10 Minutes Till Bedtime

The kids have a new favorite book. Chicka Chicka was replaced with this book my mom gave the kids during our last visit to LA. It's a simple book about a child getting ready for bed and the hamster tour that happens to coincide with it. Hamsters, first just a family and then hundreds of them, come to participate in and watch the bedtime routine. They help the little boy brush his teeth, take a bath, get dressed, and read a book. Each page the only text (except for some things the hamsters are saying) reads, "10 minutes till bedtime", "9 minutes till bed time", etc. It's in a big bubble that comes from the other room where his dad is reading the paper.

The kids just love it. All of them. Elizabeth likes pointing at the hamsters. Miranda likes saying "bedtime" in her ridiculously cute, yet tonally perfect way ("bah tah"). And Parker likes acting it out. Before naps, we have to go through the whole, which includes brushing his teeth and changing into jammies. Today, he wanted to even take a bath, which was where I drew the line.

My favorite part is at the end, when, after all the hamsters have left and the tour is over, the boy gets a good night kiss from his dad. All the kids look at me and wait for their kiss. Miranda even makes the kiss noise ("Mmmm-ahhh") and puckers her lips while turning her head to me.

After hours of breaking up fights, soothing the cranky, cleaning up meals, and holding the teary, reading this book to the three of them is just the ticket.