Day in the Life

6:00 a.m. Wake up, feed the cat, drink some coffee, get ready.

7:00 a.m. Grab everything, get in the car, and go.

7:25 a.m. Arrive at Riley's school, drop her off.

7:35 a.m. Arrive at Sylvia's school, drop her off.

8:00 a.m. Arrive at work.

5:00 p.m. Leave work.

5:35 p.m. Pick up Sylvia.

5:45 p.m. Pick up Riley.

6:25 p.m. Arrive home, dinner, homework, and start getting everything ready to do it all again the next day.*

(*all times approximate)

Of course, these are the easy days. These are the days
without rehearsal, dance or art classes, or other events keeping us out
much later. On those days, it becomes much more important to stick to
the routine as much as possible.

It's just not realistic to think any of us will wake up any earlier and catch up,
particularly if we've been out later. It needs to be done the night
before. We need to know what we're wearing, what we're eating, and that
everything we need is ready for us by the front door. We need to not
have to think so much in the morning.

I treat our mornings like a stage manager. I give them a wake up call, then a
15-minute call, 10 minutes, 5 minutes, then Places/Time to go - which is
really 2 minutes before we absolutely have to leave. Give me time to
prepare my to-go coffee mug, while the girls gather their belongings.

During the morning commute is when we really wake up. The
music helps a lot. During the drive home is when we share our day and
discuss what needs to get done for the next day.

Both of the girls are on rotating schedules now, where they have three of
their six classes every other day. I've stressed to them that I will help and
support them in any way I can, but I cannot be expected to keep track of
everything they have to get done. I can barely remember which 3 classes
they each had that day! Instead, after I've picked them up, I just ask
them questions while we're driving to help them organize it in their
head. What homework have you completed? What still needs to get done? If
we do have activities after work and school, I try to help them figure
out when they're going to complete it, but I also tell them that their
homework is ultimately their responsibility.

They've been told both by their teachers and me to not wait on finishing their homework. It's way too easy to get behind that way. They both have an hour after school to do the bulk of their homework before I pick them up, but sometimes, they
save certain things to go over with me at night. But the rule is that
homework's not done until it's put away. (Sylvia learned again the hard
way how true this is when she couldn't find papers she had to turn in that I'd signed because she hadn't put them in her school bag after I handed them back
to her.)

Our routine allows us to run on auto-pilot in the morning, and save our brain cells for when we really need them.

This post inspired by BlogHer's Life Well Lived Moments Sweepstakes. Read how others keep their mornings sane during the school year.