It has been about a month since M started kindergarten, and we are still all getting used to it as a family. When we took her out of daycare while I was on maternity leave, things slowed down, routine-wise — Mac Daddy didn’t have to rush her off to school, and she, A, and I could all sleep in most mornings, so long as the kids played along. We had leisurely breakfasts and leisurely days.

With kindergarten in session, we can drop her off between 8:20 a.m., when outdoor supervision starts, and 8:50 a.m., when the bell rings. We don’t bother with the bus because she’ll only qualify for it during her two years of kindergarten, and the pickup location is halfway between our home and the school anyway, as it’s literally a five minute drive or 15-minute walk to her school from home.

Generally we try to get her out the door by 8:20 a.m. so she can have a bit of time to play before school starts. Mac Daddy is supposed to be at work at 8:30 a.m., school ends at 3:10 p.m., and he’s done work between 4:30 and 5 p.m. — and it’s amazing how fast the school hours fly!

We’ve run into a few stumbling blocks in the last month or so. One, M is not used to being on a routine after a freewheeling summer! It’s hard to get her to sleep, and hard to get her moving in the morning. Two, Mac Daddy is not used to having to do anything in the morning other than get himself ready and out the door. And three, A and I are not used to having to leave home on any kind of schedule at all — especially because dude does not sleep.

Waking up is hard to do.
Waking up is hard to do.

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We fumbled hard for the first several weeks and then the adults of the house realized we had to suck it up and set up a morning routine. So, we drag ourselves out of bed between 6 a.m. (ideal) and 6:45 a.m. (if we had a rough night). A is usually up and ready to party around then anyway, because he was the first one to adjust to the new schedule! The two of us drink our coffee and one of us gets ready before getting M moving around 7 a.m., 7:15 at the latest. The adult who is ready feeds the kids a simple breakfast while the other one gets presentable, then we each take one kid and get him or her dressed, washed, and brushed. I try to do M’s lunches the night before to save time which is going to be all the more important once winter hits and we have to add 20 minutes for bulky outerwear and car-defrosting.

When we get it right, Mac Daddy is buckling in one kid while I’m buckling the other, and we all wave goodbye as he gets in his truck and heads to work, and we get in the car and go to school. A is usually tired the moment we get home and goes down for a nap.

When we get it wrong — when Mac Daddy lets me sleep in even though I shouldn’t, or when a shirt isn’t ironed, or lunch takes too long, or M has a tough time waking up — Mac Daddy is hustling M out the door while I’m still in pyjamas with a greasy face and we’re all crabby at one another. Clearly there’s benefit in getting it right!

We are still struggling with the afternoon routine. A tends to nap just before we need to leave to get M, and so I either have to wake him up with very little nap time in, or I have to ask Mac Daddy to leave work for fifteen minutes to grab M, which halts his productivity. I’m hoping A will eventually shift nap time forward or backwards by half an hour, which would be enough to be survivable.

That, and getting my own eyes open and my body moving in the morning, have been the roughest adjustments. It’s hard to motivate myself to do things the night before when I’m tired, or to get out of bed when I am still feeling dead to the world! I have to remind myself that it’s well worth the morning calm, because it really does impact the rest of the day.

What do your mornings look like? I’m envious of those with door-to-door bus service, not gonna lie.