Don't forget to walk the dog (I mean kids!)
What's bedtime like in your house? It varies for us from "hellish" to "not so bad." We are the only people we know who actually curse when our kids fall asleep spontaneously during the day because napping means we'll have to hog tie them to get them to sleep at night so that we can go to sleep!
I've found something that closely resembles a solution to this problem. After dinner we go on a walk to the park, Tali's school playground or the coveted Walgreens where we play with toys I refuse to buy and frequently purchase a bag of m&ms for potty treats. Yes, at age four my son still refuses to make anything in the toilet that even remotely resembles the chocolate center of the candy he loves so much.
Just like dogs, children need to be taken for walks and runs to get their energy out. If we're at the park I sometimes ask them to hop on one foot all the way across the field. Their favorite thing lately is skipping so we incorporate that into the relay as well. Tonight on the way to and from our excursion Tali set up a race for her and Charlie.
Children and dogs are a lot alike. They are both difficult to potty train, need to be exercised 2-3 times a day and, they don't like to be alone and constantly want you to play with them. I laugh when I hear myself saying, "Hey Charlie, go in your room and bring me a toy," just so that I can play a game with Tali or finish folding some laundry or, (heaven forbid) complete a sentence in my phone conversation with a friend.
The result of rearing these little puppies the way we do? Little fuss when it's time to lay their heads down and listen to a story. There is no arguing for more, no begging their dad or me to stay. Just a book, a prayer, a couple of songs and we're outta there. We have a few hours to do whatever we wish knowing that our little angels will wake up happy because they will be well rested. On the evenings of our longer excursions Charlie has even put himself to bed a few times. When I get in to his personality in later blogs you will understand why when he does this, I often wonder if he's been replaced with a Stepford child.
It's getting dark earlier and the temperature is dropping so now the question is: how do we exercise our little pets? We can throw a tennis ball from one end of the house to the other, but we run the risk of breaking the few things we have left that the kids haven't broken. We may have to build an indoor dog run. Does anyone know how to do this?
I've found something that closely resembles a solution to this problem. After dinner we go on a walk to the park, Tali's school playground or the coveted Walgreens where we play with toys I refuse to buy and frequently purchase a bag of m&ms for potty treats. Yes, at age four my son still refuses to make anything in the toilet that even remotely resembles the chocolate center of the candy he loves so much.
Just like dogs, children need to be taken for walks and runs to get their energy out. If we're at the park I sometimes ask them to hop on one foot all the way across the field. Their favorite thing lately is skipping so we incorporate that into the relay as well. Tonight on the way to and from our excursion Tali set up a race for her and Charlie.
Children and dogs are a lot alike. They are both difficult to potty train, need to be exercised 2-3 times a day and, they don't like to be alone and constantly want you to play with them. I laugh when I hear myself saying, "Hey Charlie, go in your room and bring me a toy," just so that I can play a game with Tali or finish folding some laundry or, (heaven forbid) complete a sentence in my phone conversation with a friend.
The result of rearing these little puppies the way we do? Little fuss when it's time to lay their heads down and listen to a story. There is no arguing for more, no begging their dad or me to stay. Just a book, a prayer, a couple of songs and we're outta there. We have a few hours to do whatever we wish knowing that our little angels will wake up happy because they will be well rested. On the evenings of our longer excursions Charlie has even put himself to bed a few times. When I get in to his personality in later blogs you will understand why when he does this, I often wonder if he's been replaced with a Stepford child.
It's getting dark earlier and the temperature is dropping so now the question is: how do we exercise our little pets? We can throw a tennis ball from one end of the house to the other, but we run the risk of breaking the few things we have left that the kids haven't broken. We may have to build an indoor dog run. Does anyone know how to do this?
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