How To Get Your 5 yr Old To Sleep At Night

Guess what? Being a parent is awesome, but there are times when your little darlings want NOTHING to do with bed time. Stunner, I know! Some magical things happen at night, and they cannot miss out!  There has to be a reason that adults stay up later right?  Yes, darling... it is called SANITY.

If you are like me, you probably use those precious couple of hours to catch up on all of your to-do's.  Maybe you workout.  Maybe you watch your favorite television show is PEACE for a change (No, sweetie, I have no freaking idea what is going on in this show. Their plane crashed, and someone is kidnapping them, and now they are friends, but not anymore, and someone drowned, and the island is mystical.  SHHHHH!).  Who knows?  But what I do know, is that if I do not get that time to myself, I get really pissy.  So, last weekend while my sister was in town my children were giving me a load of crap about not being able to sleep. They were itchy, they weren't feeling well, they were hot, they were cold, the light wasn't bright enough, the story wasn't long enough, and on and on and on....

So, I said, "I have a magic potion that I can brew that will help put you to sleep and take away the itchies.  Would you like to try it?"  They both got really excited.  So I said... "okay, but you have to give me some time to brew it.  You have to stay in your room or the magic won't work, okay?"  Side note parents: this part got them to stay put in their bed and begin the process of winding down.  One last question was asked before I left, and that was, "What's the potion called momma?"  To which I answered (after about 1 minute), "Placebo".  The ooooooohs that followed made me laugh to myself as I walked back down the hall to the kitchen.  I almost cackled for them.


I put the kettle on, and pulled out a green tea bag.  Placed the tea into a measuring cup and tossed in some loose chamomile flowers. I steeped the tea and the flowers, strained the mixture and added a bit of raw honey. Drank 1/2 a glass of wine (my personal potion heheh).

To make the magical effect even more powerful, I brought a dropper along with me.  A medicine dropper or a small bottle that looks like a potion bottle works well I am sure.  I told them that it was very powerful, and that they must lay down immediately after they've taken the potion, because staying awake too long may cause side effects.

They both nodded earnestly, and opened their mouths, then said, "WAIT!  What about a magic spell?"  CRAP! Now they wanted a spell. LOL.  So I made one up.  Feel free to use it for your kids.

"By Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, potion help me heal my daughters. With a gulp and a swallow, sleep is soon to follow.  No more itchies, no more aches, The sooner to sleep, the sooner to wake."

Yep, I rule!  :)  But seriously, they went to bed and did not get back up till about 7 AM which is late for them.  Mission accomplished.

Disclaimer: always consult your pediatrician before administering honey and chamomile to your children.

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