Morning Routine

For the most part we have things down to a science here in the mornings.  There was the one exception where we all took a simultaneous mental break for 10 minutes and somehow time didn't stop and the kids missed the bus; but that's only happened once to us.

Welcome to our morning:

7:25am:  Wake the kids up.  I'll spare you that picture.  It's often not pretty.
7:30am:  Feed Sadie.  Afterward she will be a nutcase for 30-45 minutes.

7:32am:  Kids walk down and make breakfast.

Jake eats Cocoa Puffs 97.8% of mornings.  He also prefers to read but we've found this to be far too distracting in keeping up with our time schedule.

Grumpy Pants Maddie hates to eat breakfast.  I can buy her favorite cereal (and have boxes to prove it) and she'll suddenly hate it after one morning.  Lately she's managed to make toast with peanut butter.  Mostly we all try to leave her alone until she resurfaces after getting dressed.

I mean...don't they look like the picture of happiness?

7:35am:  Mike comes up to join us for breakfast and to get his first cup of coffee for the day - Unless it's been an excrutiating morning of meetings so far and he's already made the first batch.

7:45am:  I announce the first warning of time.  "You have to be getting ready in 15 minutes."

Silence.

7:47am:  I make one or two lunches.  These generally include a note.  Lately they've enjoyed the jokes I've written which means at about 7:50 you can find me on my computer looking up decent kids' jokes.

7:50am:  Second warning.  "Jake, for goodness sake, stop eating Cocoa Puffs and get dressed!"

7:51am:  Mike or I sign Maddie's planner.  Despite our daily pleas she still leaves this until morning.

7:55am:  I make my breakfast.  A half bagel with peanut butter and a cup of coffee with a scoop of protein powder. 

7:57am:  Kids come down with their dirty clothes and deposit them in the laundry room.  One of my favorite chores they have; it saves me a trip on Monday mornings!

8:00am:  Last hugs and kisses to Sadie.

8:03am:  Get dressed for the bus.  Inevitably it is at this point that at least one of the children will remember something they forgot to pack and I'll race around trying to find it while they get on boots.

8:06am:  Stand at the door and wait for the bus to arrive at the bus stop on our left corner.  With this route the kids can see the bus arrive at that stop, wait from our door inside during the winter and walk to their stop before the bus arrives on the right corner.  No more frozen patooties.

8:10am:  They leave for the bus to start their day and I get to begin eating my breakfast in peace and quiet. 

Except for the dog who is jumping around like a grasshopper.