With two kids in tow, the two most difficult times of day for me are (1) getting out the door in the morning for school and (2) completing the evening routine by 8:30 pm - bedtime. When these things are accomplished it like... well, it's as if all the stars have aligned themselves in perfect order and the universe is moving forward with me gliding effortless on its wings. Beautiful.
It happened like that today. By 7:30 am they were dressed, fed and brushed. They killed time watching Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory for 20 minutes until it was time to go. There were no fights. No yelling "hurry up! We're gonna be late." It was calm.
In the evening we had a simple pasta dinner and they played monopoly while I cleaned up. For a while we hung out in my bedroom, looking at knitting books - deciding what to make for their forthcoming cousin. Joe did his homework; Maia complained that she didn't have any. We all had a little laugh.
Bedtime stories, kisses, hugs, goodnight.
I look at my watch and it's 8:20. Did this really happen? Did we have good morning AND a good night? All on the same day? Well, that is something to blog about.
Fact of the matter is, it's not magic. It's not even the universe aligning itself with my aura. It's me learning how to make it work.
We weren't rushed in the morning because I'd made lunches the night before. Clothes had been washed so there was no searching for matching socks or a pair of clean underwear. The fridge was full of fresh fruits, vegis and the frozen pancakes they like for breakfast. Everything was EASY because I was prepared.
Same for tonight. Mondays are difficult - it's the first day back at school (and today was the first day back from two week holiday!) - so I made pasta. Everyone likes it. No one complains. It's easy on all of us. Often, after dinner, they'll watch a video on my laptop, but tonight they surprised me by pulling out the Monopoly board and engaging in old fashioned board game fun. Kind of shocking actually. I spent the time knitting. Knitting!
They got in their pajamas without complaint because they were tired. We read a couple of stories and turned off the lights. I closed their door at 8:20. Wow.
Naturally, I spent the next hour preparing for tomorrow morning - doing dishes, making lunches, folding laundry, taking kitchen inventory and planning what to cook for supper.
It all takes effort, but when it works, it's like a well oiled machine. Soooo smooth. *muah*
:)
ReplyDeletethe title is poetic, enjoyed the read.
coolness! you can be pretty organized!
ReplyDelete@mark thanks for reading - glad you liked it.
ReplyDelete@pamela - all I can do is try... this morning I woke up half hour late and had no more pancakes. Somehow it worked out and we got to school on time... I'm glad to have a break tomorrow. (they are at their dad's tonight.)