MORNING MADNESS!

Night Owl by nature. Procrastinator by choice. Children with mismatched sleep schedules.

All these contribute to MORNING MADNESS!

My weekday mornings are always chaotic. I wake up usually to a series of alarms and snoozes. Usually, I am slightly awake when the Hubby leaves for work. Today I thought I heard him say to the Boy, “Don’t let your Mom sleep in too late.” Oy! I was coherent enough to feel indignant, as I glanced at the bedside clock: 7:15am. So 45 minutes later, I was jolted from my slumber by the realization it is now 8:00am and we have 30 minutes before I must usher the Boy out the door for school. Insert a string of expletives. Instant action!

The mad dash begins.

Fighting off the feeling of tiredness and fuzzy brain, I walk around the house to assess the hierarchy of needs—my own and the family. I greet the Boy. I flip on the coffee pot. I press on the computer. I open the blinds. I listen for Little Girl. I consider the weather as I yell “Calm the [Expletive] down!” to the dogs, who are anxiously scratching at the door. Little Girl is awake but calmly playing in her crib (Thankfully!) so she gets pushed down the list while I tend to the dogs. Time check. 8:10am. I feed the Boy. (Arguably, we need to train him to get his own breakfast. He gets his own juice. Yet, I need to curb his juice intake. This life, my life, is always about striking a balance. Always. Because although no one is judging my parenting skills except myself, I know allowing too much juice consumption is bad. How do I know? Because the omniscient Mommy Police have decreed it so. Anyway, I’m a good mommy citizen and don’t want to be criticized for allowing my son to drink too much juice, risk having rotten teeth, drinking empty calories, and having too much sugar in his diet.)

8:15am

I attempt to calmly direct the Boy to get dressed after finishing his breakfast. I say calmly because while I am moving around with a sense of urgency, I recognize that this is not a good way to begin the day and don’t want to pass it on to the Boy. He unfortunately has been snapped at one too many times when I am, once again and forever more, late and he is being pokey. He knows the routine. He also knows that when the alarm sounds, for the last time in the morning, we need to be walking out the door within minutes to catch the bus.

I am clock-watching.

I assemble his snack and backpack. I rush to the bedroom and make myself look presentable, which essentially means I put a bra on (not that anyone knows whether I have a bra on since I’m wearing a coat. But putting a bra on means “game on” for me. Those mamas are contained and ready to face the day.). I dress with the clothes in grabbing distance (i.e. floor). If the hair is really unruly, a baseball cap can be a good friend.

Heart pulsing hard, I’m feeling agitated. I know the alarm for the bus is about to signal.

I waltz into Baby Girl’s room, to be greeted with a big smile and pure joy. Kisses all around! I change her diaper, keep her pajamas on for now and throw on her coat. And with that, the alarm begins to sound, just in time once again.

Out the door, we three go. [For the record, the Boy has only missed the bus once in the past three months.]

The wait at the bus stop is short. I have a pleasant chat with the neighborhood parents. With a wave to the Boy as he climbs onto the bus, Baby Girl and I return to the house to start our day. It’s time for coffee, to de-compress from the whirlwind 30 minutes, and map out our day.

So that Madness is my morning, every morning, for five days. It occurred to me the other day that I can make a few changes to help myself. To others, it must seem so straightforward and obvious. Go to bed earlier. Plan ahead the evening before. Wake up earlier and give myself more time. Yes, yes, thank you for your kind suggestions. But I want to have to do it. I have to choose to make those changes. Do I want Morning Madness or Calm?

While going to bed earlier is a worthy and probably rewarding endeavor, I think I’ll start with planning ahead. I will have everything ready in the morning, so when the signal sounds, I go! Ready, Set, Go Mama Go!