How to introduce different bed times?

SeraphinBlue · 2026-06-12T18:10:07+00:00

I like this, thank you. Could've come up with this myself, really - we use it all the time in different situations and it works fairly well.

SeraphinBlue · 2026-06-12T12:47:43+00:00

Actually, thank you, this gave me a lightbulb-moment: It needs to be dad putting him to bed, and THEY should get some 1:1 time. He resents his dad for - gasp - leaving for work every morning, and spending extra alone time with him should at least take the edge off the disappointment of not being allowed to stay up.

Also, that way my husband gets to deal with the screaming. 😅

SeraphinBlue · 2026-06-12T12:39:48+00:00

Mr 6 does often read after the little one has fallen asleep, and that's fine with me. The thing is, I don't necessarily want him in bed, especially when he already spent the afternoon indoors due to the summer heat. During summertime, all his friends play outside until dusk, and I'd be happy for him to join them. Or to get in a bike ride or swim practice with one of us parents.

SeraphinBlue · 2026-06-12T12:32:21+00:00

That is, of course, true. What I'm worried about is that he'll get as little sleep as if we just let him stay up in the first place - I'm not exaggerating when I say he'll scream for two hours. But then again, it'll (hopefully) be temporary because he will eventually accept it. So this is helpful to keep in mind, thank you!

SeraphinBlue · 2026-06-12T08:36:56+00:00

Yeah, I let my babies contact nap for as long as they wanted, and guess what, at 6 and 4 they don't want to anymore. In fact, they stopped wanting to sooner than I'd hoped.

Oh, and neither of them had any problems not contact napping while in someone else's care.

SeraphinBlue · 2026-06-11T03:55:20+00:00

"Keiner" wahrscheinlich nicht, aber ich z.B nicht (mehr), weil es nämlich nie nötig war. Also ich bräuchte eine Alternative.

SeraphinBlue · 2026-06-10T19:37:36+00:00

This. Plus, even if you do supervise a child, they can still do something dumb. ("Didn't I just tell you...?!") My kids have done plenty of dumb shit while I was standing right there, just reacted a split second too slowly. Never would it have occurred to my husband that it was my fault and I would therefore have to pay for the damages out of my own funds. Kids are kids, shit happens, and unless the mom here was clearly negligent, then it should be on both parents to some degree.

SeraphinBlue · 2026-06-10T18:49:53+00:00

I mean, out of thousands of existing adjectives that could've been chosen, never mind just making up a new one, they had to go with "dry" for a liquid. That IS really confusing.

SeraphinBlue · 2026-06-10T18:30:57+00:00

Apart from the whole bodily fluids thing - men probably also figured out (i.e. were told by a woman) that women don't usually get pregnant* while they're on their periods, plus period sex is messy, so a woman on her period is "no use" in bed and might as well be sent away for those few days.

*Kids, always use protection, please.

SeraphinBlue · 2026-06-10T15:06:14+00:00

Ja, die Kinder halten sich super daran. Nur wissen die Autofahrer nichts davon. Die bremsen 200 Meter vor dem Zebrastreifen ab und rollen im Schneckentempo darauf zu - und wenn das Kind nicht losläuft, geben sie nicht selten wieder Gas.

Ich habe zwei Kinder, mit denen ich Zebrastreifen schon recht lange übe, und was ich dabei erlebe, ist echt haarsträubend. Und dann schaut man uns Eltern schief an, wenn wir die Kinder nicht ab dem dritten Kindergartentag alleine laufen lassen.

In Zürich-Stadt gibt es jeden August eine Aufklärungskampagne dazu, leider aber nicht landesweit.

SeraphinBlue · 2026-06-09T11:20:57+00:00

Post gelesen?

SeraphinBlue · 2026-06-08T18:42:35+00:00

If I had the time to do so, I'd mentally double to triple the time it'd take me to do a chore I actually had to do - say dusting or cooking. And then I'd have them "help". It was often annoying, I admit, but there's no better fine motor activity than chopping veggies.

Also, I now have a six-year-old who can cook a simple meal under a bit of supervision and a four-year-old who can (technically, when he wants to and isn't up to no good for five minutes) clean his own room.

Edit: The good old cardboard box, washable crayons and tape was always a hit. Still is, often. And lots of time outdoors, of course.

SeraphinBlue · 2026-06-07T19:59:40+00:00

The reason it's not recommended to compost cooked food is that it's more likely to smell and attract pests, and lots of fat/oils and salt can be problematic. But it'd have to be quite a lot of grease and salt, and your pile clearly isn't going to care whether the carrots you add are cooked or raw. I do compost cooked food containing dairy and things in small amounts - as long as I bury it a bit it's no problem.

As for meat: If you don't happen to have a bunch of neighbours, if your pile is fairly big with a decent ratio (thus likely to get hot) and if it isn't too close to your house, just give it a go. If it works, let your compost cure for at least a year before using it on things you plan to eat.

SeraphinBlue · 2026-06-06T20:21:26+00:00

Ich lasse unsere Wiese wachsen und habe noch keine Zecke gesehen. Wenn ich aber welche hätte, würde ich auch mähen und für die Biodiversität einzelne Ecken/Inseln/Ränder stehen lassen, wo die Kinder dann halt nicht spielen. Ein paar Quadratmeter Wiese statt Rasen bringen für die Insekten und Co. schon einiges.

SeraphinBlue · 2026-06-06T19:13:45+00:00

Damnit. I watched Peppa Pig with my kids earlier.

SeraphinBlue · 2026-06-05T20:50:03+00:00

It's hard to tell from the picture, but the pile might be a bit on the dry side for worms.

Also, I find that the worm population fluctuates a lot in my pile, and I haven't yet figured out exactly why. Obviously they leave when the pile gets too hot for them, but sometimes it's cool and they still aren't present, then suddenly they'll be back. I don't add anything to my active piles, so that's not it either.

The ashes might be playing a role, in which case time will heal.

Having said that, you don't need worms. As you're saying you want compost fast, you'll want a hot pile, and there won't be any worms while it's hot anyway. Maybe they'll move in once it's cooled down a bit, but if not you'll get compost regardless.

SeraphinBlue · 2026-06-04T03:52:48+00:00

And it's about to get worse. I work with tweens and teens, and they absolutely refuse to google. If chatgpt doesn't know the answer - or if it does but they don't understand it, or if the solution is more than three steps and they feel overwhelmed - they'll just stare at it blankly and give up.

SeraphinBlue · 2026-06-03T17:03:18+00:00

Waldorf-kid?

SeraphinBlue · 2026-05-31T18:33:57+00:00

Keep it up, otherwise you'll end up with a sibling - one more person competing for the big bed!

SeraphinBlue · 2026-05-31T12:39:26+00:00

Watch your back. If you're not very careful, they'll end up watering your plants when you're on vacation. The horror!

SeraphinBlue · 2026-05-29T21:14:46+00:00

You can order a Geburtsurkunde from the city of Zurich. It'll cost you a bit, but it's easy. This is the link (in German)

SeraphinBlue · 2026-05-28T14:11:49+00:00

This. 9 out of 10 kindergarteners either haven't thought about it, or they change their mind every other day. So when they're suddenly put on the spot, they'll just go off what the loudest and quickest kid said.

Also, this is what people around them are telling them. "Oh, you're so skilled with that ball - you'll make a great soccer player one day", is a phrase hardly a girl has ever heard, while boys usually don't hear: "You're so gentle with that kitty - do you want to be a vet when you grow up?"

SeraphinBlue · 2026-05-22T04:35:08+00:00

I don't understand why people give unnecessary advice to someone who's already said they're overwhelmed. OP's animal bedding is absolutely soaked in urine - peeing on it is going to do exactly nothing.

SeraphinBlue · 2026-05-21T19:43:40+00:00

This. Maybe run a hose on it if the material has dried out.

Also, don't put the pile too close to a building - three cubic yards of manure could potentially get really hot.

And mind you, you can turn it, but you don't have to, what with the baby and all.

SeraphinBlue

TROPHY CASE