The Crazy Key Family: Quiet Time

At our old school, the hours were 9-2, so the kids took a lunch and had "quiet time" before I picked them up. They were always in good moods after the mandatory rest time (which almost always resulted in a nap from both kiddos). Our new school hours are 9-12. So they come home hungry and tired! I do like the shorter hours especially since Jessa goes 5 days a week. I am not ready for a full day everyday yet - she is still my baby after all. BUT we rarely have the great moods at pick up that I had at our old school.

So the first day of school, Momma and I decide that after we pick them up, we will surprise them with lunch at the Dwarf House. They LOVE "Chickayay" a lot. Well, it was the most miserable, embarrassing trip to a restaurant to date. AND in the middle, my precious husband called to ask them about their first day of school. So in the middle of Jessa having a meltdown because she took off her socks and shoes and lost a sock, Spencer trying to climb over Momma in the booth to escape from our control, and me trying to talk to David in Iraq, the food comes. At that moment, we decided that we would have to institute a new routine that involved going STRAIGHT HOME after school to eat a quick lunch and then rest time.

So each day, we come home, have lunch, and then off to their beds for "quiet time." We have to call it that because that is what they called it at their old school, and it is less insulting than "nap time." Only babies take naps, I am told. (I wish someone forced me to take a nap. . .)

Most days, Spencer falls asleep quickly. And Jessa stays in her bed for the required 45 minutes to an hour, with a lot of loud whispering when I walk by their room of "Can I get up now??" She has not consistently taken a nap for me in quite a while. She'll fall asleep on a long car trip, but that is about it. Even though she rarely sleeps during the day, Spencer almost always does. So on crazy days that he does not get a nap, boy can you tell. And I tend to almost excuse some fits or crankiness. Well, my observant little opportunist has noticed this. So days when she is ill or acting ugly, she'll say to me "Well, I didn't even get a nap!" It cracks me up because she is just trying to get a free pass for bad behavior. Can't blame a girl for trying, right?

Well, today was a good day. They came home, played Play-Doh for a while, ate lunch, and headed off to their beds. Stewart was already in thier room waiting on some nap buddies.

Within minutes, my no-nap girl was fast asleep. . .