First Post

When I started setting this blog up I had all sorts of noble intentions of having this incredible first post- the project I am embarking on (365 posts on a blog this year) who inspired me (my simply AMAZING sister-in-law) and a whole bunch of pontification on what I hoped this next year would be like.  It was going to be epic; a beautiful beginning to what will be an amazing project.

Instead I've spent nearly the past 2 hours trying to get my 4 year old to go to bed.  So I'm going to rant about that for a bit.

Before  I rant to much, I'm going to say this: My children are amazing.  I only have 2; a 4 year old boy and an 18 month girl.  They are astounding. Incredibly smart, funny and WAY ahead of where they should be developmentally.   Honestly- they are one of the few things in my life I actually am proud of.  I will have much more to say about them in future posts; they are such a large part of my life.

Of course they aren't perfect each has their little personality quirks that make me pull my hair out.  My daughter it is her seemingly random melt downs that result in screaming fits that last anywhere from 5 minutes to 3 hours (seriously; that girl has an AMAZING lung capacity); My son it is bedtime.

Every night it is the same- we start to get him dressed for bed- he throws a fit- we finally get him steered towards the bathroom and he goes potty and then builds a tower of everything he needs to brush his teeth (it's pretty cool actually; I'll have to take a picture of it sometime).  Then we start to steer him towards the bedroom- and that is when the real fight begins:
"mommy I'm so scared of my room" your room isn't scary- you like playing in it during the day
"mommy, it is to dark in my room" hon- we bought 3 different night-lights for your room;it isn't dark.
"mommy, I'm so hungry" you've had dinner and a snack
"mommy, my blankets are wrong" (I check to make sure that they are in the 'right' order)
at this point he tends to repeat things; goes back and forth on different arguments- kicks blankets off; howls and screams... He then will come out of his room at least 3 times usually not to much more than that and we shew him back into his room.

That is his routine, and typing it out I see it for what it is- a routine.  An angry tear filled routine- but it is the same thing every night- it is exhausting for both me and him.  I think the best thing to do would be to somehow start a new routine.

But I need some ideas.  What are somethings that you (whomever 'you' turns out to be) have tried with your kids?  Will adjusting the routine before putting him in his bed help him to not throw such a tantrum after he has been put to bed??  I honestly need some advice.  I've read lots of articles on the subject- but I would love some feed back from fellow mommies and daddies who have had this kind of a struggle with their kid- somehow the advice feels more real- even if it is something I've read before.

So that is it my first post for this blog and I'm sending it out into cyber space- a plea that someone out there somewhere will be able to give me some helpful advice on this frustrating subject.

Until tomorrow
Sincerely,
Nikkie