My favourite time of day... Bedtime

My favourite time of day has to be bedtime.  Not because it's time to say goodbye to the children for the night, nor is it because it's so close to dinner time (although that is a close second) but because it is without a doubt the best family time we have. Before there was 2 bedtime was a non-event, it was a bath which our daughter loved followed by having her milk on her change table whilst we dressed her followed by toothbrushing and bed.  At 15 months old number 2 arrived we needed to change, I needed to breastfeed him prior to bed (or at anytime when he was a newborn) and at bedtime my daughter needed some close time with mummy and/or daddy.  So now we have a wonderful routine which brings us some lovely family time.

We start at 6.15 when daddy gets home (most nights he makes it back in time, we're lucky I know) and all head upstairs to run the bath.  Once it's ready we undress the children which then often involves our daughter running back and forth to the wash basket to put the clothes away.  In the spirit of honesty she doesn't always want to do this so we sometimes "bribe" her with a sticker for her chart for putting away the clothes!!  Both children are usually very excited at this point about getting into the bath and splashing everywhere once they get in there, which we let them do!  Seeing the joy on their faces when they're splashing and playing together is so lovely and humbling to see.  Post bath I dress my son and my husband dresses our daughter in their rooms before we all congregate on our bed which luckily is a king size!  Both children have their milk whilst my husband and I take turns to read the books that we've borrowed from the library.  This is the one time of day that I don't question whether we're doing the right thing or not, I know that this quality time and reading is good for the children and actually good for us too.  We then all give our son kisses and cuddles before he heads to bed then come back to the bed for a special cuddle with my daughter.  We all lie down (her on her tummy), she looks between my husband and I, usually pointing (or poking) at our eyes and noses.  Her speech has come on a lot lately and we can understand a lot of what she's saying but in the last week or two she suddenly becomes really chatty at this time speaking in long sentences but it all complete gobbledygook! I love this! She also looks deep into our eyes and smiles at us then what ever has gone on during the day disappears and all feels right in the world.  She's still in a good mood for teeth and putting on her sleeping bag (or maybe she has run off) but isn't always so keen to go to bed.  But after one last cuddle and kiss we leave and say goodnight.  There maybe tears but they don't last for long when there is. Then it's time for my husband and I to head downstairs for dinner.

So bedtime, my favourite time of the day.  What's your bedtime routine? And what is your favourite time of day? I'd love to hear what your routine is.

Image source


<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11512757/?claim=a379774wyq5">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>