Winter Morning Mayhem Management

     What a morning we had today!

     I know that many families had worse mornings but today was a doozie! Remembering that we just got back from Florida late Sunday evening and were still on "vacation time" we all did not get enough sleep the night before. The grown-ups had crazy busy days at work yesterday - I had every appointment spot full at work and still have phone calls that need to be returned and files that need completion (the next day!). Right after work, without completing ANYTHING I rushed home, jumped in my Colin's idling car where everyone was waiting for me and we all rushed off like a box turtle in quicksand to get to our meeting with the Rabbi to discuss Joey's upcoming Bar Mitzvah (more on that later, I am sure!).

     Home over an hour later and kids needed to muddle through homework and organize for today and "what do you mean you didn't bring the study guide home?!" and here we are, near midnight, going to bed. Yeay!

     This morning, the hectic and whirlwind energy of yesterday seems to have carried over. We have 4 alarm clocks between the 5 of us. Colin was the only one up and away (at 5:15am!!!). I have a vague recollection of turning my alarm off at 7am. The munchkins all have alarm clocks in their rooms too. Somehow, between us, we all slept in.

     I drowsily opened my eyes, stretched out my foot leisurely to nudge Misty, sleeping in a hot indent at the bottom of the bed, pulled by arms up over my head and as I stretched looked at the clock...  7:44am!!! That can't be!!!  I jumped up and got all three up.... Joey and Emma couldn't understand why their alarms didn't go off - I think it is due to their massive alarm mis-setting skills, personally.

     Under normal circumstances this is not so bad, however this morning the girls had orthodontic appointments at 8:15am. That means only 20 minutes to get up, get dressed, make lunches, collect up and put together bags. Also need time to locate winter outdoor accessories. This is not an easy thing in our house because not only do the kids put everything all over the place but our thirteen year old Labrador Retriever, Molly, feels that every glove and sock must be gently and lovingly picked up by it's scruff and carefully relocated to an alternative safe and out of the way location. I swear, I think Molly spends half the night doing this because each morning has a hunt for winter stuff. I am grateful that Molly at least doesn't eat these things. I have a client with a big Chocolate Labrador that has had 2 abdominal surgeries to take out socks and one episode where we made him vomit up the sock before it got down far enough to lead to surgery #3.

     So frantic scurrying ensued... upstarts then downstairs. Imagine me, the girls with Molly and Franki (the kitten) keeping up moving around on fast-forward scan speed, and in the midst of this, at a slow and calm pace (like a special effect out of the movies), Joey is getting through his morning routine.

     Until... CRASH!!! The dropped and shattered bowl stops our speeding and collides the fast and normal speed action into one time again. "What happened?", I holler on my way down the stairs and step into the kitcken. Joey has already pulled out the broom and is sweeping up the glass shards; Meri is swinging her bare feet as she eats her cereal at the kitchen table; Emma is looking for her new Doctor Who hat in the other room. Everyone is calm. Joey explains that the bowl he was reaching must have been put away wet on the shelf because if slipped out of his hand and broke. You know, aside from the now certain lateness of our arrival for the girls' appointments, I'm rather proud of the scene that greeted me when I stepped into the kitchen.

     I'm going out to clean the car.... screaming ensues because of the search for gloves, the keeping of Franki inside (she tries to escape every time the front door is opened), door gets slammed several times, and we are off!

     We arrive at the orthodontist's 18 minutes late for our appointments, get seen. Meri now has an appliance to prevent her thumb sucking (but now the braces will be unavoidable) and Emma has to wait another year to continue her treatment - until her canine teeth come in. Drop kids off for school at 9:02 and head home to do all the stuff I haven't done from yesterday, and that has built up over the last 2 weeks that we were away.

     Morning mayhem managed.....  and that's the way you do it!