I think I've blogged about this a few times over the years, but I've had several recent conversations that made me want to talk about it again. For me, rest time and early bedtime for the children is KEY to my sanity. Not that I don't love to be with them (as you will see, I AM still with them during this time), but it's like I have said before: I don't need a break from my children themselves, but I do need a break from noise, messes, and chaos! And so do the children.
This is how we currently do rest time at our home. At noon we stop school to make lunch. We eat lunch and do whatever cleaning up we can get done before 1:00. At 1:00 sharp, it's rest time, no matter how much progress we've made in the kitchen! It's the law!
ALL of us from birth to mommy-size find a spot in the living room to sit or lie down. Sometimes a toddler may still need to go to their room for a nap, but if they are able to nap with us, they can stay. If Cara gets too disruptive, I put her in her room to sleep. Actually, if ANYONE is persistently disruptive, they will rest alone in their room. This is a great disappointment to them--they love rest time! The younger ones may get a pillow and/or blanket, or sometimes they just cuddle up with me.
Everyone knows the rules of rest time--sit down, be still, be quiet.
What we do at rest time varies throughout the year. This is our current lineup:
First prayer--this is when we pray over our prayer list.
Homeschool Bible (we are using BJU Bible Truths and it is amazing! They do the corresponding worksheet after rest time.)
History (Monday and Wednesday)
Science (Tuesday and Thursday)
Reading from Everyday Graces (I love this book!)
Reading from Gladys Aylward (We are reading through Christian Heroes Then and Now biographies)
Of course most of this is way over the little ones' heads, so what do they do? Well, first of all, they absorb WAY more than you think! Then...they get bored and fall asleep! Yes! Now they are getting their much needed nap and you are getting much needed one-on-one time with the older children. And if it has been an extra busy day, they will fall asleep too! And yes, there are those seasons where mommy will fall asleep before anyone else!!! During those times, I will either turn on a movie for them or have them quietly read or look at books. Either way, the same rules apply--sit down, be still, be quiet!
Rest time ends at 2:00--or when you wake up!
Now, bedtime. Do you dread bedtime? I've had complete strangers remark to me after noting the size of my family how hard bedtime must be. It is actually one of my favorite times of day. This is how we do it. 7:00 is baths for the little ones, followed by showers for the older ones if needed, and once everyone is ready for bed, we all head into the bedroom. I have 4 boys in one room, and Cara also comes in there with us, and Tyson crawls around on the floor.
The rules are: lie down, be still, be quiet.
This is our current bedtime booklist:
First we pray. Whoever wants to pray may pray.
First I read a book of a child's choice. Each child has a day of the week that he gets to pick the book.
Then I read from Hymn's for a Kids Heart (We are on volume 2)
Then I read from the Bible. We are currently reading John and the Proverbs and Psalms of the day. For instance on today, the 9th, we read Proverbs 9, and Psalms 9, 39, 69, 99, and 129.
What I do next I just recently started and it has been such a blessing to me. I pray over each of the children. By this point, most, if not all, are asleep. If they are awake, I might talk to them or ask them if there is anything I should pray for first. So I just go to each one, lay my hands on them, and pray. This one thing has changed my life as a mommy.
There are so many benefits to having a daily rest time and early bedtime with your children. It provides togetherness and cuddles, peace and quiet, learning and discipleship, rest and relaxation, training and structure--and a precious time of prayer. We ALL look forward to these times every day.
3 comments:
You are a very smart Mom! Good for you, you give you & your children nap/rest time! It seems as if it has gone by the wayside to allow Moms & children down time.
My children got naps everyday until the age of 4-5 yrs. & sometimes older if they needed it.
Darleen
i think that's wonderful! i'm all for early bed time. the problem i've run into is kiddos still awake when i leave and getting out of bed for one reason or another. what time do your children wake up? are you pretty strict about them not getting out of bed?
i still think about you all the time and continue to pray for you and your husband (and littles) as you are apart. when does he get home?
WOW I am blown away and inspired - especially about your bedtime rituals. I've long wondered what to do about bedtime as Jonah goes down quite a bit earlier than everyone else and Ben shares a room with him...I'll have to give it some thought and possibly incorporate some of your ideas! Thank you so much!
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