Juggle Bedtimes to Suit You. Older kids get to stay up later, right? Not at Sarah Motta’s house. Sarah puts her older boys to bed at 7:30, but preschool-aged Anna still naps. Sarah could have cut the nap, but she really liked that time to herself during the day. Instead, she puts Anna to bed an hour later. “Anna shares all her attention with others, so that hour when my husband and I get alone time with her is one of my favorite times of the day.” Play with Naptimes. Lisa Ahrberg had a different solution for juggling bedtime. When her kids were toddlers, she kept them up, even when she knew they were tired much earlier. “My husband doesn’t get home until 7:30, so if they were in bed when they wanted to sleep, he didn’t see them for days at a time.” To make up the difference, she played with their nap schedules until they were getting enough sleep even with the later bed time.” Take the Bath out of Bedtime. Baths are often part of the bedtime ritual, but since I put both my kids to bed by myself many nights, bedtime was often hectic. I started giving my older daughter, Kathleen, her bath in the afternoon while her baby sister napped. Kathleen got more play time in the tub, and I got a streamlined bedtime making “tubby time” and bedtime more relaxing for both of us.
September/October 2015
Things We Have to Do
Homework and errands are a necessary part of our daily or weekly routines. With creative thinking, you make these routines less of a chore: Everyone Goes on Errands. Are errands squeezing all the family time out of your weekends? Try combining the two. Although going solo or taking a divide and conquer approach might be more efficient, having an everyonegoes policy allows for time together. To keep family time from being all work, play games in the car or stop for a treat when you’re done. Or plan a fun activity for when you get home and build anticipation during the trip. Leave Homework to the Last Minute. Some families have a homework-before-play rule, but some kids need a little down time or activity time before they can sit and do more work. Others may need a different schedule altogether. Instead of settling after school to do homework, Ellen Weiner’s son does his in the mornings. “After a full day of school, he's too tired to focus, and his work is of a much higher quality when he does it in the mornings.” Ellen adds that it’s not an ideal solution, but “it's what works best for him this year.We'll take each year as it comes.” Ready to revamp your own routines? Forget what you’re “supposed” to do and find what works for you, your child, and your family.Then check in periodically to make sure it keeps working. Pretty soon you’ll be a pro at coming up with creative routines that keep your family running smoothly.
suburban family | subfam.com
seasons
33rd Annual
2015
COUNTRY FOLK ART FESTIVAL September 25, 26 and 27 St. Charles, Illinois
Kane County Fairgrounds Robinson Hall • 525 S. Randall Road
Fri 5pm–9pm Sat 10am–5pm Sun 11am–4pm
Bring this ad for $1.00 Off admission For more information call (630) 387-1151 or visit www.artoftheheartland.com
seasons 7