Morning Madness
Monday morning!
My 2 year old had woken me at 3 am to come in my bed and woken me up approximately 5 more times since then with hard kicks to my stomach, shoulders and face! She beats me up!! I wake in a panic at 7:40 because my husband’s alarm didn’t go off!!!! Of course the 2 year old is cuddled close to me looking oh so peaceful after hours of thrashing!
I throw on whatever clothes I can find as quickly as possible and run down the stairs to find my 7 and 5 year old playing! I bark at my 7 year old to get dressed and throw clothes at him. He complains that he is not ready to get dressed and I tell him to do it anyway! Why oh why do we have the same conversations every morning? Yes I need a morning chart! Yes I taught this! I know!!
I ask my kiddos what they want for breakfast and they tell me they aren’t hungry yet! Is this groundhog day? I tell them they have 5 minutes to make a decision on what they want to eat and I run to begin packing lunches!
I grab the peanut butter and jelly and throw it on the counter as my 5 year old yells that she wants to sit with her friend so I can’t pack her peanut butter! Ok, plan B! Seriously, I can’t keep up with them!
I begin my son’s sandwich (they have radar) as he yells to me that he doesn’t want a sandwich he wants rolled up meat! Ok, forget the bread!
They stroll into the kitchen with their breakfast requests! I put lunch on hold and heat up pancakes that I made the night before for Ella and begin making Max a protein shake. I brush Max’s hair as he is drinking his shake as he hears his friend at the door. Max’s friends parents have to get to work so he comes over sometimes before school. I warn Max that Lillie is sleeping and he can’t be his loud crazy self!
Max is in the playroom drinking his shake, playing with his friend, Ella is at the table eating pancakes and my husband comes down dressed for work. Max spills his shake in the playroom and screams for me! I go running thinking about how my schedule does not allow for time to clean up his shake! By the way, where is Seth and why does he keep disappearing?
I go back to making lunches and yell to my husband to please get Ella dressed! “Please for the love of G-d help me,” is what I want to scream, but I try my best every morning to be sweet. Sending my husband and kids off to school on a good note is always my goal (not always achieved but always the goal)!
My husband says he needs lunch so I begin packing his lunch with as much food as I can find! I couldn’t bear to hear Seth come home from work one more day complaining he didn’t have enough food so I took over making his lunches! Just add it to my ever growing list of to do’s every day! My husband is one of those people who is thin and eats whatever he wants and as much as he wants! Yes, I can’t stand it! It is so completely unfair! He is busy trying to eat enough during the day as I count my calories! Ggggrrrrrr!!
Lunches are packed, snacks are packed, homework is packed, on to dealing with Ella’s hair!
“Ella, time for hair and teeth,” I yell!
“I didn’t have enough time to play,” she yells back every morning!
“Come anyway,” is the daily response!
Groundhog day!!
Ella huffs and puffs stomping her feet into the bathroom. I ignore her attitude and start spraying her hair with something to protect her hair from lice. Yes, I got the dreaded note from school that there is lice in her class and yes I freaked out! Ella complains about the smell of the spray and I move on to pulling her hair up into a ponytail.
“I want to wear my hair down!” She complains to me.
“There is lice in your school so therefore you will never wear your hair down. Do you want bugs in your hair?” I ask her as she quickly shuts up. We have this same conversation every single morning! How does this child not remember why I am putting her hair up? Maybe just maybe, tomorrow she will remember!
Ella and Max brush their teeth. Max gets toothpaste all over the sink, counter and all over his face and shirt. I take a deep breath to attempt to stay calm.
“Max, your future wife is not going to be happy with me if I don’t teach you to be neater!” Yes, I did just say that and yes we both giggled which is much better than yelling at him which is what I wanted to do!
I run upstairs and grab Max a new shirt. He throws on his new shirt while protesting that the toothpaste stained shirt was fine! “I am not sending you to school with toothpaste on your shirt!” He disagrees but sees that I mean business!
We find all their shoes, hats and coats and begin the winter dressing process! Is it Spring yet?
I help Max tie his shoes while reminding him to have us practice tying after school! I never remember, he never remembers, but I say it almost every day! I think today we will actually work on it!! Add it to my list!
Ella brings me her pink sparkly cowgirl boots to help her put on. I calmly explain that she has gym and I need her to go find her Frozen sneakers. She stomps off to get her sneakers and I find myself once again taking a big deep breath! Stay calm mama I tell myself! They will be out the door in T minus 2 minutes! I can do it!
They throw on their hats and coats and Max, his friend, and Ella climb into Seth’s car! My fabulous husband gets major points for driving my kiddos to school almost every day!! Yes, my 5 year old is petrified of the bus and if any of you know me you know that I have zero desire to make her try the school bus. Have you seen what goes on on a school bus? I will take a pass!
I did it! 4 out the door! 2 more to go! I run upstairs with 20 minutes to get Lillie and I ready and out the door. Make up and jewelry are flying everywhere! I look presentable (I hope) and I run to my bed to wake the sleeping toddler with a diaper and clothes. I wake her up and wrestle her to get her dressed. I tell Lillie she has school and she cheers up and runs downstairs with me. I throw her hair in a pony, throw on our boots and coats, and throw her in the car!
I remember that we haven’t eaten and I throw an organic pop tart and almond milk at Lillie in her car seat (yes I am the crazy organic mom who spends too much at the grocery store). I grab a protein bar for me and we are on our way. I forgot my coffee, I want to cry, but I continue to school anyway! I can start my day without coffee! I can do it!
I run into nursery school a little late and bring Lillie to the playroom. She giggles and runs around and I tell my friend like I do every Monday about how I feel like I just put in a full day! We laugh and exchange morning stories! I look at Lillie laughing and smile while remembering that my crazy morning will start all over tomorrow!
I text my mom after nursery school with a picture of Lillie telling her Lillie loved school and that the mornings before school suck!! She tells me that before I blink my house will be too quiet and that I should enjoy it!
Just like I will have to remind Ella why she is wearing her hair up tomorrow my mother will have to remind me tomorrow to embrace my crazy!
P.S. My husband discovered that the 2 year old had turned our sound off on our alarm so hopefully tomorrow it will actually go off!!
Have a great day!
Embrace your crazy.
