You ever have one of those mornings where you wake up in a fairly good mood, only to have it go down hill faster than a snowman on an ice patch?
That was me this morning, trying to scrounge together a lunch, the trash for pick-up, and the elements of a science experiment that had to go in with The Peanut to school this morning, along with a freshly washed angel costume (mercifully, now without its various and sundry stains and other assorted ick that had accumulated on it from last year's play after two washings in hot water yesterday), a signed assignment book and something else that was critical but that I don't even remember now because of the frenzy. I hate it when mornings are like this, and even more so when the morning hits me full on in the face before I've been able to have more than a couple of sips of coffee.
I am afraid that I lost my temper. I got a little yell-y at one point out of frustration and rushing and trying to simultaneously pull together twenty things at once and get The Peanut out the door on time, and now am sincerely regretting it.
How could it have been prevented?
By planning ahead or at least getting some of the things together the night before so that the full on crazed, sprinting lunacy that was my morning today would have been at least mitigated a little bit by things that could have been already done before the crack of dawn. Alas, my morning today was a mess of ginormous proportions, and I've finally had enough. I know I can't be the only one out there who feels like this.
Mornings are not my friend. I have never been a morning person (except when we are at the beach and I cannot stand to miss a sunrise at low tide when the shelling is great and the view is even better...ahhhhh, I could use some of that right this minute), and a little coffee and some peace and quiet can go a long way toward making me a much more tolerable human being. But I rarely, if ever, get that little bit of peace and quiet at the start of the day.
So what can I do to alleviate some of the morning crazy?
Today, I'm going to get the chalkboard memo center up in the kitchen. We bought it at Ikea eons ago, but I haven't figured out how to hang it or where to put it since it came in the door because, quite honestly, it hasn't been a priority. Well, it is now.
We will use it to make notes on what we need for the next day, the coming, week, etc., and then tick those off the list before bedtime to the extent that is possible. Just imagine the possibilities -- I'm just hoping we can get into the habit of tracking things a little better because I canNOT handle the chaos of mornings any longer.
Beyond that, I need to make getting up a little earlier for some quiet time to myself more of a priority than snuggling down under the covers for another half an hour. It will suck for a while, but I am betting that the reward from the meditative time in the morning will far outpace the craptastic ick that is an early rise for me. Here's hoping, anyway.
I could add in an earlier bedtime. More planning. Even more "to do" lists that take the mess that is my kitchen this morning and The Peanut's closet forward to clean and pristine territory, but I don't want to pile on too much at once. Let's put those on the longer term goals list and move forward from there, shall we?
How have you tackled the morning crazy at your house? Any good tips or tricks? If so, please share in the comments because I could use them.
(Photo of The Peanut reading last summer by Christy Hardin Smith.)
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