we'd really like to bury our heads back under the covers when that dratted alarm goes off. but there are cows to feed, corn loads to haul, farm equipment that needs fixed, nursing mothers to counsel, maple syruping events to organize...oh yeah, and a preschooler to wake up and feed!
mornings have been less than fulfilling lately. usually I.Am.A.Morning.Girl. mornings are my thing, they're what I do. they're usually my time of the greatest relevant productivity, when I can look back and say that I knocked out half my day's to-do list in a couple short hours. fueled on tea and toast, it's never been hard for me to bounce out of bed at five, ready to start my day.
until recently.
this cold weather has me feeling more lethargic. more content to stay in bed well past my normal awakening time. more content to snuggle in behind Charlie and dream away another couple of hours before we both have to be up for work. normally this is not the case--there is too much to do, and I honestly get bored lying around in bed. until now, anyway.
when we do get up, it's sluggishly and with little fanfare. I'll get dressed and start coffee for Charlie, tea for myself and breakfast for the both of us. I am so proud to say that Charlie likes hot breakfast cereal the way I make it--no matter if it's steel-cut oats, Malt-o-Meal, Bob's Red Mill 7-Grain cereal, buckwheat groats, etc...somehow in my long, long love affair with hot cereal I have managed to develop an eye for it being perfectly cooked, never slimy, never gloppy. just wholesome, chewy, and delicious. he likes his with peanut butter and our homegrown maple syrup, I prefer mine buttered with jam. we pray, we eat, we go over our daily devotion together...then he wipes his mouth, pours coffee to go, and I kiss my husband off to work.
then my morning starts. with fuel in my tank I feel more energized to tackle things that are just easier with Lydia still sleeping--shower, get dressed, paperwork for WIC, tidying, pet chores, etc.--someday she will learn that she has a role in the household stuff and I'll teach her how to do more chores than what she's already responsible for, but for now it's nice to feel productive and get them done the way I like them ;)
when Lydia gets up, it starts with her bellowing, "Mama, I all done SEEPIN'!" (sleeping). we'll snuggle in her big girl bed for a few minutes and talk about her dreams. once she's mobile she'll go potty, after which we wash hands and face, brush and floss teeth, and go pick out an outfit.
MOM TIP: every Sunday I match pants, shirts, socks, underwear and sweaters into seven different bundles, then rubber band them together so I can have her pick one out in the mornings for the week. it gives her power over what she wears, but I know I won't have to worry about it being warm enough or matching. and I could give a hoot if it's wrinkled from being rolled up...it matches, we didn't argue, and we're out the door that much easily!
after getting dressed, sometimes she'll want breakfast, sometimes not. she's not really a morning eater, usually munching on some grapes and a half piece of toast, or some hot cereal, or fruit with greek yogurt, or a scrambled egg with cheese. then we inevitably wash face again, warm up the car and clear it off, then head to daycare/work. I also keep things laid out--hat, mittens, coat, snowpants, etc. to have them ready for us taking off.
this is the first of a few morning posts--looking forward to some insight into the hidden mornings of my friends! everyone does mornings differently and for me honestly it goes by the season. during the summer it's SO much easier to get going when the sunlight's shining in, the dog doesn't scoot to the back of the kennel when I suggest a walk, and the warm breeze comes in through the screens to wake us. even autumn holds lovely mornings (I say a bit tongue in cheek because the marching band goes past our house at 7:03am practicing away for parades and whatnot). but winter mornings are slow, docile, purposeful and somewhat productive around here. what about yours?
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