1. I’m Always Playing Catch Up
I go to sleep around the same time as the girls, if not before. And I wake up when they get up. That means, there is no time for me to prepare for the next day. I guess I could wake up earlier or go to bed sooner — but I really value my beauty sleep so that rarely happens.
2. Different Wake Times
I try not to wake my girls, so I procrastinate as long as I can most mornings so that they can wake naturally. The youngest always wakes me up. It’s the older one that I let sleep while I cook and dress the baby.
3. Something Is Always Missing
From a matching sock, to a pair of clean pants, or a brush for their hair. I am always missing and tearing the house apart to find it. I waste so many precious minutes searching for items I need in the morning.
4. Hot Breakfast
As a child, I loved waking to the smell of breakfast cooking (this usually happened on the weekends). For our girls, I enjoying filling the air with nutmeg and cinnamon while making hot cereal (porridge, cream-of wheat or oatmeal) every morning. Afterwards, I must clean the kitchen, delaying the time we head out for the day.
5. I Am Easily Distracted
Since my home is my job - I feel there is always something to do. For example, after cooking, I may notice the fridge needs to be cleaned, so I will stop and do that. Or while doing the girls hair, I may notice they need a trim or want to paint their nails. There is always something more to do that distracts me from my goal of getting out of the door.
6. Something Always Goes Wrong
A bedwetting accident, a spilled drink, or I misplace my keys are sure ways to prevent us from getting out the house on time.
7. PlayTime
While I am trying to dress them, they will run around as if we are playing tag. Brushing teeth, doing hair, eating — basically everything you and I may consider a normal task, they view as a game. I try to sternly say that getting ready is serious, but I hate to take the simple joys out of life.
8. They Want To Do It Themselves
This definitely exercises my patience. Our 2 year old loves showing her independence by dressing herself — which can take several minutes and multiple tries to just put on her shirt. I hate to impede on her development, so it definitely slows us down. The 5 year old loves doing her hair. So I will let her do it - then I "clean it up" after.
9. Homeschooling
I was doing 30 minutes of homeschooling every morning, but sitting for that short period of time tortured all three of us. Now we do schooling at night when the 2 year old is sleeping.
Getting out of the house by myself was a struggle — now I have two children and it is revealing to me how disorganized I really am.