So, how many of you set an intention for last week’s Mindful Monday? How did it go? I’m happy to report that my plan to relax and have fun went swimmingly (literally! There were several pool excursions involved.) But maybe we got a little too relaxed, which brings me to my personal challenge for this week’s Mindful Monday:
Who: Everybody, including the dog
What: Get our sleep back on a reasonable schedule
Why: During the first week of summer break, our sleep habits, almost without fail, fall apart spectacularly. I think it’s partly due to a little rebellious streak of mine that mentally resists the sleep schedule we’re forced to adopt during the school year. Once the school year is over, we “celebrate” by staying up late…too late…and then sleeping in…too far in. This creates a vicious cycle: Clara’s nap gets delayed (she’s not exactly tired at noon when she didn’t get up until 10), which means she has a harder time falling asleep at night; the boys are no longer tired at 8 or 9 or even, sometimes, 10. Once I finally wrestle them down, I look forward to a few minutes alone with my Kindle, but by that point I’ve hit my second wind and tend to lay in bed reading for hours. You get the picture: our sleep schedule is totally messed up over here and I have to get it back on track!
How:
- Start the day off right. It’s not always easy to get up ahead of everyone else, but it always helps me feel so much more in control and so much less cranky than when I’m wakened by a child standing by my bed demanding cereal. Plus, now that my kids are all home all day, my writing time is limited and the early-morning hours are sometimes my only opportunity to get quiet time to work. Getting up considerably ahead of everyone else also helps me feel grounded and energized so that when the kids do wake up, I’m ready to greet them and start the family’s day rather than groaning and pulling the covers over my head.
- Start winding down early. Summer evenings are pretty laid-back and fun around our house. The kids are running in and out of the house, we’re grilling out and working in the yard or I’m listening to music and doing the dishes. It’s light out until well after 9 PM and sometimes I literally forget how late it’s getting until I’ve blown it. This week I’m setting my phone alarm to remind me it’s time to start the wind-down, and I’m giving us plenty of time to go from revved up to relaxed and ready for bed.
- Don’t forget the bedtime routine. You’d think I’d know better by now, but every time I relax the bedtime routine even for a few days, the kids think that‘s the new norm and I have to start all over again. For example, because we let them “camp out” in the living room for a few nights, they now seem to regard it as their new bedroom. So unless it’s a special occasion (like a sleepover, Friday family movie night, or actual camping trip) we’re going back to a slightly more relaxed version of the school-year routine: evening bath, small snack, tooth-brushing, tuck-in, and everyone in their own beds, already.
Are you struggling with summer-break sleep schedule breakdown? Any other Mindful Monday intentions you’d like to share?
I totally agree with you. My kids are only 2 years old and 7 months but, sticking to our routine and keeping with what’s familiar helps our family function so much better. It’s fun to enjoy the outdoors and enjoy the extra light in the evenings but, we’re all happier when we are rested and have a little routine in our family.
The sleep issue is so important! Every time we go on vacation, we end up letting the kids stay up late the first night, and then laying down with them because we feel sorry for them having to fall asleep in a new bed. Then the standard is set for the rest of the trip and we end up losing all our adult time in the evenings. Our kids are little, 3 and 5, and we really need those hours in the evening to help us feel like we are actually on vacation. Sometimes I just can’t wait to get home because, to be honest, being on vacation with little kids is a heck of a lot of work.
Well, our summer break doesn’t start for another 2.5 weeks, but I do know that we have to keep our son to a relatively sane bedtime. That said, he’s actually easier in the summer I find, as he isn’t stressed about school, so he sleeps better and gets up in a better mood. We’re rarely rushed in the mornings which helps as well.
Same problem here! As soon as it gets nice outside and the sun is still up later, it gets harder to stick to the routine. And then I stay up later just because I finally have a little time w/o the kids! LOL Next fall I will have a kindergartner and 3rd grader as well as my 3 year old, so I need to stay on it! The good thing is since I stay at home with them and they have a “late start” school, they do get to sleep in and have a more relaxed morning than most kids.
I couldn’t agree with this more! When I get a headstart on my kids in the morning, rather than peeling myself off the pillow when I hear them calling me from their cribs, my day is much much saner! I don’t feel like I’m behind all day long. I’m trying to get to bed by 10:30 and get up by 6:30 this month. Apparently this also helps with weight control- your body restores leptin when you sleep, which acts as an appetite suppressant. Thank Oprah for that fun little fact:) That’s where I learned it.
agreed. as i sit here super tired. 🙂 we really need to get back on track. thanks for the reminder and tips!
Recently I’ve been having a lot of trouble falling and staying asleep during the night. It’s probably because I’ve also been staying up watching all my recorded tv shows. Now it’s just become routine for me to do this. If I don’t, I find that I can’t fall asleep. You have some really good advice here though! I’m going to try it and break my bad bedtime sleeping habits.
My husband does a good job at getting the boys to bed but if they see me, it takes another hour before they will go to bed. I use to fall asleep with them every night, thankfully I broke free from that routine.
I dream of getting up a half hour earlier than my kids — maybe some yoga or meditation and/or a cup of coffee in peace on the front porch. That is my motherhood fantasy. My reality is that my kids are full speed by 6 most mornings, and (even with a mostly reasonable bedtime of my own) I just can’t stomach any earlier than that.
Thanks for your tip and your reminder.we really need to get back on track. I also agree with you.