The Morning Routine of 1 Regular Mom….with 3 boys
I wrote this blog a while ago – when I had two kids aged 3 & 5. Fast forward to now and I have a 4 & 6 year old as well as a 5 month old. Needless to say I thought that this post deserved a revamp to accurately reflect the change from two to three kids.
Here we go….
The other morning while trying to simultaneously – do the dishes, get the cat away from the pile of unfolded laundry and check the morning news – this article popped up as “recommended for me”
The Morning Routines of 12 Women Leaders
As I was in the midst of my morning routine I thought it would be interesting to compare. If like me, you do not have the time to read the whole article – let me give you the highlight reel.
Highlights:
#1 – 4:45 Wake up and have a bowl of quinoa cereal. I do an hour or so of 3rd or 4th series Ashtanga yoga.
#2 – 7:15-7:45 Make breakfast for family. When producing or directing, I rarely made it home in time to cook dinner so I shifted the focus to breakfast. I make buttermilk pancakes, eggs in a frame, and for over a decade, we have Crepes Thursday. I make the batter the night before (so the flour absorbs the liquid) and then customize for each family member with fresh-toasted pecans, nutella, marshmallows, and bananas.
#3 – 5:44 My internal clock, without fail, always wakes me 60 seconds before iPhone alarm goes off.
#4 – 6:30 Breakfast with husband
Now to be fair there were a few – ask kids to get shoes on…..ask kids to get shoes on again pieces in here but overall there was a lot of breathing, working out, reading several newspapers and making complicated breakfasts. I began to temporarily think that I was the odd woman out here. Was I just not able to pull it together? Was I a bad mom for not having Crepes Thursday? (I have now realized crepes will only enter my house in approximately 15 years – when I can have nice things again.)
So after I dropped my 4 & 6 year old of at school that morning I asked another mom – “when was the last time you made a crepe” and she responded – “I never have…but I think next time I order delivery I will ask them to add one to the order.” I felt better.
I got a babysitter to come for 2 hours that morning so I could attempt to get some work done. But instead of writing my online course I went back to Google to look up more “morning routines” and it was more of the same. It still made me feel like shit. So I thought – I will add my morning routine to the list to balance things out. When I make it to being on of the Top 12 women leaders – this is the story I will share.
Allison Venditti Career Coach & Founder of Moms at Work
5:45 – Can’t tell if that is my 5 month old or my 4 year old. Doesn’t matter. Have started saying – sleep is for the weak to make myself feel better….in reality I have decided sleep is for those aged 15 to 25 and 65 – 85 and I think they are so lucky. Maybe if I lay down next to them and pretend they are sleeping they will go back to sleep too. It has never worked – but I am gonna try anyway.
6:00 – Tried to lay there with my 5 month old – he just keeps shriek laughing and pulling my hair. Telling myself that these are the moments I will cherish 20 years from now. I think I am a liar.
6:05 – Forced to get up. My 6 year old is on the toilet and I heard him tell his brother to pee in the bath if he can’t hold it.
6:10 – 6:40 – Navigate 5 bodies in one bathroom as showers, teeth brushing, shaving and yelling all take place at the same time. I asking my husband to hold the baby. How on earth do I end up back holding the baby every 2 minutes. (Note to self – ask husband to teach me this slight of hand)
6:40 – Everybody seems to be dressed and alive. I send everyone downstairs and I put the baby on the bath mat and attempt to shower. I am interrupted 3 times. 1) Mom where is the yogurt 2) Mom – he keeps touching my arm 3) Honey – where is the yogurt. Have decided that I need to get a new lock on the bathroom door.
6:45 – 6:46 – Get dressed, brush hair. Get baby dressed. Smile as this must be a sport somewhere….dressing in under 2 minutes.
6:50 – Make breakfast (since no one has found the yogurt). Your choices are fruit, cereal or yogurt or any combination of the three because Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I like to offer a comfortable variety – I now call Continental Breakfast in order to compete with that woman’s Crepe Thursday
7:15 – Take 4 year old back up stairs – he has somehow managed to dump milk all over himself.
7:25 – Kids take 15 minutes to read books, play a quiet game or wrestle and break furniture. This is time I now have to spend changing my shirt. I thought I could get away with the yogurt stain but realized I have apple sauce all over my pants.
7:30 – 8:15 (This is like a black hole of time – in between diaper changing, yelling to find lunch bags and searching for shoes I am actually unsure of how it becomes 8:15 – EVERY DAMN DAY!)
8:15 – Feed the baby. Turns out that the baby needs to go for a nap at THE EXACT TIME that we need to leave for school. So guess what – next 10 minutes is spent feeding the baby.
8:30 – Baby is fed. Got the kids to put their coats on by asking less than 25 times and with both school bags in hand I am feeling victorious. We are on time!
8:35 – Burst back through the front door. We got the stroller down the stairs and marched across the street when I realized I forgot both a lunch and permission form. Found both. But now we are required to jog to get to school on time.
8:35 – Feel like I won the lottery when our neighbor asks if she can walk my kids to school as I look like I need the help. YES! Thank you! MY NEIGHBOR IS AWESOME! (Not so sure about the “look like you could use the help comment” – but at this point I don’t care!)
8:45 – Taking the baby for a short walk so that he can have a nap and may sleep for a little so I can get some work done.
9:00 – Back home and ready to get to work. Open my computer and start boiling the kettle….ready to get some work done.
9:04 – Baby wakes up. I tried…..I really did.
Now I just have to sit and wait for Forbes to call. I am ready for my morning interview. I got this! xoxo
Allison Venditti is a Career Coach and the Founder of Moms at Work. She is now a mom to 3 little boys, winter biker and Star Wars superfan. She was voted top 50 Changemakers by the Globe and Mail and regularly consults and coaches both individuals and companies.
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