counting sheep

I was putting ER to bed and as I turned to leave the room, he complained (not for the first time) me he has trouble falling asleep. I told him to count sheep like a friend of ours. 
The next night he repeated the problem and also told me that counting sheep didn't work because he couldn't count more than 30. (I suggested he start again from 1.) 

But you're a scientist!?!

I have been taking ice skating lessons at the rink next to my office after work on Monday nights. Presidents day I did not work, but I still had ice skating. I offered to ER to brush his teeth before I went to my fitness class. He wanted to know what it was. I told him I was learning how to become a beautiful ice skater. To which he replie, "But Mommy, you are a scientist."  I have some education to do that the two are not mutually exclusive!

Room sharing

PJ (age 11) was sick on Friday night. PJ and ER (age 4) usually share a room so we asked AM (age 8) if ER could share with him for the night instead. They were both excited about it. As expected, neither slept as well that night. Shabbos afternoon, walking home from a friends, AM expressed that he really did not want ER to share his room again. I expressed to  him how I appreciated that he was a kind sharing brother to have ER sleep in his room the previous night so he didn't have to share a room with PJ. By seudat shilishit, he was expressing that maybe one more night would be ok. By havdalah we parents had decided that PJ was recovered enough to move back but AM was begging for ER to sleep over one more night. It makes me happy when they want to help and share.