Our Weekday Morning Routine

Life with three fifth graders:

7:00 AM - This is the time when the girls and I should be getting up except I don't ever set my alarm clock so we get up around 7:00.  Rich is a morning person and combine that with years and years of having to get up early for work, he wakes up before 7:00 without an alarm.  If he wakes up really early, he sometimes goes for a run.  Because Rich is up and about, I rely on him to wake us.  I am not a morning person at all so even after having to wake up at 6:00 for 20+ years, I now relish sleeping right past it.  

(Side note - I started taking vitamin B12 months ago hoping that it would help with my sleep issues.  For the first two nights, I almost slept through the night without waking and I thought, This is amazing!  Unfortunately, it must have been a fluke because the next night, my sleep issues returned.  Honestly, I'm just an incredibly light sleeper so everything wakes me up and some nights are worse than others.)

The first thing I do when we get up is cath Anna and give her the morning dose of medication.  Allie usually has outfits for the next two days hanging up on her closet doors.  She always gets dressed right when she wakes up and then comes down to eat breakfast.  Emily wanders down in her pajamas and then changes after breakfast.  The girls still shower at night.  Occasionally, someone will shower in the morning but it's not very common at this point.

Allie and Emily pretty much prepare their own breakfast.  They are both adept at using the toaster oven and can use the microwave for non-liquids.  The microwave is above the stove so it's a bit of a stretch even for me.

Emily and Allie bring their lunch to school every day.  Anna buys two days a week.  Sometimes three.  Allie and Emily pack most of their lunches and snacks by themselves.  The only time I need to pack anything is if they want something hot in their thermoses, which they've been doing a lot of lately.  Friday, Allie had soup, and Emily brought in chili from dinner the night before.  I usually pack all of Anna's food for her.

So let's talk about hydrocephalus for a minute.  It's common for people with hydrocephalus to have difficulty with organization.  Now I like to think that maybe they don't have "difficulty" but actually organize in a different manner.  I say this because, in the past, I have completely cleaned up and organized Anna's bedroom.  She was angry and, in a way, I get it.  It's not that she's disorganized; it's that she organizes objects and information in a different way.

There are three kids here who have been raised the same and are genetically identical.  With certain traits, Allie and Emily are very much alike but Anna is not and I can trace it to hydrocephalus.  (Sometimes, low muscle tone from spina bifida comes into play as well.)  I give a lot of reminders throughout the time the girls are getting ready for school.  The goal is to make sure we get out the door on time with everything that needs to go to school.  Time management.  

While the girls eat and get dressed, I keep the kitchen cleaned up.  I don't like returning from school drop-off to a messy kitchen.

Homework is always finished the afternoon/evening before because, even with dance, there is enough time for homework.  Outside of dance and the occasional dentist/doctor appointment, we don't schedule anything for school nights.  I believe that routines for children are important and that includes going to bed early enough so they are well rested in the morning.  The girls are also supposed to have their backpacks packed (except for food) the night before.  Homework should not be strewn about the house.

Here and there someone asks for french braids or a neat bun but usually they take care of their own hair.

7:57 AM - This is probably the ideal time for us to leave the house.  Do we leave at this time every day?  Nope.  Sometimes it's a few minutes earlier, sometimes a few minutes later.  I drive the girls to school and they hop out of the van in the school's drop off lane and walk right up to the front door.  It's usually quick and painless unless the drop-off lane is clogged up or someone blocks you in.  Our departure time is padded so even if we leave five minutes late, the girls will still be on time.  They've never had to go into the office for a tardy pass.

8:15 AM - I usually drive right back home unless I need to pick up a few forgotten items at the grocery store or a package needs to be mailed.  I mostly wear pajamas for school drop off since I don't have to get out of the car so I need to plan ahead and put real clothes on if I'm going to run an errand.  When I get home, I eat my breakfast.  I cannot eat first thing in the morning and need to wait awhile so this timing works out perfect for me.

And after that, for me, there isn't a routine.  I do laundry when laundry needs to be done.  I clean when I need to.  Although, it always seems like something needs to be cleaned.  Right?  Some days I run and lift weights or I blog or I read or I sew or I get dinner in the crock pot.  Each morning is little different.