In my dreams: the end of day
Tidy up, put toys away
Run the kids a nice warm bath
Play with bubbles, have a laugh
Soft warm towels, nice and dry
Pyjamas on – it’s story time
Children snuggled in their beds
Lullabies for sleepy heads
A kiss goodnight, time to sleep
Tiptoe down the stairs I creep
Wine in hand, what’s on TV?
Relax, enjoy some time for me.
Reality: well, Mummy’s stressed
The house is looking quite a mess
The kids prefer to run amok
It’s much more fun than “tidy up”
Bathtime can be quite a chore
With water splashing on the floor
Here’s the towel, now where’s the child?
They’re running free and running wild
Wrestle them into PJs
What story shall we have today?
This one again? What a surprise!
Must have read it a hundred times!
Time to sleep – “NO, STAY IN BED!
And please stop standing on your head!”
A kiss goodnight – “I need a wee!”
“More water! Hold hands! Sit with me!”
The minutes pass, you want to weep
“Please will you just GO TO SLEEP!”
You’ve long run out of lullabies
By the time they finally close their eyes
The stress ebbs away, leaving just its traces
As you gaze upon those sleeping faces
A sigh of relief, now where’s that wine?
The TV’s on – it’s Mummy time.
Oh you’re spot on with your lovely poem, Louise! What we anticipate things to be like and reality are too often quite different, aren’t they? No matter what, once our little angels are asleep, all the stress gets forgotten about. That’s the beauty of motherhood!
Thank you Mel – it is funny how that stress just melts away once the kids are asleep! I often look at them and think “what on earth was I so stressed out about?!”
Ah this is fab – and so true. Mother would relate to this – most nights her and Father end up sitting down to dinner about 10pm! #fortheloveofBLOG
Oh yes, I can definitely relate to that too! 🙂
What a lovely poem. I definitely can relate to some parts of it, though my child is still a baby. #fortheloveofBLOG
Thank you Sarah – glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Fantastic idea to make a poem about it rather than a ranty post. Love it and so true in many households
#SharingtheBlogLove
Thank you – yes a ranty post would have been very easy to do! 🙂
Hahahaha excellent I love it! Sad thing is that it’s very very true haha #sharingthebloglove
Lol sadly yes! So glad you liked it 🙂
Hahah! This is genius! I’m forever trying to dodge bedtimes too! Lovely poem xx #ShareTheBlogLove xx
Lol yes I can imagine – my two girls are pretty good at it as well1 🙂
I love this! I always kind of have that rose tinted view of bedtime until it comes round to it, and then it’s exactly as you’ve described! Mine is definitely old enough now to have grasped all the delaying tactics and the whole thing has become a real struggle. We had a real breakthrough this week though, as we’ve finally got back to him going to sleep on his own – I’ve been sitting in with him for two months now, which has finally worn thin! I’m amazed that he adjusted again so quickly – I don’t know why I pandered to him for so long! Thanks so much for joining us again at #SharingtheBlogLove!
Thank you Katy – glad to hear that Max is managing to go to sleep on his own again – makes life so much easier when that happens. Maybe one day I’ll manage to get my girls to do the same!
Yay for mummy time! I love watching them sleep but if it’s been a difficult bed time I am just as eager to escape too!! #SharingtheBlogLove
It is lovely to watch them sleep, especially when bedtime has been relatively smooth 🙂
So much truth in this – some days I feel like I’m counting down to toddler bed time. I get him into bed and then all I want to do is veg out in front of the tv or go to bed instead of cleaning and tidying up from the day. #sharingthebloglove
It is lovely when you do finally get to stop and veg out in front of the TV, isn’t it? 🙂
Ha Ha love this Louise. So very true, they just seem to go crazy at the mention of the words bath time. Thank you for joining us for #SharingtheBlogLove Laura x
Oh yes – I’m sure the words “bath time” is really code for “start running around the house like a crazy loon!” Glad you could relate! 🙂
Ha ha! This is how bath and bed time in our goes too. Every. Single. Night… but I prefer gin 🙂
#sharethebloglove
Lol, gin works well too! Glad I’m not alone in the struggle! 🙂
A lovely poem there Louise, it’s so true what you say about bed-time. How you wish it to be perfect so you can get to the sofa, wine and TV quicker but it often thwarted by the little ones refusing to sleep. No matter how stressful bed-time can be, there is always wine. Thanks so much for linking up at #fortheloveofBLOG. Claire x
Thank you – and yes, wine does help to ease the stress of bedtime! 🙂
I love this, a very true reflection of what bedtime is like in this house!! Bedtime is such hard work but I love it when they fall asleep and you see them resting, well that and the wine lol! Xx #SharingtheBlogLove
Thanks Yvonne – it is hard work, but funny how once they’re asleep you remember just how adorable they are really! 🙂
Such a fantastic poem! You’ve captured reality perfectly Louise! 🙂
It’s so true what you say. It is so instant that you wonder why you felt so stressed, yet when you’re in the middle of it the blood pressure is through the roof!! Strange old world. I’m too tired to even reach for the wine tonight! Hope your bedtime was smooth tonight! X #SharingtheBlogLove
Thank you Rebecca, it’s funny how that stress disappears isn’t it? I have nights when by the time bedtime is over, I just want to give up and go to sleep myself! 🙂
Haha – love it! Sounds about right! My littlest one is being difficult currently! #fortheloveofBLOG
Oh I feel your pain! Bedtime can be quite a challenge here too, hope your littlest one starts settling well soon!
oh my gosh brilliant! Sums up my life over the past 12 years perfectly #sharingthebloglove
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Oh I loved your poems about bedtime,
It was funny how similar they are to mine,
Although my boy is still just small,
They really are no fun at all!
He may not be able to talk and shout,
But, oh my goodness, he can get about!
At feeding time he pulls my hair and skin,
As much as I try, I just cannot win.
Hours and hours the defiance goes on,
Until my “free evening” has all but gone.
Almost midnight and the sleep finally starts,
And I remember I love this boy with all my heart!
#SharingtheBlogLove
Alice, thank you so much for taking the time
To reply to my bedtime ode in such perfect rhyme
My baby days were much the same
And I can certainly empathise with your pain!
One day hopefully your gorgeous little tyke
Will give you the free evening that you would like!
Ha ha ha, you just vocalized my entire nightly routine! 😉
https://spookymrsgreen.com/2014/07/21/when-will-i-sleep-again/
Glad you could relate! 🙂
How lovely and endearing. You’ve expressed the emotions of a mother and the bond with the child so well, of course the fact that the little one is her world, with less or no time for herself.