September = Before Bed Routine

So this month is about getting or keeping or expanding your bedtime routine. What are you gonna accomplish this month?

I am gonna get one. I somehow keep forgetting in the evening so i posted the complete routine in the bathroom, so now i only have to remember to go there in the evening. I hope this will help. My routine at night isnt very long

*brush teeth
*take care of skin
*load washing machine
*lay clothes for next day
*put clothes of this day in closet or in laundrybasket
*go to sleep

I hope to just do this for a month and then get it in my head. Taking it step by step wouldnt work because i know what to do, i just keep forgetting to go do it. So thats the thing to work on. I want to give myself lots of gold stars after last month debacle (only had 5) so im gonna try really hard!

I don't have much of a bedtime routine. So I'm glad it's the habit of the month. I'm going to start out easy and then add to it if I'm able to.

Clean kitchen sink.
Lay out clothes for tomorrow. (this will be the toughest one)
Brush teeth.

I think that's a realistic goal for me to start with.

I really need a BB routine, so I'll try to:

- brush teeth
- floss
- moisturize face
- lay out clothes

I'll leave some things for next time.

I am ashamed to admit that at the moment, I don't have a defined before bed routine. For the past couple months, I have been off work and haven't really needed one, because my schedule has been much more flexible. However, once I return to work on September 10, every moment will count! I will have to be able to get out of the house by no later than 6:30 am on weekdays, which means I will need to have as much done as possible the night before.

I would like to do the following at night:

1) Shower and change into nightclothes
2) Brush teeth
3) Lay out clothes for tomorrow
4) Prepare lunch - set aside bag with leftovers or sandwich, fruit, veggies, healthy snack (on days when taking lunch, which will be every day I don't have a scheduled office lunch)
5) Check purse and bag for important items - specifically, school books and other items to be studied during my bus rides and lunch hour

That should be enough for starters.

Mine is normally something like:

Get the dw loaded w/ anything left, and soap in, and preset to run
Get purse and case ready for work
Make sure meds are in bag and ready
DH preps the coffee pot
Get all items layed out in my Launchspot
Pick out clothes for the next day based on work/activity
Set alarm
Crawl in bed...

PS I should add "take nighttime meds" cuz I always forget that!
Rhonda

Even if I'm doing well on some of the tasks involved in the BB routine, I seem to always rebel against doing them once it becomes the habit of the month. I think it's a thing about expectations for me. This month I'm 'expected' to shine the sink, brush my teeth and lay out clothes for the next day. Who's expecting it though? Well, it's me, that's who. I do fine when it's not required, but as soon as it is I stop doing it. Definitely an issue going on here.

Anyone else have this issue? I'm going to have to get it figured out so I can get these routines down.

No problem for me because I have to start it early and since I am up until late - I have hours. In no particular order:

Make sure Mandolin lays out her clothes and everything is in her launch pad.
Shine that sink and whole kitchen.
Stretch and work out.
Stage my work for tomorrow and check calendar.
Take care of teeth, skin and hair.
Fluff and refluff all of my pillows like a cat making dough balls.
Curl up and think about being so wealthy I had a maid before I fall asleep. And a tiny waistline. And a houseboat. And...

A houseboat?? What!?!?!

well I did take my evening meds last night ... finally.

My evening routine is kinda non-existant right now since I dont have to get up at the buttcrack of dawn this week. I shoudl do better huh?

Maybe just do ONE thing a night.. I dunno. We are such the rebels! Whats up with that!?!?!?!

Rhonda

I'm doing the 4 things so far. it has'nt been that difficult, especially beacuse I only added 2 things to my mini routine. maybe that is the trick

I was doing well, but now i got the flu.. and im in bed all day (well ok, not right now so almost all day) so before bed routine is a bit difficult Will get back to it asap

I applaud you all for how you are doing. Big GO YOU's for all of you!

natalia, part of your routine should be getting enough rest, so I think you are keeping your routines

I thought you were all being quiet but just found out I have not been getting the email reminders. Hmm.

Anyway...I am sick too along with Natalia so my bedtime routine this weekend will be to get up and move my bedding down to the living room and then moan for 15 minutes until I fall asleep. I can do anything for 15 minutes. Especially moan.

I totally agree Heidi, you can do anything for 15min including coffing (will get you hyperventilating though, trust me). Lets just get better for now ok, go us!

I'll vote for that!

Both of you need to hunker down and take care of your bodies.. (gives you the MOMMA look) That IS your priority right now!

Break out the chicken soup, kleenex, OJ and chicken soup!
Rhonda

Hope you get better soon Heidi and Natalia

My before bed routine

Shine kitchen sink,counter and table,either mop the floor or shine stove.

Try not to yell at kids while they take forever to finish their before bed routine.

Try to find new convincing answers when every 2 mins one of them get out of bed with full open eyes and says :I'm NOT sleepy,or she's TOUCHING my bed or I'm hungry ( of course b/c she's been in bed for more than an hour ) or,or or .......

Take care of me : Teeth,skin...

Refill my water bottle,put it on night stand.

If I have time before the bedtime I fixed for myself I read a little bit

Can't wait for school to start when the kids will fall asleep much easier

Kids getting out of bed or delaying bedtime is inevitable. But, if Mandolin says "She's touching me." I have to call a shrink because she is an only child and there is no other "she."

Parents don't care about fair...they just want quiet. ~ Bill Cosby

How right . This exactly how we feel when it's bed time.

As for Mandolin , my 9yr. Hoda is her fan .She watched her JC movie many times and showed it to her father.


BTW each of DDs has her own CJ. They were ecxited at first but with no school they forgot about it . The 9 and 6 yr. old are much much better than the 13 yr. old ,she is always REBILLIOUS.
But thank God 2 days ago ,out of the blue , she showed me her binder FULL of lists and routines ,I was shocked
But still the only thing they don't follow any routines with is bedtime.I told them this is the most important one for me so I linked it with allawance.Is this right

At 13yo.. I was rebellious.. and as an only child, I had no one else to blame. LOL
Rhonda

Ah...gotta love 15 hour days at work....

Lina, I think linking your trouble area, bedtime, to allowance is fine and TOTALLY up to you. What is important to mom needs to be writen in stone and important to the kids - to keep mom happy!!! Or, we make this face...

For me, those scripted minutes of Mando's before bed routine allow me to get her out the door well rested. That effects her whole day - and mine! Plus, parents need time in the evening. Quiet time to not worry about matching socks and book bags. Ahhh. You have a whole bunch of little people to get out the door so I can't complain! We could trade 9 year olds

FYI, Mando's routine from school to bed is:

homework then launchpad her bag as soon as she is done
take care of the cats, 5 steps: food, water, scoop, wash hands, cuddle
do a 5 minute pick-up or a fast chore like her laundry
help with dinner and the dishes
brush hair and teeth and bathe, then tidy the bathroom
lay out her clothes and shoes
read for 20 to 30 minutes

In the morning, she is good to go in 15 minutes from bed to door.

Rhonda, you would have told on me A LOT.

ok, ok, i've been doing the mini BBroutine I had meant to do. go me!! I've been going to bed at 1.30 am the latest and moisturizing face and body right after shower. I'm proud of me

GO YOU

You can do it before Christmas,it's easy .

I haven't been doing very well with the before bed routine. What I figured out though is that I wait until it's too late to start a BBR. I think of doing it JUST as I'm off to bed. I need to start my BBR after dinner, like FlyLady says, not five minutes before bedtime. Part of it is my rebellious nature too. Or maybe it's that I don't like being responsible. When I can do things on my own, I'm fine, but once I feel that there is an obligation to do it, I just keep putting if off.

So even though it's late, I'm going to do a mini-BBR tonight. Tomorrow I"ll shoot for starting the BBR earlier.

I've foudn the most important thing about BBroutines, start with cleaning up after dinner. Now this works best when I actually cook, and he either didnt eat dinner or had cereal alot this week. But when flylady says to tackle the dinner dishes RIGHT after dinner.. that works for me. If i sit and relax too long after diner... I tend to stay there - fall asleep there, and drag my happy@ss to the bed and fall into it...

Just thinking here.
Rhonda