Manic Mornings

My typical morning:

5:45 My phone alarm goes off. Knowing that I should wake up, I proceed to hit snooze 3-4 times.

6:25 I stumble out of bed very quietly, so I don't wake the baby, take care of bathroom business and go wake the boys. They have alarm clocks, but are afraid of the sounds they make. They're talking clocks with accents that tell corny jokes and say things like, "Hey, get out of bed!"

6:45 I start preparing breakfast and finishing packing lunches, which really should have been done last night before I collapsed into an exhausted heap on the couch. I stop every 5 minutes or so to break up a fight or remind someone to finish getting dressed. Apparently mornings are the perfect time to practice karate and wrestling moves.

7:00-7:15 Breakfast is on the table. Sometimes, breakfast is served with a last minute review of skills that I printed out overnight. On Friday mornings, I'm often giving last minute spelling practice tests while making fried rice and heating up Thermoses for lunch.

7:20 Everyone gets their morning dose of allergy medicine. *Oh, snap! I forgot this morning. Hopefully, JB stays away from the class pet today. Otherwise, we'll have another Will Smith "Hitch" moment.

7:30 Backpacks are zipped and the kids are out the door only to return a couple of times for forgotten items that I've reminded them to pack up.

Now, I have a coveted hour (if I'm lucky) to get ready for the real day.

I usually average 4 swear words and 3 Mama Bear faces. When I'm below average, I feel so proud, but know there's always the dreaded evening homework hour.

While it's extremely chaotic, it's a breeze compared to the afternoons. I'm sure there are a dozen ways to un-complicate the morning routine, but because I'm not a morning person they never work for long.

So, for now I'll have to just settle for manic mornings. So far, it's nothing that a few cups of Starbucks can't wash away.

Happy Friday!