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You are here: Home / STYLE / The mum evening routine and my secret to sleep

The mum evening routine and my secret to sleep

May 19, 2017 by Molly 8 Comments

One of the things I miss most about my pre-parent days is the freedom from a rigid routine. Of course I went to work, often went to the same gym classes and had a basic weekly routine, but if I felt like shaking it up a bit then I could. Pub on a Wednesday evening? No problem. These days my mum evening routine is pretty much the same Sunday to Thursday, but without it I wouldn’t get any work done and would exist on barely any sleep. It might be predictable and a tad monotonous at times, but these are the things that help me survive with two young children.

My mum evening routine

I know I should get out more but, for me, there’s little that beats the luxury of slipping into sparkling clean sheets after a long day. And if the sheets have been dried outside on a warm spring day then all the better. (Yeah, yeah, I get my kicks where I can these days.)

Most evenings I’m so exhausted by the time I get to bed I could probably fall asleep standing up, but there’s something about falling into a comfortable and clean bed which makes me feel like I’m looking after myself – even if one or other of the kids inevitably wakes me up a few hours later.

Because I’m so rock and roll I tend to put my pyjamas on when the girls are in the bath before bedtime. PJs on, bra off, hair up is basically my ideal evening wear. After we’ve gone through the rigmorale of a ten hour bedtime (toddler sleep regression and moving into a “big girl’s bed” has been zero fun), I do a quick tidy up downstairs before settling down to do some work.

No caffiene

I live on chamomile tea in the evening and drink about four cups of the stuff. For some reason (and I don’t have this issue with wine!) I’ve always steered clear of caffeinated drinks after around 7pm. I probably watched a programme about it when I was 17 and have stuck to that rule ever since. It helps that I can’t stand the taste of coffee, I guess. A real treat for me is an evening when I can shut the laptop by 9pm and settle on the sofa with a cup of chamomile and an hour or so of Netflix, but this doesn’t always happen.

As well as the caffeine thing, I’ve always been pretty strict about removing my make-up before going to bed. Again, I probably read a scary fact in Just Seventeen when I was 15, telling me my face would melt off if I didn’t do it.

And then – aaaaaaaaah the best bit – bed.

A game changing duvet

Although I’m pretty meticulous with the sheet washing, I’ve not always been great about washing my actual duvet in the past. It’s just a huge mission taking it to the launderette so becomes a job that always gets put off. But when I found out that I was probably sharing my unwashed duvet with at least 20,000 dust mites, my whole perspective shifted. Luckily I’d been sent a washable duvet to try out – the Spundown Duvet by The Fine Bedding Company – so could dodge a trip to the launderette.

The Spundown Duvet is a washable duvet that can go in a machine with a capacity of at least 7kg. It’s the first duvet I’ve ever come across that claims to be able to be put in the machine in the morning and then back on your bed by bedtime, so I was intrigued to see if this was actually the case.

Here’s how we got on (and a peak at what happens after I’ve shut my laptop on a weekday evening)…

After a spin in the washing machine the duvet came out really light and not dripping full of water, as I’d anticipated. It was pouring with rain on the day I washed it, so I had to hang it inside on the airer. Again, I’d expected it to take a good few days to dry (considering most of my jumpers take forever to dry indoors) but it was ready within 24 hours and back on our bed again, as fluffy and pristine as it had been before.

This duvet will be a game changer in the dustmite department. Just the thought of sharing my bed with 20,000 dust mites makes me feel a bit itchy – never mind the 200ml of sweat we secrete overnight too (vom).

No phone

Back to the bedtime routine then, once I actually make it to bed I’m pretty strict about leaving my phone downstairs. It’s just too tempting to have a “quick” check of Facebook or Instagram or emails otherwise, and that is not conducive to a good night’s sleep.

Pillow spray

I sometimes spray a little bit of lavender pillow spray on my pillow too, just to help with the extra sleepy feeling, and then I’ll read my book for a bit before collapsing fast asleep. In fact, I often fall asleep with my book literally on my face and the NLM has to take it off me and turn out the light. Ah, the romance!

Tell me, what’s your evening routine? Do you have any tried and tested sleep remedies? 

**

Thanks to the Fine Bedding Company for working with me on this post and video. All opinions and content remain my own. For more information about how I work with brands check out my Work With Me page. 

Filed Under: Beauty, STYLE Tagged With: bedtime routine, being a mum, mum life, pampering, sleep, working from home

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Comments

  1. Lottie | Oyster & Pearl says

    May 22, 2017 at 8:59 am

    I feel like right scummer now – I’ve never washed our duvet! AND I’m terrible at taking off my make up. Must try harder….

    Reply
    • Molly says

      May 29, 2017 at 6:53 pm

      Ha – the struggle is real. Never enough time is there?!

      Reply
  2. Grandma from the north says

    May 19, 2017 at 9:10 pm

    My secret routine to match with clean sheets and for complete relaxation is clean feet!! A foot wash before bed with some nice body lotion is so relaxing. Try it.

    Reply
    • Molly says

      May 29, 2017 at 6:53 pm

      Ooh I like that – will try it!

      Reply
  3. Emma says

    May 19, 2017 at 4:01 pm

    Oh my gosh. How do I wash my giant super king duvet? I’m not even sure I could transport it to a laundrette easily 🙂

    Reply
    • Molly says

      May 19, 2017 at 7:16 pm

      This one is a giant super king and fit in our 8kg machine no problem! x

      Reply
  4. Slummy single mummy says

    May 19, 2017 at 12:57 pm

    You know, I don’t ever think I’ve washed a duvet! I feel well skanky now…

    Reply
    • Molly says

      May 19, 2017 at 1:12 pm

      20,000 dust mites… that’s all I’m saying!

      Reply

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Hello and welcome! I'm Molly Forbes - podcaster, presenter and blogger with a passion for positivity, confidence and body image chat. Regularly writing and vlogging about empowering female issues from a motherhood angle, I also cover lifestyle and fashion topics for like-minded mums who want to rediscover themselves after having children. Thanks for stopping by! Read More…

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Image description: A close up of Molly’s bare skin as she hugs herself. It’s dark and part of her body is illuminated by light. She has her eyes closed and is smiling.
“Mummy I wrote a letter to myself,” she said. “Mummy I wrote a letter to myself,” she said. And my heart swelled. Maybe I’m doing an OK job after all 🤞❤️💕 #BodyHappyKids 
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I could leave this caption here but I need to make something clear: if you think it’s great that my daughter - a thin, white, nondisabled, cisgender kid - feels good in her body but you’re not here for the self-love of any kid who doesn’t look like her.... then you’ve missed the point.
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ALL bodies are good bodies, and without this important piece of the puzzle ALL children will be at risk of doubting their body. And what happens when they doubt their body? Well... hating our body doesn’t make us treat it with love, and the same is true of kids. 
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Image description: Effie, age 6, stands against a white wardrobe holding up a letter she has written to herself. It is spelled phonetically and reads “My body is good and excellent and my body only belongs to me.”
I used to struggle to buy stuff for myself if I ha I used to struggle to buy stuff for myself if I had any spare cash - not just treats, but basics like pants and tights that fit properly. I’d tell myself I didn’t need it, didn’t deserve it, couldn’t justify the expense. There’s still that little voice (the habit of putting everyone else’s needs first and my own last dies hard it seems) but I’m leaning into exploring why it still sometimes rears its head, instead of always listening to it. 
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This is what teaching kids to idolise thinness and This is what teaching kids to idolise thinness and fear fatness looks like and it hurts my heart 💔
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This is what happens when we only give children a very narrow representation of what health / beauty / success / happiness looks like, and when we don’t incorporate mental health into conversations about health. The body image, self-esteem and wellbeing of children suffers. And it IS suffering.
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Last week @Childline_official launched their #NobodyIsNormal campaign and released figures showing they’ve run 43,000 counselling sessions for children since the first UK lockdown earlier this year. These are quotes from children they spoke to, showing that low self-esteem is a major issue for many of the kids they’ve been in touch with. 
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I was at my desk all weekend so here’s a throwba I was at my desk all weekend so here’s a throwback to September when we hiked along part of the South West coast path and discovered three new beaches. I miss the outside. 
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Did you know the same area of the brain lights up Did you know the same area of the brain lights up when we experience the pain of social rejection as when we experience physical pain? True fact. Which is why I think 
it’s wild we spend so much energy in kids’ health education on nutrition (or “good food and bad food” as is so often the case) and so little on prepping them with the skills to navigate social media in a positive way. 🧐
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Social media can be a great thing, but it can also be a scary and anxiety-inducing place too (watch The Social Dilemma on Netflix for more on this!). We’re having conversations with children about the dangers of sugar but not even touching on the dangers of social media and the impact it can have on health (because mental health is health too FYI). 
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I’m a 37 year old woman and social media still messes with my head. What chance has a tween got? 
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I could lie and say that I always take the “other people’s opinion of me is none of my business” approach but the truth is I’m a sensitive people-pleaser so when I experience negativity online it stings. 
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I had a conversation with my pal @jskychat that helped me through a difficult phase recently, and I’ve shared the tweets that started it off in case they’re helpful for you too. I think Jsky should be brought in by the government to help design a PSHE social media lesson for the curriculum to be honest, but that’s a fight for another day. ❤️
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In the meantime, I’m teaching my kids the affirmation that “Their opinion is not my truth”, which works well in all life but seems particularly apt when it comes to social media.
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