So, I've been a little discombobulated lately, still adjusting to our new morning routine, post school day. See, during the school year, the bus comes at 8:05, so everybody is up, dressed, fed and packed for the day by 7:45 (um, ideally). When they leave, I leave -- with enough time to hit the Starbuck's drivethrough and still make it into work by 8:30.
Now? My working mommy guilt lets them sleep a little later, closer to 8 a.m., which goes along with the same guilt that lets them stay up and playing outside later. It's getting harder, now that they are almost 6 and almost 8, to make them go to bed at their usually scheduled school-night time of 8pm, when it's still light out and they can hear their friends still running around and playing in the neighborhood. I can only play the mean mommy role so much.
The result? I've not made it to work before 9 a.m. since the week school was out, although I am getting better about managing the morning routine. Luckily, this is not a huge problem for my boss.
So now that we are mid-way through June, I've finally gotten a new morning strategy in the works. Myadapted morning schedule goes like this:
1.) I often shower the night before, so all I have to do in the morning is toss a little water and mousse in my hair to combat the bed head, and blow it out. Easy enough. (I have short, unfancy, Mom-cut hair. There's a reason for this.) This is a better plan for me personally then getting up earlier, every day.
2.) I lay out their clothes the night before. This is not an overly astute statement, I realize, but since my kids are dawdlers, having everything where they can find it and save the arguing about which shirt they want to wear saves time and nerves. We do it together, so that they agree and buy into the outfit, and in the morning they can put it on without help.
3.) I fix lunches myself. Unlike during the school year, when my kids eat school provided lunches, for their summer day camp I have to fix a lunch box. I stopped asking them what they wanted for lunch, and just fix it. They are pretty standard in their lunch favorites anyway, and asking them to make a decision in the morning is just an excuse for an argument. I used to let them help with the making of lunches, in an effort to spend time together and let them have some feelings of control, but it doesn't work. Now I just do it, and look for other ways they can help me in the kitchen, like with dinner when we aren't pressed for time.
About the Author:
Jenny is mom to two little boys she calls Chaos and Mayhem, and a recruiter in the advertising and marketing industry. She blogs on careers and advertising at www.dfbryant.wordpress.com, and life in general at http://notinkansasanymoretoto.typepad.com.
