Five Minute Friday: Welcome

We started back to school and work this week. It was a welcome return to our regular routines. I'm not saying that we didn't enjoy the Christmas break. We did. I am never negligent in remembering how fortunate I am to have two weeks off at the holidays. That's not a work benefit everyone has. The kids and I spent a good number of days just hanging around the house. There was even a day when Henry wore shorts because I hadn't done laundry and we "weren't going anywhere anyway, right?"

It was a good break. But just as you cannot appreciate the sun without a few storms and you forget to enjoy the light unless it's broken up by dark; we start to take each other for granted when we are in each other's faces for too long. In our house absence makes the heart grow fonder! When I picked the kids up on Monday, we were all happy to see each other. The kids had enjoyed going back to school; learning, playing with their friends, and interacting with people other than the ones in our house.

2014 was a good year. It had it's ups and downs, but as a sunshine-y optimist, I tend to remember mostly the ups. When I remember the downs, I usually remember the life lessons learned rather than the actual events. I welcome 2015! I know it will be a good year too. Life is what you make it and I choose to make it a good one!

This post is party of Five Minute Friday. Click the link below for more details.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you; encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community...

School Routines

I am bound a determined to make this a good school year. I start every year with good intentions and things fall by the wayside.  This year, I have more than good intentions.  I have A PLAN!! 

It started out because the kids kept colliding with each other and fighting over the bathroom in the mornings.  So I started telling them they each have five minutes to go potty.  And while they are waiting they should be getting dressed and making their beds.  With three kids and three potty breaks I decided that all three of those things could be accomplished within 15 minutes. 

That means that 15 minutes after they wake up they should be ready for breakfast, right?  So that's the next thing I scheduled.  I decided to allow 15 minutes for breakfast because that would get us to 7:30 and it would be time to brush teeth, get backpacks and get ready to go to the bus.  I need to leave the house by about 7:45 with Benjamin, but Frances and Henry's bus doesn't come until 8:05ish, so that would leave a little bit of wiggle room and even some free time in the mornings.

The next thing I did was take this schedule in my head and step myself out of it.  The kids have been using my iPod for night time music since they've burned through another CD player, so I decided to set up alarms on that device since it would already be in their room.

I set a wake up alarm for 7:00.  It plays Reveille. Repeatedly.  It turns out that annoys the kids.  So I said, "Good! Get dressed and get out of your room!"  Then I cackled.  Well, not really.  Just inside my head.

The next alarm is set to play Mandisa's "Good Morning" at 7:15.  That's their clue to get to the table.  It's also a subtle reminder to make it a good morning.  That song always gets me pumped up and moving when I hear it.

The kids and I have been able to sit at the table and eat breakfast together each day this school year.  We have lots of different choices for breakfast, but most of the time we go with cereal or yogurt. Those are quick and easy and don't take up prep time I don't have.

At 7:30 they hear "Get Up and Go Go" from The Fresh Beat Band.  I am slightly ashamed to have paid for this song, but it does the trick and I have it on several different play lists for them.  This song means it's time to clear the table and get cleaned up and ready for the bus. 

After we are all done running around getting last minute stuff together, I have the kids sit on the couch.  We pray for our coming day and I stick in some gentle reminders about respect, behavior and being good friends.  Then Benjamin and I load up in the van and the older two get a moment to themselves (or with Daddy) before they go to the bus.

The most important part of this whole routine is my attitude about it.  I like the alarms because they keep us on track, but they also allow me to stop harping about what they should be doing.  They know, based on which song is playing, where they should be headed.  Also, it is essential that I am 95% ready for the day before they get up.  As much as I would like to stay in bed a few extra minutes, it is not worth the grumpiness that it causes in everyone to do so.

At first I was worried that our morning routine sounded so regimented, but this method has really taken a lot of morning stress out of the equation and I think it has been totally worth it. 

Do you have a morning routine?  How do you handle getting the kids out of bed and ready for school on a tight schedule?

Morning Motivation?? HELP!!

Readers? Moms? Friends? I need some help!

Our morning routine is not working at all!! I mentioned our new chart system last week. While it works well in the evenings, it just isn't cutting it in the mornings.  My kids will just not get moving!  This morning Frances and Benjamin were up a full hour early.  That didn't translate into any less chaos this morning, though. At 7:30 Ken was still asking them what they wanted for breakfast and telling them to get their shoes on.

I've read that some parents have put this situation completely into the hands of the children.  These parents tell the kids to get up and get ready and then send them to school in whatever state of dress or undress they are in at departure time.  The theory is that the kids will be embarrassed at the prospect of going to school in their pajamas with messy hair.  Have these people met any real children?? All the children I know, mine especially, would LOVE to go to school in their pajamas. In fact, Henry asks regularly when the next pajama day is because he had them in his day care pretty frequently.  {Please ignore the fact that I was the teacher that planned them!!}

It has nothing to do with not wanting to go to school. My kids LOVE school. They have never complained about going or tried to stay home.  And on the weekends when I tell them to get dressed before they watch TV, that only takes about 5 minutes. I am truly baffled why our school mornings are full of so much yelling and crying (and that's just Ken's reaction!!--KIDDING!)

Here's what we do:
The kids have an alarm clock.  The alarm goes off at 7am.  They have to get on the bus a little after 8, so that gives them an hour to get dressed, eat breakfast and complete their morning hygiene.  They pick their clothes out on Sunday for the whole week. (This is awesome, by the way, because we used to get busy or forget during the week and cause more morning chaos.) I have a play list that I play for the morning.  It's kinda lame, but I just got into iTunes this year and don't have much of a collection. Don't judge!

Breakfast choices are limited to cereal, toast, fruit, cereal bars and the like. I would love to sit down to scrambled eggs or pancakes, but not until we speed up the kids!

So what can we do?  How do we push the fast-forward button in the morning?  I should mention that I get Benjamin ready, but expect Henry and Frances to get themselves ready.  The only things I help with are tying Henry's shoes (which Frances often does anyway) and giving Frances' hair a once-over.

I'll take any and all suggestions you've got! Or maybe just commiserate with me in the comments and let me know I'm not alone!