AND Then she said....

   A bedtime routine has never been my strongest shall I say....asset when it comes to my parenting skills. I have been known to read story after story, after story to my kids late into the night never establishing an actual sleep time. I figure we home school so what difference does it make?

This strategy worked well for our other three....

But now we are in a dilemma.....Mary Elizabeth, not only likes to read in my bed she does not want to leave my bed....EVER!

Sleeping with this beautiful child is like sleeping in a tea cup ride.

Let me see if I can explain...She is not one of those cuddly types who just snuggles right in and doesn't move.

NO! Not at all!

To start off with....She likes her head on my pillow to get as close to me as possible.

How sweet you say.....Ya, sweet....

But she flips

and she flops

and she turns

and she spins all through the night.

I can hear you ask...."Why don't you just move her into her own bed."

Which is a very good question....and we do.

We really do...

BUT!

She comes back....

The party just never ends!

Our night time routine is almost like a Conga Line...........We go back and forth all night long.

The other day, I sat her down and I had "the talk" with her....

I told her,  I just couldn't do it anymore. I told her she was to hard sleep with her and sometimes it  just felt like she was jumping on me all night long.

AND 

"Starting tonight, she just had to stay in her own bed without me."  

This train ride was over!

She listened intently.

She gave what I said a lot of thought.

She even slept on it for a little while.

When she woke, she said to me....."Mommy, I loveS you."

and I said to her....

"Liz, I loveS you too."

Her response....

was an innocent....

"Then why can't I sleep  WHICH U ? "

and I said........sigh...with a smile...."You just can't."

I'll let you know what happens.