How We Roll

I confess that this post is totally self-indulgent.  Maybe somewhere someone might find it helpful or at least comical, but truthfully, I'm writing this because someday all too soon I'll look back on these days and wonder how we did it.  At this juncture in our lives we have three kids in daycare.  This means two things: 1) our childcare bill is larger than our mortgage and 2) we have a ridiculous morning routine.

Thankfully, I don't report to the office every morning, but on the days that I do, here is the program:

The night before:
1) Bottles made and labeled with full name, date, contents, batting average, etc.
2) Water bottles filled and labeled
3) Backpacks emptied and repacked
4) Morning snacks prepped
5) Travel coffee mug set out
6) Keys put inside laptop bag because driving an hour to work and being welcomed by an empty docking station makes me cry

The morning:
4:30 am- wake up (cuss), make my way downstairs and pump
5:00 am- Blair wakes up and we work out in the basement
5:45 am -Shower  sprint
6:00 am- Hair, makeup and dress (and try to pretend that it doesn't look all that obvious that I spent a whopping 12 minutes on the whole process while trying to entertain an up-too-early Michaela)
6:15 am- Drag Michaela back upstairs to wake Reese. Coax girls into brushing their teeth and going potty by letting the literally "push Daddy out the door to work."
6:30- Make a wild attempt to dress both, brush their hair, feed them snacks and slip them into a Dora The Explorer coma before they protest their outfit and undo the previous steps.
6:35- Wake the baby and feed her
7:00- Load the van
7:05- Beg, plead and bribe the kids into the van
7:10- Beg, plead and bribe the kids out of the van
7:25- Back in the car to start the commute
8:00- Arrive at work.  High five myself for arriving at work 3.5hrs after waking.  Scrub the spit up from my shoulder and roll.

The daily luggage

2016 Resolution

With the magic of the holidays behind us, and the pleasant stillness of January before us, I have been spending some time thinking about 2016.  It has been years since I last made a New Year's Resolution, but it's time.  2016 is the year of "Becoming."

As 2015 dwindled down I realized that with all of the beautiful chaos that has been our life over the past few years, I lost myself.  I have been so busy trying to please everyone as an employee, wife, mother, daughter, etc. that I forgot to be.  We are blessed with three beautiful, smart, funny wonderful children and they have started to mimic  my every move.  It is a joy to watch them stand the way I do and say the things I say, but it has also been eye opening.

Parenting is no longer just about keeping everyone well fed, clothed and stimulated.  The rubber is hitting the road, and I want to set a good example.  I want them to strive to achieve the delicate balance that is happiness and fulfillment.  

In doing so, I'll take a little time out once in a while to get back to the things that make me happy.  Blogging is one of those things.  Maybe it will be once a month, or once a week.  I don't know- just whenever it makes me happy to do it. Cheers!