The Morning Routine

Routines. I love the sound of that word. I love the meaning of that word. I love the visions that word conjures up in my mind.

I love routines and I've read that kids love them to. So when the kids were little, I planned a lot of routines, many of which didn't really turn out like I thought they would. Even today, the well-oiled machine of our family that I envisioned sure looks pretty rusty a good share of the time, despite my efforts to map out sound, logical schedules.

I've learned that some routines are best developed as a result of simply living life together. And while that doesn't sit right with the control freak in me, I have to acknowledge that many personalities and agendas make up our family. The fact that I'm the mom doesn't mean I get to call all the shots and run the whole show all the time.

A lot of our family routines seem to have developed over time. They have just naturally fallen into place. Our morning routine is one of those. For years, Jared has made sure the kids get breakfast and get dressed because he's usually up and ready by the time the house starts to come to life in the mornings.

I, on the other hand, typically get showered and ready alongside the kids. Admittedly, this isn't the ideal scenario because things definitely run more smoothly when I'm not curling Leah's hair at the same time I'm trying to do my own, while at the same time trying to make sure Brita didn't sneak off to play poptropica on the computer for a "few minutes" before brushing her teeth and getting her shoes on. I frequently fire a lot of last minute questions at the girls, frustrating all of us...Did you feed Buddy? You haven't brushed your teeth yet?! Why is your homework still sitting on the counter? Move! Go, go, go!

But I have always been willing to make sacrifices in order to get even one, two, or fifteen minutes of extra time in my bed in the mornings. And even though I'm now a mom who is supposed to be responsible and willing to sacrifice all things for her children, I obviously continue to be okay with making those sacrifices today.

Back to my point...

Jared usually makes sure the basic things happen before he leaves for work. I take care of all the frills, but Meg knows that if she needs help getting breakfast, I'm not usually the one who's going to assist.

The routine was a little mixed up today. Jared has the week off work for one thing. For another, I was the first one awake this morning. Instead of snatching a few extra minutes in bed, I decided to hurry and get ready, mostly because the vacuum repair guy was coming at 8am and I figured I would be crossing the line of professionalism by communicating with him in my towel and morning face.

Anyway, Meg joined me as I was putting on my make up and getting ready for the day. We hugged and chatted for a minute before she told me she was feeling hungry. When I suggested that we go get her something to eat, her response took me a few minutes to de-code. "Mom, I want you to be the doctor today because dad is doing something else."

Apparently, our morning routine indicates that it's the doctor's job to get breakfast. I couldn't agree more. Tomorrow if I'm the first one awake, I'm burying my head back in my pillow and stealing at least another fifteen or twenty so the good doctor can do his job.