1. For us, the biggest con is the morning. Oftentimes, the earliest riser wakes the other siblings who might have slept in otherwise. This was absolutely the case when we moved Millie in with the big two. She used to sleep till 8am, and now she's up at 6 with the others. It took me a few weeks to realize this was why she was acting demon possessed by 2pm. 

 

2. Another con for us has been the difference in age between John Robert and Millie. He is six. She is three. He really can stay up later than her and we want to allow him to. However, it makes bedtime a massive pain because the girls want to stay up if he gets to and everyone is tired and a lot of meltdowns ensue. Once we move back into our house post renovation, John Robert is going to have his own room. He is the only boy and we think it's time he gets his own space. Also, this will hopefully help with putting the girls to bed and allowing him to be in his room with the light on reading or doing legos.

 

 There are so many! Here are a few:

1. Room sharing makes traveling as a family a lot easier. For one, because the kids will likely have to share a room on vacation and it's something they are already used to. And secondly, when they are in a foreign place, they find a lot of comfort in being in the same room as the person they are used to sleeping with.

2. It creates a really special bond between siblings. When the kids are falling asleep in there, they talk and giggle and enjoy getting to spend time together by themselves. Sometimes they make a “sleep pile” (something they learned watching The Croods) where they take every single blanket and pillow and pile them all up to fall asleep. Other times I find that they have all switched beds, or are all asleep in the same bed. Again, kids can sleep in the most uncomfortable looking locations!

3. It has allowed us to live in the house we love for much longer. Again, with four kids and three rooms, we would have had to move or add on years ago had we not had the kids share a room.

 

We have always decided room sharing by prioritizing the worst/most sensitive sleeper. Usually, that's the baby. Maybe for you the baby is the absolute best sleeper and the toddler is killing you. Maybe you have an older child that either needs their own space, or has the ability to sneak into the room quietly and not wake a smaller sibling. Each family is so unique. Each age gap is unique. Heck, each bedroom size is unique! 

 

I would say this is totally normal! Sleep as a parent is so precious, and anything that could rock the boat can feel so daunting. But at the end of the day, you just have to go for it. Give it two weeks to a month. If it's still awful after that then maybe consider an alternate plan. My guess is it will go better than you think.

 

To close out this section, please enjoy this photo of Scout and John Robert. Asleep. Under the bed. In their clothes. 

 

I am telling you, kids can sleep anywhere!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This month has been similar to last month. I am barely reading and watching. The cracks of time I get are spent on thinking for the renovation or going to bed early. I did, however, start a new book! American Royals by Katharine McGee. I am getting through a chapter a night if I am lucky and will report back, but so far it has really kept my attention.

 

I am also still reading through the New Testament and gosh I am loving it. I don't have a reading plan or anything, just taking it book by book and chapter by chapter (currently in Mark chapter 4). The special part of this is that I have these journaling Bibles for Millie and Scout and as I read I am taking notes in the margins of their Bibles. I hope this is something I can do over the years to one day give to them. Also, here is a link to the Bible. The cover is by Lulie Wallace. She does art and textiles and I adore basically everything she creates!