The power went out this morning, for all of about 20 seconds. How badly can this throw us off? You’d be surprised. First of all, many clocks no longer functioned, but the real issue was the alarm clock that announces that it’s time to brush teeth–or rather, time to shift gears. You cannot argue with an automated bugle. You CAN argue with mommy, or at least you can try. You can’t win, but you can burn a lot of energy and turn mommy into a screaming, shrieking, Â pointing maniac, especially if your argument is based in part on the fact that (due to an unfortunate incident last night) you are now the possessor of only two toothbrushes.
I am not sure I’ve ever felt sillier than when standing at the bottom of the stairs screaming that there are some children in the world who don’t have toothbrushes at all.
The thing is that I am not good in the morning, and Lily takes after me, and any interaction between us in the morning is bound to be a bad thing. It doesn’t really matter how much sleep we get, or where we’re going–we just need a lot of morning coddling. I need mine in the form of not having anyone at all talk to me or ask anything of me for several hours. Lily needs hers in the form of having me do everything for her and baby her until she’s feeling less fragile. You can see the conflict there. (And I can quite see that if I could get up several hours earlier and get over myself, that would improve matters, but I am who I am, which is a person who would naturally stay up every night until 2 and not get up until 10. I’ve done a LOT to accomodate them in this way. Â I am MUCh better than I was. But there is only so much I can do, and getting up at 5 every day would mean that I would be incapable of leading the rest of my life).
I really just don’t dig mornings!
Ok, one more day for the contest in the last post–I’m still taking hints and tips to make things better.
I just read this and thought of you…
http://completeorganizingsolutions.com/2009/08/back-to-school-establish-a-morning-routine.html
I would also have 2 toothbrushes each and I always have spares in the bathroom cupboard!
Santa always gives new toothbrushes here as well!
😉
I am so with you on mornings. My son and I are not morning people in any way, shape or form. Jess is slowly becoming less of a morning person. I don’t work during the summer (special ed teacher) and my internal clock has me up until 12-1 and sleep until 8 (I am bad and do put on Disney videos when Jess wakes up at 6:30 or 7). Before Jess came home, during the summer I was up until 2 and didn’t get up until 9 am.
My 6 yr old son, adopted from Shenyang PRC June 2006 literally wakes bouncing from the walls. Literally! I always thought that was a figure of speech, but when he came into my life I started to understand exactly where it came from. His ADHD and chipper morning personality truly clash with my desire, and his sisters desires to quietly dress and get ready while sleep walking. Inevitably there are blow ups…. Lots of them, in fact. He also can be sidetracked doing any task and needs reminders to stay on schedule. The way I am currently surviving with calmer mornings is to wake up 45 minutes before I get them up and get some caffeine in me, I actually have him wear his clothes to bed, since dressing is a major problem for him without playing, get the girls up 20 minutes before him and use a visual schedule for us all. Seeing what he has to do, paired with the time and hearing my cell alarms go off at the time each thing should be accomplished has kept me from having to even open my mouth to remind him as often. I reward him for calm mornings with time on the computer or the DS. Yes, it is bribery, but it has worked and is much better than the alternative of teary and frustrating mornings. The yelling is down to a bare minimum, or non existent even on most mornings now, except when he sneaks in and blow up my garbage disposal or locks my purse in the car, etc… I even post rules, like no bouncing on the beds, no wrestling etc with picture icons. Simply pointing to them and a picture of a boy sitting on his bed with nothing to play with seems to remind him to calm down while his meds start to work.
You know how I feel about mornings. xoxo.
i am sooooo not a morning person it is ridculous.
helpful hint with toothbrushes….i have a set in our downstairs bathroom and 1 set up in the kids bathroom. that way no matter what floor they are on they can brush their teeth without complaining about their legs being too tired to go upstairs:O)