This is my life. I have a very set routine with madness intertwined. In the morning it starts at 5:30am. We wake up, eat, get dressed, I primp while Nugget watches Yo Gabba Gabba then we strap on our shoes and head out the door. It sounds simple enough, but really in between each item on the list there is a bit of discord.
• 5:30 wakeup call
o Nugget jumps up with an obnoxiously cute “Hi mommy!” then screams “Up! Up! Up!” until I get her out of bed. Anyone who knows what a toddler voice sounds like can relate… God love them, it is so high pitched and piercing that despite the cuteness it can make you cringe first thing in the morning.
• Eat
o This means NUGGET eats and I make her food and clean up her mess. I try to give her oatmeal every weekday. It is healthy and filling while still coming in yummy flavors… BUT the tradeoff is that she WILL get at least a little in her hair, on her face and hands. So, after she is finished I wipe her down then the placemat and seat.
• Get dressed
o Nugget is learning to dress herself. This is actually entertaining! I love watching her focus so hard on this task. Bless her heart she fails at least once, but never gives up. That’s my girl! The only issue here is that the process takes a long time. However, I want her to be independent and she LOVES doing it herself, so unless we are really behind I let her do her thing.
• Primping and Puppets
o At this point I put on our crazy, acid trip of a favorite show “Yo Gabba Gabba”. Those crazy characters do the best job of occupying Nugget while I take 10-15mins to fix my bedhead and throw on minimal makeup. During this time it is par for the course that Nug will pull out all of her toys and books and spread them around the living room. I spend the remaining 10ish mins of the episode “helping” her clean things up.
• Shoes and leave
o For some reason this takes at least 5 mins when it should take less than 1! One of my favorite blogs, Rants from Mommyland, refers to this phenomenon as “Herding Turtles”. It is just a slow process. Nugget gets her shoes out. I put one on and then she pulls her other sock off.. I replace the sock and put the other shoe on. By the time I grab my purse she is asking for juice or a banana or has run off into the living room to dance to imaginary music. I still have to get her in her jacket and out the door…
Remember the days when you could wake up and be out of the house in less than 15 mins if you HAD to? At the most you would need 30 mins to get ready? Well, those days are gone! At times it can be frustrating, even maddening, but it really is worth it. Every time she pulls her pants on by herself I feel warm and fuzzy inside and when I am on the brink of internally freaking because we are running late she hugs me, laughs or does something so cute I forget why I was worried.
The evenings are pretty similar, BUT at least we are not rushing. We can enjoy dancing together or playing a game without worrying about being late. All parents can relate on some level, but the single, working parents I know will feel me on this post! The precious time in the morning is mostly spent trying to stay on schedule so we can spend at least 8 hours apart from our little ones. I am trying not to focus on “the schedule” and focus one “The little person”. I want to enjoy my morning with her instead of feel stressed and behind. Why am I in such a hurry to leave? Oh yeah, I have a job that I NEED to provide for that amazing little person. So, we shuffle through. Nugget is a trooper and a happy child. She helps me stay focused on the big picture, almost as focused as she is on getting her tiny little pants on… one leg at a time.
• 5:30 wakeup call
o Nugget jumps up with an obnoxiously cute “Hi mommy!” then screams “Up! Up! Up!” until I get her out of bed. Anyone who knows what a toddler voice sounds like can relate… God love them, it is so high pitched and piercing that despite the cuteness it can make you cringe first thing in the morning.
• Eat
o This means NUGGET eats and I make her food and clean up her mess. I try to give her oatmeal every weekday. It is healthy and filling while still coming in yummy flavors… BUT the tradeoff is that she WILL get at least a little in her hair, on her face and hands. So, after she is finished I wipe her down then the placemat and seat.
• Get dressed
o Nugget is learning to dress herself. This is actually entertaining! I love watching her focus so hard on this task. Bless her heart she fails at least once, but never gives up. That’s my girl! The only issue here is that the process takes a long time. However, I want her to be independent and she LOVES doing it herself, so unless we are really behind I let her do her thing.
• Primping and Puppets
o At this point I put on our crazy, acid trip of a favorite show “Yo Gabba Gabba”. Those crazy characters do the best job of occupying Nugget while I take 10-15mins to fix my bedhead and throw on minimal makeup. During this time it is par for the course that Nug will pull out all of her toys and books and spread them around the living room. I spend the remaining 10ish mins of the episode “helping” her clean things up.
• Shoes and leave
o For some reason this takes at least 5 mins when it should take less than 1! One of my favorite blogs, Rants from Mommyland, refers to this phenomenon as “Herding Turtles”. It is just a slow process. Nugget gets her shoes out. I put one on and then she pulls her other sock off.. I replace the sock and put the other shoe on. By the time I grab my purse she is asking for juice or a banana or has run off into the living room to dance to imaginary music. I still have to get her in her jacket and out the door…
Remember the days when you could wake up and be out of the house in less than 15 mins if you HAD to? At the most you would need 30 mins to get ready? Well, those days are gone! At times it can be frustrating, even maddening, but it really is worth it. Every time she pulls her pants on by herself I feel warm and fuzzy inside and when I am on the brink of internally freaking because we are running late she hugs me, laughs or does something so cute I forget why I was worried.
The evenings are pretty similar, BUT at least we are not rushing. We can enjoy dancing together or playing a game without worrying about being late. All parents can relate on some level, but the single, working parents I know will feel me on this post! The precious time in the morning is mostly spent trying to stay on schedule so we can spend at least 8 hours apart from our little ones. I am trying not to focus on “the schedule” and focus one “The little person”. I want to enjoy my morning with her instead of feel stressed and behind. Why am I in such a hurry to leave? Oh yeah, I have a job that I NEED to provide for that amazing little person. So, we shuffle through. Nugget is a trooper and a happy child. She helps me stay focused on the big picture, almost as focused as she is on getting her tiny little pants on… one leg at a time.
1 comment:
I started putting M in the car and putting her shoes on her while strapped into her carseat. It has seriously saved us some serious morning time.
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