School's In Session, Back to the Bedtime Routine

^^ Don't act like you don't sleep with an umbrella as well! You know, for those times that maybe there will be a storm and the roof will leak or something. Or, maybe just because it is your current favorite possession. 

I'll be the first to admit, I'm not one to run to for sleeping children advice. After all, my second born didn't start sleeping through the night until she was two and a half. And although I've gone through seasons of being strict about bedtime, this summer certainly hasn't been one of those times. We've stayed up late most nights. Connor always rises with the sun. And Isla, she is my sleeper-inner…arising generally sometime around 9:30am.

With Connor going back to school and school starting at 8:25am, I knew something needed to be done. I could not let every single morning for the next nine months be a disaster…because seriously, waking a sleeping Isla is pretty much always a disaster. So, I started getting strict about bedtime again. Everything is done - quiet time, teeth brushing, books read - and lights are out by 8pm. Connor can generally fall asleep pretty quick and Isla has been falling asleep before 9pm, which I consider a win…as it had been 10:30 and starting to creep toward 11. This makes mornings easier.

I have actually been having to wake Connor in the mornings, which is totally out of character for him. Of course, over the weekend, he was up at 6am, but come yesterday morning, it was back to waking him again! I wake him about half an hour before I wake Isla and things have been going pretty smooth. Isla goes back to school in a couple weeks and I think her start time being half an hour after Connor's will work well because she doesn't like to eat for a while after she wakes up, so I am thinking her eating in the car on the way to school will work well for her.

And, guess what? One week in, I am feeling better about getting up oh-so-early…better than I was last week, at least. It's been a while since I've had to consistently get up early. I guess it's time I find a routine for myself again as well!

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