The Bedtime Fairy

After months of struggling getting the kids to bed and stay in bed, I think I finally found something that is working. I've gotten great advice from my sister-in-law (put the kids to bed BEFORE 9 p.m. and they will stay asleep longer and get better sleep). Max now goes to bed and is usually asleep by 7:45 p.m. Lukas ususally gets to stay up until 8:30. It's true, Max does stay asleep longer, but he still gets out of bed around midnight, sometimes later. But it's a good compromise for me if I can have a few hours in the evening to do what I want. And Jyl gave me the idea of a bedtime fairy that brings little treats or toys for kids that sleep in their beds all night. I tried it one night and nothing. I decided my kids are visual like me, so I went to the dollar store and got all kinds of tempting toys and treats and put them in a big jar where the kids could see them. Then I sewed little bags that hang on their door and told them that if they slept all night long w/out waking me up, the bedtime fairy would put a toy or treat in their bag in the morning. It totally works! Not every night, but more nights than before. Lukas says, "Mom, can you tell the bedtime fairy that I want that airplane?" And when he wakes up, he is so excited to see what the fairy put in his bag. There are nights that one or both boys wake up and come to sleep in our bed, but it is getting better and I don't feel so sleep-deprived. I heard Lukas telling his friedn about how the bedtime fairy comes when he sleeps in his bed. It was cute. It's like Christmas every morning to see what's in the bag. Yay for the bedtime fairy!!!