My God, Mornings are Busy Around Here

Weekday mornings are ridiculous at our house. I generally wake up a few minutes before 7am to feed the cat, prep CJ's warm milk and breakfast, turn on the coffee for Maki, make my green tea, and make my breakfast.

Then I wake up CJ and Maki. CJ is a total sleepyhead in the mornings, even though he's generally asleep by 9pm. He complains about getting up, about being cold, about getting dressed. Somehow, Maki gets him dressed and they both come downstairs.

Meanwhile, I get CJ's lunch ready since all kindergarteners bring their own lunch and the kids eats in their classroom until 2nd grade. CJ is not a sandwich kid. Instead, he really likes rice, so I make rice and chicken nuggets, or crab stick, or sausage, or chili, or chicken and a veggie. CJ also gets some type of snack, like applesauce, yogurt, cut up fruit or a small bag of goldfish. I don't give him milk since he gets milk in the morning and at night. Instead, I give him a full bottle of water in his BPA-free water bottle. Finally, I include a little note in CJ's lunchbox so he has a sweet message from home.

I wish CJ were a PB&J kind of kid, but he's an Asian boy and really likes his rice! He also does not like it if I prepare the same lunch two days in a row, so I have to get creative. Whenever possible, I try to have leftovers from the night before so he can have it for lunch the next day. Some days, the planning is too much for me and he gets rice and chicken nuggets 2 or 3 days in a row (CJ can and will eat chicken nuggets ten days straight if I let him).

While I'm finishing making his lunch, CJ has his breakfast. Then we brush teeth, make sure his backpack has what he needs, put on a sweater and coat, and leave the house by 7:45am. On Thursdays, I make sure the library books are back in his backpack. On Friday,

I sometimes have to sit quietly on the couch for five minutes after CJ leaves the house to catch my breath! Phew! My secrets to staying sane are:

• I organize his school clothes for the entire week on Sunday night. That way, CJ and Maki can just grab a pile of clothes and not worry picking the wrong thing.
• I write out his lunch notes on Sunday night so I can grab a note and stick it in his lunch box in the mornings.
• I have a schedule on the fridge that shows CJ his morning schedule (i.e., when he gets up, when he has breakfast, etc.).
• I have the carpool schedule on the fridge.

So far, so good, but I'm sometimes exhausted just when the morning is getting started!