It's Yoga-Thirty!

We have struggled with our evening routine since...well since we became parents I'd say!  Always with the best intentions, when they were younger it was bath time and dim lights, quiet television or none at all and mellow activities like reading or singing.  As they got a bit older we stuck with the bath every other night and reading routine and even though it was calm, they still needed another drink, another pee break, another (Insert random whackadoo reason to get out of bed AGAIN here).
Now that they are reading on their own and a bit more "in charge" of their own evenings, the routine is still there and they still seem to figure out how to sabotage it no matter what.

The evening at this house looks a bit like this: Dinner around 630 or so and no technology after dinner.  That is no tablet time or video games once we have had dinner together.  We have stuck with this and it has been very good for everyone.  Of course, there are days when we aren't home from after school activities until almost 6 so I make exceptions to the rule and give an hour-hour and a half of video gaming even if it happens a bit after dinner.  I gotta stop making exceptions, I am always up for a negotiation and the kids KNOW this weakness and pounce on it, sucking the blood from my soul.  Ahhhhh....

So we do showers in the evenings and the kids have time to play afterwards as long as they get their lunches packed for the next day.  They go upstairs around 9pm and have until 930 to read in their rooms.  Sometimes we play games as a family before this 9pm reading time and other times Daddy will put on some America's Funniest Videos (which I refuse to watch because I think they make me a dumber human being).  Regardless, this has been the evening routine for some time, but unbeknownst to them, the routine will be changing again at my own insistence.  Our son has a hard time winding down after a long day and it seems he finds MORE energy and starts bouncing off the walls come bedtime and let's just say I have NO PATIENCE for that business right before bedtime.  The loud noises and screeching and giggling and flopping all over the place when I am pretty much DONE are just unacceptable.  In fact, the entire rest of the house is ready to wind down and he just can't seem to chill at all.  So here we are and he is annoying the heck out of me every single night.  It's not fair, that is his personality and he is just an annoying middle school boy, which is also not entirely his fault, so the change is my idea completely.
Tonight starts the first of the Family Yoga and Meditation that we will now use to end our day.  I will have to iron out the best time for it and see how close to bedtime we actually need to do this new routine and I will keep you posted on how it goes.
I prepared my bedroom with dim lighting, some candles to help with the dimness and calm.  We will begin the evening with a "mantra" that we will repeat after every new yoga pose which we will hold for 10 seconds while concentrating on our breathing.  This may be difficult and funny for them at first but will soon become a new ritual that will help in our evening relaxation and winding down routine.  Callie is actually super excited about it and I am too.  Henry thinks it is a joke.  Jon I don't think believes me when I say it is "Family Yoga" cause he is still in the living room working a puzzle.
I have included the poster that we will use as a basis for our yoga routine, at least in the beginning.  Needless to say, it's Yoga-Thirty People (which is 830pm EST for those who were wondering)  Get Ready, Get Set and Let's Relax...