It's 6:10 - Wanna know where my kids are?

Didja guess yet? Yep. They are on their way to bed. Last night, Erin posted about her kids being in bed by 7:15. I loved her post, and I'd say that 3 out of 7 nights a week are like that at my house. Tonight is an exception. But only in the fact that it's now 6:16pm, and my kids are getting ready for bed. They will be in their actual beds well before 7:15.

Why? Well, let's see. First would be the lack of decent naps. Which is directly responsible for the series of melt-downs that plagued the entire afternoon/evening. Said lack of naps mystifies me. The Big Kids and I spent the morning on the top of a boat. In the sun. Fresh air billowing all around us. Fresh air + sunshine = awesome naps. Not today. Gabriel came out of his room at least 5 times before 2:30 (they went to bed at 1). Then he spent an hour and a half playing loudly in his room. I would have been worried that he was going to wake the girls up, but since they were already awake, I didn't really care. Elliott? I'm not entirely sure she slept at all. Janna? No nap there either. In her defense, she took a huge morning nap with Nana. Still, she could have at least tried to sleep for a little while. In fact, she screamed for most of the 3 hours she was in her bed.

I NEED nap-time. It's not just something that I like. It's an absolute necessity in this house. I realize that Gabriel is getting older, and at some point (probably in the very near future), he will outgrow the napping stage. I will cry. Like a baby.

In my mind, Elliott still has a few napping years left. I'm sure if you asked her, she would disagree. Totally. She seems to be able to function on very little day-time sleep. She will willingly go up to bed, but she refuses to actually sleep. Until about 3pm or so, and then it's very hard to roust her. And of course then she doesn't want to go to bed at bed-time. You don't even want to get me started on the night-time terror that is Elliott's bed-time.

And Janna? Well, Peanut likes her morning nap. She's just not sure about the afternoon one. But if I don't lay her down around 9:45am, then she's a cranky-crankerton for the rest of the morning.

The problem with the nap-time anarchy isn't simply that I like to have some down-time. It's that the kids are actually tired. Gabriel will tell me that he is "exhausted...just so exhausted". Elliott will do the same. And then neither of them will actually nap. Which means that the evening ends like tonight's did. With Mommy screaming and frustrated, wanting to sell said children on eBay. Daddy readying his spanking hands with his patience gone. Gabriel shrieking that he isn't eating, sleeping, pottying, showering, brushing his teeth ever again. Elliott mimicking Gabriel. And Janna throwing her own mini-tantrum.

It is now 6:43. My kids are all in bed. Quietly. At least for the moment. But since I have a Board Meeting, I don't care if they get loud. I won't be here!!