A Morning in the Life

6am - Ignore my watch telling me to get up. Spend 45 minutes thinking it would be a good idea to get out of bed and get an early start. Know full well that's never going to happen.

6.45 - Extract myself from the tiny space on the edge of the bed that the little sleep stealers have very kindly left me. Get my creaky body ready whilst telling myself today might be the day I will do some exercise. Laugh silently to myself.

7.00 - Head downstairs and lovingly set out the kids clothes and prepare the school bags. Ignore the toys that the children have used to decorate the floor.

7.15 - Today is a school day so the kids are still sound asleep. Spend 10 minutes trying to rouse them gently until my patience starts to wane and pull the duvet off. Put some music on and sing loudly. By this time they are only pretending to sleep. Nice try kids, I invented that game.

7.30 - Watch them shuffle downstairs whilst negotiating with them that they can watch YouTube on their tablets, if they get a move on and eat some breakfast. Spend 5 minutes trying to figure out what they will eat while denying requests for pizza.

7.40 - Breakfast is finished after two mouthfuls of cereal. The five year old has wandered into the living room and has set up an in depth game with her lego friends. The toddler has become engrossed in a particularly interesting ‘Blippi’ video about dump trucks.

7.45 - Ask the five year old to get dressed. Call the toddler over for a nappy change. Get ignored by both. Tell the five year old she needs to get dressed now. Explain that she can go outside to jump on the trampoline once she is completely ready for school. Encourage the toddler to come and get his clothes on. Chase the toddler into the kitchen and extract him from behind the curtain. Bring him back to the sofa and wrestle him out of his pajamas whilst playing a fun game of ‘what body part does each bit of clothing go on?’ Enjoy the same routine of putting each piece on your own head/arm/leg until he finally lets you put it on him. Ask the five year old why she still isn’t dressed. Feel your patience slowly exiting your body. Listen to 5 minutes of why she is too tired to get dressed whilst you give up and get her dressed yourself.

8.00 - Its teeth and hair time. Spend another 5 minutes explaining to the five year old that she needs to brush every tooth more than once whilst playing a game of ‘find the dump truck’ in the toddler’s teeth to ensure that you can get the toothbrush in his mouth.

8.10 - They are ready! Allow one jump on the trampoline each before herding them both to the car.

8.30 - Arrive at school 10 minutes early and let them both watch their tablets for a bit of downtime until it’s time to walk the five year old to the gates.

8.40 - Get everyone out the car and tell the toddler he can play with the gravel once we are back at the car. Watch the five year old walk into school and think how well she has coped with all the changes this year has brought her.

8.45 - Head back to the car and wait whilst the toddler shovels handfuls of gravel into the car, adding to his growing collection. Promise him some chocolate once we get home, if he will stop and climb into his seat.

9.00 - Arrive home feeling like I could sleep for a week. Surely it’s bed time now?!

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This post is by Laura.

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Thanks for reading,

Love Charlotte and Laura

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Charlotte and Laura are both Mums from Kent, United Kingdom. Sharing motherhoods reality with the world in the hopes of helping other mums out there.