Train your kids to let you sleep in on the Weekends!

If you have kids under the age of 8, they probably don't let you sleep past 7 or 8 am on the weekends.  Bummer!  I implemented this stragtegy at age 3, and i have been sleeping in till 9 or 10 ever since. It's a 5 step process.  You start buy turning on a TV to the cartoon channel when you go to sleep at night.  You set the volume just loud enough so your child won't wake up.  You put the TV in the hall, or in the room next door to their room.  It has to be close to the kids bedroom door.  Next you put snacks right in front of the TV. Their favorite snacks, something like a bag of pretzels, a fruit roll, some popcorn in a bag, some hawaiian bread, bagel, a capris sun drink, and a bottled water.  Then you put some activites in front of the TV, pens, paper, and a coloring book with a pack of 64 crayons.  A few pillows a blanket and a stuffed animal or two make it official.  I often include a fun educational craft from Michaels as well.  When she turned 5 and started reading, I would include a special note about all the fun stuff they can do, and what time she should wake me up.  When she turned 7 I placed her favorite Box Car Kids books by the TV.  The area around the TV becomes fun, interesting, yummy, entertaining, educational, and the cartoon draws them in.  They never even make it to your room.  Eventually, around 9 or 10 am, they come find you and crawl in bed or tell you it's time for you to wake up and cook breakfast.  I have had about 200 sleep in weekend mornings, and I can tell you it's priceless.  It sounds time consuming, but I get this set up at 1 am and it only takes me 10 min. to buy myself 3 hours of sound sleep.  Sometimes I open up my bedroom door at 10 and she is all snuggled up in a blanket, smiling, watching her favorite cartoon eating a fruitroll and she says, "Daddy, Look at the picure I drew!"  Enjoy your rest parents, ... you deserve it!