And to All a Good Night
Thanks for the recent kind comments and prayers. Joe's mother's boyfriend's kidneys are failing, and Joe is going up to New York for a few days soon. I wish we could all go to support and love our family in person.
aftondays recently posted about her evening routine, which I enjoyed reading. I thought it would be fun to write about mine as well. Around 5 or 5:30 I feed my ravenous children some hodge podge dinner - usually something different than what Joe and I will eat because I have not yet finished making our dinner. I try to read Psalms or the gospels to the kids while they eat. They are more likely to sit still in their chairs if I'm sitting with them, and I think it's a great opportunity to absorb scripture while their mouths are full. If the kids aren't too messy from feeding themselves, they help me clean up from their meal, clean up from the day, and usually they will help me work on dinner for Joe and me too.
Then the kids enjoy a long bath together. Joe arrives home from work at 6, and they're often still in the bath. Sometimes I play with them in the tub, sometimes I try to sneak in learning with our bath toys and sometimes I read a book or surf the net on my iPod Touch. Joe helps me get the kids into their pajamas and plays with them for a few minutes. I try to encourage quiet play like all the books and articles about sleeping recommend, but there's lots of screaming, running and ball throwing with Daddy.
Around 6:30 and after small teeth have been brushed, we gather on Coco's bed and read stories - first fiction, then Bible stories. Sometimes I ask catechism questions. (Art knows Who made him!) We pray as a family, encouraging the kids to say their own prayers, which is sometimes precious but often absurd. Hugs and kisses all around. Then Joe reads a chapter or two of a story to Collette while I nurse Arthur in a glider in his own bedroom. I like to sing hymns while I nurse, and Art likes to play with my hair or hit me with his lovey. I put Arthur down after ten or fifteen minutes of nursing. He falls asleep on his own if he hasn't fallen asleep while nursing.
Who ever finished tucking his or her child into bed first finishes dinner. Or sometimes the day has gotten away from me, and we don't begin making dinner until this point. Dinners lately have been very simple and quick. I have made more ambitious meals in the past, but I'm out of the habit now. We eat. We have one at home date night a week when we intentionally plan an activity together, and we allow ourselves the option of spending one night each away from home (Joe plays soccer or basketball; I go to Book Club, the gym or meet friends). Otherwise we may spend time talking, doing something together (watching a television show or movie, but I dream about listening to books or sermons or playing card games together), doing different things in the same room or apart. Joe likes to follow sports news, watch or listen to games, or play games on the Nintendo Game Cube, and I like to play silly iPod games or read books. We rarely go to sleep at the same time. I try to make it into bed by 10 to read. Joe can go to sleep anytime between 8 and 12. Who ever goes to bed first kisses the other one good night, and if we've been doing different activities we often end up talking about whatever it was we were doing, which is one of my favorite parts of the day. Other times it's a simple kiss and good night.
Writing about our evening routine is pleasantly soothing.
God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. (Genesis 1:5)
aftondays recently posted about her evening routine, which I enjoyed reading. I thought it would be fun to write about mine as well. Around 5 or 5:30 I feed my ravenous children some hodge podge dinner - usually something different than what Joe and I will eat because I have not yet finished making our dinner. I try to read Psalms or the gospels to the kids while they eat. They are more likely to sit still in their chairs if I'm sitting with them, and I think it's a great opportunity to absorb scripture while their mouths are full. If the kids aren't too messy from feeding themselves, they help me clean up from their meal, clean up from the day, and usually they will help me work on dinner for Joe and me too.
Then the kids enjoy a long bath together. Joe arrives home from work at 6, and they're often still in the bath. Sometimes I play with them in the tub, sometimes I try to sneak in learning with our bath toys and sometimes I read a book or surf the net on my iPod Touch. Joe helps me get the kids into their pajamas and plays with them for a few minutes. I try to encourage quiet play like all the books and articles about sleeping recommend, but there's lots of screaming, running and ball throwing with Daddy.
Around 6:30 and after small teeth have been brushed, we gather on Coco's bed and read stories - first fiction, then Bible stories. Sometimes I ask catechism questions. (Art knows Who made him!) We pray as a family, encouraging the kids to say their own prayers, which is sometimes precious but often absurd. Hugs and kisses all around. Then Joe reads a chapter or two of a story to Collette while I nurse Arthur in a glider in his own bedroom. I like to sing hymns while I nurse, and Art likes to play with my hair or hit me with his lovey. I put Arthur down after ten or fifteen minutes of nursing. He falls asleep on his own if he hasn't fallen asleep while nursing.
Who ever finished tucking his or her child into bed first finishes dinner. Or sometimes the day has gotten away from me, and we don't begin making dinner until this point. Dinners lately have been very simple and quick. I have made more ambitious meals in the past, but I'm out of the habit now. We eat. We have one at home date night a week when we intentionally plan an activity together, and we allow ourselves the option of spending one night each away from home (Joe plays soccer or basketball; I go to Book Club, the gym or meet friends). Otherwise we may spend time talking, doing something together (watching a television show or movie, but I dream about listening to books or sermons or playing card games together), doing different things in the same room or apart. Joe likes to follow sports news, watch or listen to games, or play games on the Nintendo Game Cube, and I like to play silly iPod games or read books. We rarely go to sleep at the same time. I try to make it into bed by 10 to read. Joe can go to sleep anytime between 8 and 12. Who ever goes to bed first kisses the other one good night, and if we've been doing different activities we often end up talking about whatever it was we were doing, which is one of my favorite parts of the day. Other times it's a simple kiss and good night.
Writing about our evening routine is pleasantly soothing.
God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. (Genesis 1:5)