Bedtime

I was reading one of my favorite blogs today and it was a post about bedtime routines.  It really got me thinking abut our bedtime routine around here.  Because I work in the evening I am not typically home for bedtime and big V has full control of the bedtime round-up.  I have always had this idyllic idea of what a bedtime routine should be (quiet time to wash up, light conversation reflecting on our day, a meaningful story), but let's be honest, in real life you do what you have to do to get the kid into bed at a decent hour, then you try your best not to fall asleep right next to them.

Regardless of who puts little V to bed one thing is always included, story time.  We all know the importance of reading to your child to help them gain literacy skills (blah blah blah) but to me those few minutes of story time are magical.  I have always loved to see her reaction to a new story, see which books become favorites, hear her retell a favorite part of a story, watch her response to the illustrations, ask questions and explore her own ideas.  And now as she is learning to read herself, it's amazing to see the way all of those same aspects of story time are evolving.  Now she always wants to follow along to my words with her finger, attempt to read some of the stories on her own.  I know that any day now she will be reading the bedtime stories to me and I don't think I've ever been so excited for something.

I've always loved to read, to be transpoted to another time or place through the magic of a well written book,  I hope little V loves to read as much as I do.  (I think she's already pretty crazy about her books!)  Now that idyllic bedtime idea has evolved a little.  Just imagine, little V, me and a new baby R all cuddled up together with little V reading to her little brother...

What are some of your favorite bedtime stories?  I'm always on the lookout for new books!  We have been on an old fashioned fairy tale kick for about 2 weeks now.  (Rumplestilskin, The Pied Piper, The Fisherman and his Wife - remember those?) But some of our favorites include:  If you Give A Pig a Party, What I Be, Madeline, Fancy Nancy, Zen Shorts, and Olivia.