Post by PJ of A Girl Named PJ

Our Celebrate Tuesday Moment is Getting Ready for Bed

At any given moment, on any given day, I’m probably feeling frazzled — especially between the hours of 7am and 8pm when my boys are awake. That’s why I used to joke that bedtime was my favorite time of day. Because when my two year old and four year old are asleep, I’m not rushing them to their activities or begging them to eat their food (not just vegetables!) or dealing with meltdowns because I mistook a “treasure” for a piece of trash.

Earlier this month, The Land of Nod’s Creative Director, Danielle, wrote about how they like to #CelebrateTuesday, an idea that really resonates with me. With all of the stress that comes with parenting, it’s easy to forget the sweet, silly moments that happen in between the chaos. Those small occasions with your kids — sometimes heartwarming, sometimes hilarious — that make being a parent worth all the day-to-day aggravations.

Like when my two-year-old son, who only started speaking earlier this year, greets me with a boisterous, “Hi!” when I get him from his crib. Or when my older son wants to do our special goodbye hug-and-high-five routine when I drop him off at school (or when I try to sneak out of the house for a mom’s night out with friends).

However, my favorite Celebrate Tuesday moment is bedtime — or rather, getting ready for bed. It’s that 30 minutes or so when I’m hanging out with my kids in their bedroom and we’re just having fun. Between baths and books and playing with toys, it’s their last chance to get out their sillies and any remaining bursts of energy before bed. It’s when my boys are at their goofiest, and, because I’ve pretty much exhausted all of my worrying for the day, I can be my goofiest, too.

And we are a very goofy bunch.

There’s almost always dancing and jumping and playful wrestling. There are naked bums and fart jokes (I don’t encourage those, but I still laugh at them). There’s a mess of trains and cars, puzzle pieces, and elaborate Lego creations that absolutely can not be taken apart. Most toys (except for the Legos) even make it back to their appropriate bins and baskets by the end of the night.

And there are books. Lots and lots of books, many of them from the library, where we borrow about 10 at a time. We always read at least two books before bed, but I’ll be honest, I have a hard time saying no to a third or fourth or fifth book at bedtime.

Life gets a little bit stressful again when it’s time to say goodnight. The youngest wants to cuddle in his brother’s big boy bed and the oldest wants a sip of water and a back scratch and another bathroom break and then more water and then to be tucked back in at least two more times.

Exactly the reason why I need to remember just how awesome that hour before bedtime had been.

 

PJ Feinstein is the author of A Girl Named PJ, a lifestyle blog offering fashion and beauty tips, design inspiration, commentary on pop culture, thoughts on personal growth, and honest talk about motherhood. She lives just outside Washington, DC, with her husband, two young sons, and stubborn (but adorable!) small white dog. 

 

Tag #CelebrateTuesday on Instagram, and follow along on the blog as some of our friends share how they’re celebrating the awesome ridiculousness of the everyday with their kiddos.