I was always told that it's a good rule of thumb to wake up before the children in order to help stay on top of things for the day. While I will not argue that the concept sounds simply magical, the actual action of waking up before the sweet angels is easier said than done in my home. 6am is normal waking time for our family. My day begins with my slumber being broken to the sound of little feet running across the wood floor to greet me by my bed. My eyes open to meet the gaze of a little man who is eager to begin the day, quickly followed by a toy tonka to the face while he asks, "let's play truck, let's play truck!". I decide if he just plays at the foot of my bed I could probably catch 10-15 more minutes of sweet bedtime bliss. The minute i do that i realize little bit wants to jump in bed too. This works out even better. Maybe then i could catch HALF AN HOUR! As i grab the two year old and sling him over me into the middle of the bed, I catch a whiff of a morning business coming from the diaper that canNOT wait. Sleep is finished, my day has begun.
While I grab the pampers and wipes from the closet, I stop by the first graders room to wake him for the day. To refer his morning mood to an agitated grizzly would be an understatement. The first thing out of his mouth is usually, "but I was up all night, and just fell asleep." which I know isn't true, due to the fact that the child begs to be in bed by 7pm and is snoring 30 seconds later. By the time I get the toddler to lay down to work on the "gift" he has made just for me via the diaper, i realize it is slowly making it's way south already and that i have come to do damage control JUST IN TIME, however my "supermom" skills are not fast enuf to avoid being sprayed in the face from a yellow fountain that resembles those waky children's sprinklers that flop everywhere when you hook them up to a hose. Fortunate for me, I'm no new kid on the block and remember to keep my mouth closed.
It's the end of the school year and I can't wait! The first grader has been doing the same routine for 9 months now. But somehow, without fail, he doesn't seem to remember what step to do next each morning. Let me explain:
1. WAKE UP
2. BREAKFAST
3. BRUSH TEETH AND DRESS
4. SHOES
5. HAIR
6. BACKPACK AND OUT THE DOOR
I give this routine an hour each morning. Why you ask? Because in his mind, morning goes like this:
1. IGNORE MOM THE FIRST THREE TIMES SHE SWEETLY NUDGES ME FROM MY WARM BED.
2. ONCE THE VOICE BEGINS TO SOUND A LITTLE FLUSTERED, ACKNOWLEDGE AND MOAN THAT I DIDN'T GET MUCH SLEEP.
3. FALL OUT OF BED AND GO TO COUCH WITH BLANKET WRAPPED AROUND ME.
4. STAY ON COUCH TIL OFFERED BREAKFAST OR GO WITHOUT IS THREATENED
5. EAT EACH INDIVIDUAL CHEERIO AT TIME
6. GO BACK TO COUCH
7. UH-OH, MOM IS NOW YELLING, I'LL GO AND BRUSH MY TEETH AND MAYBE MAKE SOME TOOTHPASTE ART IN THE SINK
8. GET DRESSED, BUT WHAT DO I WEAR?...IS IT THE CLOTHES LAYING ON THE COUNTER IN THE BATHROOM? ... NAH!
9. HMMMM, MOM SAYS WHAT I'M WEARING DOESN'T MATCH, MAYBE I'LL TRY THOSE BATHROOM CLOTHES
10. OK, I'M DRESSED, SHOES, OOPS MY SOCKS DON'T MATCH,...O'WELL
11. I WONDER WHY MOM LOOKS SO CRAZY THIS MORNING? MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T HAVE ANY MAKE-UP ON YET!-- we kiss and he is finally out the door!
,,,and this routine goes on each morning monday thru friday.
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