at the very least, 30 minutes of relative harmony and very few questions. Of course, there is the mess. But he who makes a mess… you know it! Cleans it up! Mostly it is just putting the pillows back on the couches and taking their blankets back to their room…
and they will sit in their CASTLE and read books, color, watch TV, and play general make-believe very nicely-so I help them get all those stuffed animals back to their basket when it’s all done.
