4.19.09
Bedtime
There's something cathartic about bathing the girls and getting them ready for bed for me.
I know it sounds silly, but it's true. I've heard people complain about four o'clock on (or arsenic hour as my mom calls it), but it's really not the hard time of day for me. Now that Steve's never home before 5:30, I am the supper maker. But on the evenings when he's working, I always bathe the girls, whether it's bath night or not. Especially now that Alena's older, they love to play in the tub. I wash them both and then they play, take out Alena and dry her off and into jammies and brush her hair while Leila continues to splash. Then out comes Leila. We head into her room and Alena plays while I dry Leila and brush her hair. We tidy up the toys, and then into Alena's room to do the same. Alena now gets her own bedtime story, and I've started to be quite strict with Leila about it. When Steve's home, whoever isn't reading Alena her story gets Leila's teeth brushed, but when it's just me, I tell Leila she can either sit quietly or leave the room because bed time story is Alena's special time with mommy (of which she really doesn't get enough and sometimes I feel really guitly about that but it's for a different entry). Then lullaby and tucked into bed. Then I brush Leila's teeth, read her a story and sing her a lullaby.
I definately wouldn't want Steve to work every evening, but one night a week has proven to be so much more managable than I had worried.
And there's something especially delicious about freshly bathed kids, I just want to grab them and squeeze them in my arms!
wunderwuman at 7:05 p.m.