Finally! A Bedtime Routine that Works!!

This January, Aaron and I decided to start something new at bedtime. We were tired of the marathon of bedtime rounds between children and wanted to create a more peaceful environment at night. We also wanted more one-on-one time that was scheduled, so that each child got a concrete amount of time with each parent. Under these circumstances, our parenting New Year's Resolution was born.

Aaron and I came up with the following schedule:
Mom: Sunday--Victoria. Monday--Holly. Tuesday--Abigail. Thursday--Meredith
Dad: Sunday--Abigail. Monday--Meredith. Tuesday--Victoria. Thursday--Holly

What has worked:

1. The expectations have been set up so that both parent and child know that they have 30 mins together, and the children plan their time accordingly (and with much anticipation!).

2. The expectations of the children are such that when it's not their night, they don't expect much more than a simple tuck in. There are no hurt feelings, crying, and creative manipulation techniques because they know it's not "their night". This makes the process of bedtime MUCH more enjoyable.

3. We do these nights 4 days a week, not 7 because we know that our schedules would never work to do all seven. Instead, the kids know that if we miss their night for one reason or another, the make-up days are on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. That way, the kids are never really let down if something comes up.

Preferred Activities: (Half of the time is always spent reading a book of their choice--the other half is entirely up to them)
---Victoria--acrylic painting, sewing, drawing, talking in bed
---Holly--computer time, board games, card games, projects
---Abigail--drawing, coloring, ISpy books, sticker making projects
---Meredith--books, barbies, dolls, puzzles

Victoria handed me this card last week detailing our her schedule for our "night" together..if you're wondering about the weird squiggles, this note was apparently from one of her many watercolor scratch papers--she is quite the painter!

Result:

As a parent, I can't overstate how wonderful it is to lay in bed with a child and talk, or sit at a desk and paint and know that I have 30 mins of uninterrupted time. It's just so much more enjoyable than scurrying from room to room with multiple kids vying for my attention. I feel like I'm experiencing the part of parenthood that I've been craving for awhile now--less chaos and more intentional parenting. It's truly been the best parenting decision we've made in a long time.

What are some of your parenting successes?? How do you carve out more quality time with your kids?