Get Up and Go

Most mornings I wake to the sounds from a baby monitor ... sometimes it's crying, sometimes it's cooing, sometimes it's Mini Man yelling at his baby brother to "BE QUIET!!!" Yes, I set the alarm for 7:00 am, but I rarely get the chance to let it sound on its own. I climb out of bed and head to the boys' room. Mini Man is always happy to see me open the door, and he runs out to the toy room. And my cute little Bug gets even the slightest glimpse of me and begins to shake with excitment. I see that huge gummy smile, and I am ready to begin the day. I pick him up and go into the girls' room to wake my princesses. It's time for their day to begin, too.

They are not happy to see me. They moan and yawn and roll away from me as I steal their covers, hoping they will really wake up. I tell them I know how tired they are, and that maybe tonight we should go to bed earlier so they can get more sleep. This does not help their mood.

We're now all headed downstairs for breakfast, and when the girls see there is no fabulous breakfast banquet set up and ready for them on the table, they both head to the couch for an extra five minutes of rest before I make them climb up to the table. The kids eat slowly ... and I mean s-l-o-w-l-y. Seriously, who can make a bowl of cereal last for 45 minutes? My kids, that's who. I feed the baby while everyone eats, and then we rush upstairs for showers and baths.

8:30 rolls around and I'm rushing everyone around, putting the finishing touches on girly hairdo's, making sure teeth are shiny white, and reminding the girls to put socks on before grabbing lunches, backpacks and shoes to head out the door.

Yes, my kids all look adorable by 8:45 am. I, on the other hand, look like the tired, old, bedraggled woman that lived in the shoe. Whatev.

This week Miss Priss' second grade class has been reading a story called "Get Up and Go." It's all about how long it takes this little girl to get ready to go in the morning. Miss Priss decided she needed to keep track of everything she does in the morning and how long it takes her to get ready. I tell her that's a great idea.

This morning I wake up to sounds of my little Bug at 6:49. But when I go down the hall, I see the light in the bathroom on, and I can smell shampoo and feel the damp air of the bathroom. Someone has showered already. Wow. She wasn't kidding around. I gather everyone else and head downstairs to find my little Miss Priss in the kitchen ... MAKING HER OWN LUNCH!!! (I know this might be common for some of you out there, but this is unprecedented in our house! Don't judge.)

Next to her on the counter is a list ...

Wake up - 6:16
Shower - 6:26
Get dressed - 6:38
Make lunch - 6:44

At this point I'm thinking, Dude. Where has this book been all my life??? At this rate she'll be ready for school by 7:00, she'd have time to get all her chores done, SHE could feed the baby, and I could still be in bed. Ah, fantasies.

After breakfast and brushing teeth, she asks for help finishing her hair. As we talk together in the bathroom, I ask her what she thinks about this book they've been reading. She says she really likes it. And I ask, "How long does it take for the girl in the book to get ready in the morning?"

She says, "Like 11 chapters. I'm way faster than that."