A Good Night

Last night we had a good night.  These are few & far between. Most of the time we have an "okay" night.  And about once a week we have a "bad" night.  (This is when there is a screaming baby, two arguing three-year-olds and a yelling Mommy.) 

A good night in our house is cause for celebration. It's like the stars aligning, or winning the lottery. All the right cards must be in play for everything to come out right.

 Good nights generally start at the dinner table, at home. Around 6pm I make dinner, and on a good night, the boys like what I make, eat what I make and even thank me for making it. Then it's time for dessert- last night it was pudding for Logan & graham crackers with Nutella for Jack. They had good manners (no spitting, bubbling, spilling or food throwing) the whole time, even though I wasn't sitting at the table (I was feeding Wyatt in the rocking chair).


 Then I wiped them off, they pushed their chairs in to the table, chose books to read at bedtime and put on their jammies (We skipped baths because I had given them haircuts yesterday morning and bathed them afterwards to get all the hair off) and they did it all without arguing or playing "fight game."

Not only were they cooperating, but Wyatt, who had been grumpy all through nap time and the entire afternoon yesterday, was a happy boy.


 Then we read stories (Trains & If You're Happy and You Know It), sang Sunshine (they like to sing it while taking turns holding Wyatt), gave hugs, kisses & snuggles, and it was time for lights out. After I closed their door, they went to sleep like good little boys & I was able to have an evening of relaxation with my friend Annie who came over at 8pm.

I went to bed on time myself, feeling like a very good mommy. It's so nice to have a stretch of a few hours where everything you have taught them seems to have sunk in. I am getting in the groove of these evening by myself, and that feels nice. I am figuring out how to cut corners if Wyatt is fussy (skip baths, do easier dinners, let the boys wear whatever they will put on for jammies) and how to encourage the boys to follow directions instead of punish them if they're breaking the rules.

I am reading a book that is really helping with all of this. The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers by Meg Meeker.  I am loving it. I highly recommend it, and plan on doing some blog posts about each specific habit and how I am incorporating it into my becoming a better, happier, mommy.

Maybe a better, happier mommy is all these boys needed to make them better, happier boys!