One of my pet peeves, as a parent of young children, is bedtime.
(Whoa! That just came out WAY too nicely. Let me try again, this time keeping it real.)
I freaking hate bedtime.
The thing about my boys is that they literally have no use for slumber. In fact, they would much rather fall asleep at 10:45pm – standing up – wearing a shirt and jeans, instead of snuggling into warm pajamas at a decent hour, allowing mommy to tuck them into bed and sing a sweet lullaby.
To say it’s a struggle is an understatement.
We even moved both boys into the same bedroom, because I simply had enough of trying to keep them from wandering into each other’s rooms well after lights out. Nowadays, I begin the bedtime rituals, kiss them both goodnight, and pretend I don’t hear the giggling, padded footsteps around their room, and the telltale sound of markers colouring paper. Usually, I’ll find one or the other asleep on the floor (see: fall asleep standing up) or curled in a ball on the bed. It’s just the best I can do and I’m totally cool with that.
However, bedtime just got a little easier thanks to the NEW Thomas & Friends Personalized and Interactive Thomas E-Story. You and your little ones will be able to add details such as your child’s name and a name of a family member or a friend – and a personalized story will be created just for them. My boys love being part of the story, and since Ryder is old enough now to recognize his name, he truly believes the tale was written just for him!
For bedtime reading you’ll want to load the E-Story on a tablet, as there are interactive features which allow the child to connect with Thomas and his friends. And there’s no fancy registration or sign-up involved; simply input your desired name and start reading. Bonus: each month, Thomas will launch a new E-Story! So you’ll always have new tales to share with the kiddos, and less repetition = happy storyteller. At the moment, you can choose from “A World of Imagination” or “Let it Snow”.
(On a related note, let’s welcome Thomas & Friends to Mattel. The well-loved company has officially acquired the Thomas brand – which of course, means tons of innovative and imaginative products are on the way, I’m sure!)
So, although bedtimes are still a struggle, the new interactive Thomas E-Story has made it a little easier – my boys willingly climb into bed to hear the story. Now, I just have to figure out how I can get them to stay there.
I am part of the Fisher-Price Play Ambassador program and I receive special perks for my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.
What?The boys are together in one room – and out of your bed ?!?! =D That Thomas is a miracle worker!
But seriously I know how much my son loved Thomas, as many kids do, so Im glad the brand is living on and stronger than ever.
Ha ha – I WISH!!! They both sleep in the same bed, until about 1:00am. Reid comes first – then Ryder pads in at about 2:00am. So it’s still a crowded bed for at least 4-5 hours at night!!
My boys both love Thomas!
He’s such a great influence and lovable character!
Ooh I’m excited to see the ‘Day out With Thomas’ program is still going on. We went a few years ago and would go again if we could. Have your boys every gone Lena?
NO! They haven’t Lisa – thanks for the suggestion, I’ll have to check it out!
I was just reading this, my oldest boy at the time when Thomas was first starting to make idebut, the kid spotted something and that was it, he was in LOVE… anything with thomas was soooo hard to find, I remember I ordered sheets from Europe for him,,, now I see Thomas everywhere..
Yes,it’s so funny the way Thomas literally exploded on the scene in North America!
I love Thomas. We just recently got our four year old sleeping in her own bed..mostly. It is in our room so she still joins us. And if she goes to be before 9pm she joins us for a play party from 3:30-5:30ish…hence why she has a late bedtime.
Ah, then I can certainly see why the late bedtime would work!