Creekside Fridays

Every Friday evening during the summer, there is live music, beer and bbq down the hill from our house. We haven't ever gone because it starts at 6:30 and that is Henry and Emma's bedtime. (I promise that I get back to the creekside friday story below. Excuse the incredibly long tangent that is about to occur) We are pretty strict with the routine around here (I know that comes as a huge surprise to all of you who know me!). I have found that the kids do really well with a routine and anytime we deviate, we regret it. For anyone who is curious, and just for my own record, here is our daily routine:

8am: The kids wake up and drink their breakfast. Yes, I know that I am the luckiest mother on earth that Henry and Emma sleep so late. They are each drinking 8 ounces a feeding now. It seems like just yesterday that they only had 2!

8-10: We play on the mat, usually do some tummy time and work on sitting up and anything else that we can dream of for them. We also get them dressed. For Emma, this also equals what we call her "spa treatment." The little lady has very sensitive skin so we let her hang out naked for a while while she gets her treatment so that she can air out a little. She gets covered in lotion from head to toe and she loves this. I also put bag balm (I find that this works the best for diaper/heat rash) under her neck. You see, Emma is a very healthy child, so her neck is rarely exposed, so she requires a little ointment in her neck crease.

10-12: Nap time.

12pm: Wake up and drink lunch. Then we get another couple of hours of play time. Sometimes this includes a bath (but only twice a week), sometimes we go out for a walk/hike.

2-4:30: Nap time...again

5pm: Wake up, drink dinner and play some more.

6:30: Bedtime. We have a nice little bedtime routine. Before we started the routine, bedtime was miserable. It usually included a few hours of screaming while Gusty and I were constantly trying to soothe them to sleep. Once we installed the routine, bedtime became quiet and easy! We put them in their pjs, give them a little snack and read or tell them a story, put them in their sleep sacks and off to dreamland they go!

10pm: Dreamfeed (see Thank you level 2 posting)

Anyway, I have completely deviated from my original story. Creekside Fridays! So, on Friday, we decided to give it a shot. I thought that I would shorten their naps, try and sneak in an extra nap, so they would stay up later. HUGE MISTAKE! They did not go for the extra nap and they were just terribly fussy all day. We still decided to go though and for the most part, Henry and Emma just slept the entire time! It was great to get out of the house for a while and hear some live music.