A Sad and Exhausting Transition

When I left for the DR, I was hopeful the grandparents would break some of my bad habits with getting Evie to fall sleep.  I tend to lay in bed with her untill she falls asleep, especially at nap time.  (I usually grab a 20 minute power nap in her bed).  But I was willing to do it to guarantee at least an hour every day with two sleeping children, i.e. break time for Mommy!  Evie was starting to fight napping on the days she had school, which seemed a bit odd to me.  I would think she would be more tired those days.  However, I was thrilled she was still napping at least 5 days a week.

Well, unfortunately Evie has gone from napping almost every day to 1-2 days a week.  She decided to nap zero times when we were away.  Not the habit I wanted to break!

I know I shouldn't complain because I was getting my 3.5 year old to nap most days, but I am going to complain.  The attitudes in this house are wretched right now.  I am annoyed because I am losing my down time each day, Evie is a feisty all afternoon, Braylen is crying because Evie is unkind to him, and Jason is just thrilled to come home to a hot mess after work.  We are pretty miserable to be around.  I am disappointed we are all going down because of Evie's lack of nap.  

On the bright side, bedtime is easier.  Well, getting her to fall sleep is faster, the behavior before bed is less than pleasant.  

The days she naps, she is up until 9:30... Parents of preschoolers, I see you nodding!  Evil cycle.

So we'll rely on our dear friend, the Tot Clock, to keep Evie in "room time" to give me some time alone.  We all need some time alone by 1 o'clock!  

Please say a prayer for our cranky family during this time that is suppose to be cheerful and full of joy.  And for this mama to have the energy to come up with a game plan of how to handle this transition.  Afternoon school is sounding amazing right now :)