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Nightmares of the Preschooler Kind

The boys go to bed at about 8:00 most evenings. Typically, they sleep through the night really well. Sometimes, one will get up to use the bathroom and then go back to sleep until 6:30 or 7:00 if we are lucky. Watching the boys sleep peacefully is a wonderful thing. This means no stuffed noses, coughing, nightmares, or anything else traumatic. Here is an example of just this. JSL sleeping nicely on his Pillow Pet Puppy.

Sleeping Preschooler

Unfortunately, sleeping around here has not been going well for most of us. The little guy has been up at least two times a night the last 4-5 days. He is usually in a panic and wants someone near him. TechyDad has tried to settle him back to sleep in his toddler bed, but that does not usually work well. If JSL settles, he will start to whimper soon after. Needless to say, we allow him to join us in our queen sized bed. Two adults and a 4 year old is a bit much for this space.

So what does a four year old have bad dreams about? These are some of the items JSL has mentioned:

  • The Roku remote was lost for ever.
  • His stuffed Tigger came alive and someone made it dead (his words)
  • Mommy and Daddy threw away all of his toys.

Tossed toys?

The lack of sleep is starting to take it’s toll on the adults in the house. Caffeine can only do so much for broken and low sleep amounts.

Have your children had nightmares? How do you help them to settle back to sleep and ease their fears? What types of things have your children had bad dreams about? Please let us know. Sure we have an eight year old, but it’s been a long time since we had nightmares like this with a little kiddo.

It's Me

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Tuesday Tales – Library Books For Your Kindle

Tuesday Tales

Prior to TechyDad winning the Kindle Keyboard, I never imagined that I would enjoy reading anything that was not in a traditional book. Boy was I wrong! I do like holding a book with pages to turn, but the convenience of Kindle is huge. Kimberly allows me to carry many, many, many titles with me at the same time. I can have my books, items that the boys want to read, and TechyDad has a bunch as well. Talk about light and easy packing.

The boys and I love to head to the library to check our new books, movies, and just hang out there. I had heard that our library system participated in Kindle book loaning. Once we had the Kindle, I knew I had to try it out. So I went to the Upper Hudson Library System Digital Collection page. Here you can find eBooks, audio books, and more to take out. I had done the audio books in the past, but never really looked for anything specifically in Kindle Format. It was quick and easy. You can search by author, title, or browse by genre. Here is what you see:

Kindle Library

I can now see that they have the Kate Jacobs book Knit Two available, but there is a waiting list. I can place a hold and they will notify me when it is available. Once notified, I have three days to download it to my device. That is where it gets really fun. When you place an item in your “Digital Book Bag” to check out, they are placed on your book shelf. From here, you will see this (note mine were checked out earlier):

My Kindle Library Loans

See those “Get for Kindle” buttons? When you push those, it sends you to your Amazon account where it asks you to take them out from the library and sends them to your Kindle device. Yes, it is that simple. The next time you turn on your Kindle, the books download and you can start to read them soon after.

The draw back with this is that the library seems to have a small amount of book titles and the new ones have a pretty long waiting list. In addition to this, you only get to borrow them for 21 days, not the traditional 28 days. I’m not sure if you can opt to renew if there is no other hold. We will likely check into that this week since I have not finished The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth.

Have you ever taken a library book out with your Kindle or other eReader? Would love to know your experience and what you think about it.

Kindle Ad

What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your Book Posts, and/or leave a comment below. Include something you read on your own, with a child or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

It's Me

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Disney Anniversary Dreaming Again

It has been almost two months since we had to cancel out 10th Anniversary trip to Walt Disney World. TechyDad and I had planned a five night stay in Orlando without the kids. When we finally decided to splurge and go to a location for our ten year anniversary, Disney just seemed natural to us. A magical honeymoon and subsequent trips back with the kids made it a quick and easy choice. We were going to bring the kids to stay with Bubbe and Grandpa while we went to Disney alone. Then, as I wrote after the case Mother Nature had other plans.

Looking back at the trip that never was makes me sad. I see people Tweet and talk about restaurants that we had advanced dining reservations for. What was harder at the time, I saw pictures from people at the parks Labor Day weekend and the Magic Kingdom was decked out in fall decorations. Each time I saw a picture, a piece of my heart crumbled more and more. Of course, as time moved past the trip, I was ok. I knew that we made the right choice. We were responsible adults. Then, as school started, there was no time to dwell on what could and should have been. I was focused on getting the boys back into the swing of things. We had to adjust to nursery school five days a week and life in third grade.

Now, it is almost November and my heart is heavy again. I long for a time to get away with TechyDad.

Just the two of us - March 2011

We are trying to see if we can figure out a time that will work for us to get away. It will probably have to wait until the kids are done with school because their crazy schedules really do complicate things. Nothing is really set in stone yet, but I think about it often. I wonder when we may finally get a chance if we will be able to get reservation to California Grill in time for the fireworks. Will we be lucky enough to snag a time to eat at other places that were on our agenda? I suppose only time will tell. Until then, I know that we were safe during the storm, and that we will one day have a magical adventure to our favorite destination again.

It's Me

P.S. I am not the only one that wrote about our trip that never was. TechyDad also did a Travelogue of the Trip That Irene Canceled – Part 1 and Part 2.

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The Zombie and Glow Hexbug Invasion

Bugs are not something that I typically like, but Hexbugs are a completely different story. About a year ago, these little critters entered our world when we hosted a Hexbug Party. The boys adored the Hexbugs along with our neighbors that joined us for some fun. The Hexbugs have been used a lot over the last year.

Since the kids liked the Hexbugs so much, I immediately signed up to host a Hexbug Nano Halloween party featuring their glow-in-the-dark tracks. In addition to this, we would be getting some of the Limited Edition Hexbug Nano Halloween Zombie bugs. We were thrilled to find out that we were selected and received our kit to plan a party. Keeping the boys away from the goodies while planning has been very hard.

Here is a preview of the fun:

Halloween Style Hexbugs

As much fun as Hexbugs are, the new glow-in-the-dark add in a great twist. We really enjoyed putting together the HEXBUG Nano Habitat that glows-in-the-dark to watch the critters play. As the room darkened, it came alive in an exciting new way.

More video, photos, and fun coming soon!

It's Me

Disclosure: This preview post for our HEXBUG Nano Halloween Party was made possible by MomSelect, Mommy Parties, and HEXBUG. They provided me with all of the items shown above to throw the ultimate HEXBUG Nano Halloween Party. The opinions are 100% mine and I received no other compensation. One product link is included to our Amazon Affiliate where we will receive a percentage of money for the sale of the Hexbug set should you opt to buy one.

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