In my search engine today:

How do you get vaseline out of carpet (or stuffed elephants)

Exhibit A.

Sheesh.

It's been one of those days.  And weeks.  I started a part time job this week (which i {heart} ) and am still struggling to get my two kiddos to nap simultaneously so I can have time to do this {!}, prepare dinner and finish up house stuff before it all gets wrecked again before bed.  I don't mind them playing and having toys everywhere it's the house stuff I'd like to get out of the way so I can play too because when it's lights out for bedtime that's me time to watch a show or do a project before I go to bed.  If there's anything that I've learned over the past two years of being a mama-it's to MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SOME ME TIME.  Or you go crazy.  Believe me.  I've gone there and back and bought a keychain to prove it.

One thing that is a huge variable in this complicated equation is: we have a cozy home.  Cozy as in not enough rooms for everyone to have one to themselves.  Two bedrooms.  Two bathrooms.  Which is enough for right now and I really do love being cozied up all together.  I love my home.  But for the little one who is still trying to self sooth, i.e. my little man... it makes for long nights for us who wake up every time he wakes up and can't put himself back to sleep.  But that's another story.  Today is about nap time which I think is harder to do.


I have done a little bit of research to see what others do in such a predicament.  I love to read what others have done, because
1. They've done all the work for me and  tell me how to do it and
 2. I already know what NOT to do.
 In the past, yesterday I made the rookie mistake of putting them down at same time-which 99.99% results in little E getting in the crib with little man and them turning into wild monkeys playing and being crazy cute together BUT! that usually ends in little brother getting hurt/crying and then we have not only boo-boos to kiss but the huge debacle of not napping and by 5pm everyone is cranky.

So on to what I found {One article I read had 25 steps to putting them down. Um yea, right.} is to kind of stagger the naps so one goes down-falls asleep, then the other one goes down falls asleep.  Doesn't sound that scientific, but it was enough for me to go: AhHah!  To many of you, this is pretty basic stuff, but realize, my smart brain cells have left me.  The girl who got straight A's in college is no more and has sleep rings under her eyes.  I get it.  I'm not so bright no más.  

So today I tried my dangest.  And even though I was about a half an hour behind, I did it!  Whooo! and a little victory dance for me!  I staggered  them down a half an hour an hour apart giving E a chance to fall asleep before I set brother down.  Part of the reason I waited so long to put little man down is exhibit A. above.  She found the vaseline and had it everywhere.... criminy. But little man cried only for a bit and yelled and jumped and wined, but in this case-sleep won. AND he didn't wake her up.  Call that winning.

I definitely have the upper hand today, however, my two year old is at a position where she has no interest in taking a nap.  And a good 65% of the time she can get away with no nap and sit quietly and play while brother naps and be good until about bedtime and by then she pretty much puts herself to sleep.  She is awesome at that.  But the other times... it's either cranky girl or cranky mama and I don't care to have either to deal with that so one more google search before that happens.

I've also been doing well with a routine for them.  I have a daily routine that I stick to fairly well and also one just for bed time/naptime.

{I'm not sure if it will help anyone out there: but like I said, for me I like to see what other people do, so here is a copy of my routine.}

Who knows, by the time their 12, they just might have it down.  Or rather I will.  If I knew it was going to take me 10 months to get this whole thing down I would have gotten discouraged and given up long ago.  Oh wait...I did.  But as my mom says, there's always tomorrow.

Tomorrow's another day and if it takes another tomorrow to get it down well, you're one day closer to getting it.

 If you have thoughts or something that has worked for you with naps/bedtime, please share!