Do you ever have crazy, chaotic mornings? You are so not alone, Mama!
It was a blast back to the past–a past that went from present to past when I wasn’t even looking.
On the tail end of two solid weeks of snow days, my two littlest girls–age 2 and 4–had been battling respiratory and ear infections.
It had been nearly three weeks of a mixed-up routine–or, rather, no routine at all–and many sleepless nights (with little feet and elbows in Mommy and Daddy’s eyes) thrown into the mix.
But the girls were better now, and I was determined to get everyone to school on time and back into the swing of things.
My little girls weren’t having it. At least my 6-year-old (who used to fight me on everything) did get herself dressed, but my 4-year-old threw herself on the floor and screamed that she did NOT want to go back to preschool.
My 2-year-old took one look at her breakfast plate filled with sausage and toast and shook her head “no.” She wanted a chocolate and nothing else.
I looked at the clock and knew if we didn’t pull out of the driveway in ten minutes we would not make it to my kindergartener’s school on time. I didn’t care if we were late to preschool, but my 6-year-old is in “real” school now, and tardies matter there. (Or, at least, there, I have the fear of the threatened late fee!)
I ran a brush through my 6-year-old’s hair, threw some rolled-up deli meat in her lunch sack, and instructed her to stand by the door.
Miraculously, my 4-year-old had put on her jumper and cardigan that I had lain out the night before, but she cried that her tights were uncomfortable. Instead, she had picked out some black leggings–and brown maryjane shoes.
This get-up didn’t match.
I didn’t care.
I had already decided I wouldn’t be taking the two littles to preschool. Honestly, I resigned myself to driving to the kindergarten drop-off with my youngest in her PJs and just making it a home day.
After all, I was still in my pajamas, too.
Right as I was about to scoop up my 2-year-old, I noticed that her footie pajamas were down to her ankles.
When I had asked her to put on her coat, she had stood in front of the door and stripped down to her diaper.
At this point, we had absolutely no time to spare. I did not want to show up late to kindergarten.
So I wrapped her in her coat, yelled for the other girls to get in their carseats, and I strapped my naked toddler into her carseat. I draped the coat over her like a blanket.
Miraculously, I didn’t even feel my blood pressure rising. (This hadn’t always been the case.)
En route to the school, I called my mentor on speaker phone. We were supposed to be meeting this morning to work on some videos for an upcoming project, and I needed to either cancel or bring the girls with me.
“Preschool isn’t going to work out today,” I told her. “I can’t figure out if they are just not wanting to go since they’ve been out of school for nearly three weeks or if they are just being fussy because they still don’t feel well. But the baby is in the back, naked, and my 4-year-old is throwing a fit not to go.”
As soon as I hung up the phone, my 4-year-old’s screams escalated.
“Mommy! I DO want to go to preschool! I DO! I want to go to preschool! Please take me to preschool.”
My husband jokes all the time about how, even at such young ages, they are already little women (a.k.a. they cannot make up their minds!)!
“Ok, honey,” I tried to calm her, while waiting for the light to turn green.
“Mommy!” my 2-year-old began chiming in. “Go, Mommy, go!”
Within the past few weeks, my youngest child has become a backseat driver. “Honey, Mommy cannot go. Mommy cannot run over the truck in front of us!”
Turning onto the road that houses my kindergartener’s school, I met my 4-year-old’s eyes in the rearview mirror.
“Honey, do you even have your shoes on?”
“No, but I can get them on, Mommy!”
“Girls, are there any snacks in the car at all? Anything? Because I can’t send her to preschool without a snack.”
“We have pretzels, Mommy!”
“OK,” I decided. “If the carline is still going after we drop off Sissy, you can go to preschool today.”
The sweet carline teacher always talks to the littles when we drop Little Girl off at school. This day, her eyes slightly widened when she noticed my naked toddler.
I shook my head.
“It’s been one of those mornings,” I explained. “She stripped down in front of the door, and I didn’t have time to put her clothes on.”
The lady just laughed.
The preschool is super close to the school–with just two stoplights in between. At the first one, I dug through my purse to find a hairbrush and threw it back at my 4-year-old: “Brush your hair, sweetheart!”
We entered the preschool carline just in time. When it was our turn, I rolled down my window and let the teachers know that only my 4-year-old was coming this day. They looked at my 2-year-old. She smiled and waved.
I looked back. She had knocked the coat off of her, and it was hanging halfway on her feet and halfway on the floor.
Clearly, she was naked. Did the teachers notice that I hadn’t clothed her? I wondered.
They didn’t say anything, so I just said: “She’s still a little sick, so I’m keeping her home with me today.”
Perhaps they thought the nakedness was part of some kind of weird, crunchy mama respiratory therapy. Maybe the cold air would be good for her lungs?
As we drove away, I reached back and positioned the coat back over her.
And instead of getting frustrated at the craziness of this morning, I chose to laugh and reflect on how this day would be just a tiny blip in hundreds of normal, stable days–when the girls are dressed, fed, and out the door with time to spare.
It wasn’t always this way. In fact, a few years ago the crazy days dominated my life. I was tired, frazzled, and overwhelmed–more days than I was not.
A Take-Away for You
Are you in a crazy season where this day seems normal for you? (Please say I’m not the only one who has ever had days like this!)
Know that this, too, Mama, shall pass. It really will. There will come a day when the crazy, routine-less mess of mornings will be rare. The house will be quiet. They will get themselves dressed and will eat their breakfast and even buckle themselves in their own carseats.
And this blast back to the past of a morning showed me just that.
Claire
I really admire how you handled this! I would have been freaking out!
Erin
LOL, Claire! I have had LOTS of freak out moments! LOL!!!
Kathryn
I have had plenty of similar mornings, including my 2 year old getting naked as we are on our way out the door! I LOL’d the entire time I was reading this. I am SOOOOO glad I am not alone in this “mom of 3 kids chaotic mornings” thing. Thank you for making me feel NORMAL! 🙂
Erin
THANK YOU, Kathryn–for letting me know I’m not the only one, too!!
Teressa
I’m an empty nester and at 51, today is my birthday, I have to encourage you. If you get to where I am you will look back and laugh but also yearn for one more day with those babies that needed me and I was their world! Anyway, here I am third child born on Saturday, home on Sunday morning, Monday I get up and ready to take the four year old to gymnastics. The two year old is throwing up what I’m assuming is junk food diet from quality time with grandparents. (Lol) get it all together and out the door. No one can believe I have a not to the hour two day old baby but I’m thinking she was a breeze this morning. The dressing the girl in tights and two changes of clothes for the boy throwing up what I’m sure we’re cinnamon gummy bears took a toll. Then we head to the post office to get stamps. In and out of our little tiny car was turning into a nightmare. Then to the grocery store. This is where any proof I could parent three kids went out the door. I put the baby seat in the basket. Two kids in tow. The four year old decides to sit in the cart so as I’m moving the groceries for her I here a lady say, “hey is this your kid?” I look up and see my two year old with a dozen eggs running toward me eggs flying. Meantime the four year old in the cart behind climbs up the side of the cart and the whole thing fell over on her, groceries flying baby car seat getting a good safety check and eggs down the isle. I did what any postpartum woman of three would do. I helped the four year old up, dusted her off and checked for blood, checked the baby for injury, grabbed my little family and left the store. I was so glad to be safe in my little home. You know what? I’d do it all over again too! But I’d laugh more….. Be of good courage young mom
Erin
Oh thank you SO much for sharing your story, Teressa! I can tell by the way you wrote it what fond memories you can look back on! I know this time ends so fast, and I want to soak it up!!! I laughed while reading your story!!
Lisa @ This Pilgrim Life
I LOVE this story! And I especially love that you say you would do it all again. Thank you for the reminder of how special this time is, even when the eggs (and babies!) are flying!
Lisa @ This Pilgrim Life
My crazy morning has more to do with actually getting our van to start. We are on the road traveling right now (me and my three kids under 5) and I just found out that my van battery is dead. So in a couple of hours, my friend and I will be trying to attach jumper cables while my husband talks me through it on the phone and 5 (mine plus hers) small kids run around outside and try not to fall face first down her incredible steep driveway. I expect it to be a little crazy. Last year when I was on this same long road trip, my van got a flat tire and my husband had to talk me through changing the tire. I’m happy to say I did it and nobody went crazy in the process, even if people thought I was crazy for trying!
Erin
Oh my goodness! I cannot imagine! I hope you got everything working!
Miranda
What is it about toddlers that they always rip their clothes off at the worst times? Yesterday my 2 year old ripped her diaper off & stood in front of the front door naked while I was getting her clothes from her closet. Perfect timing because my FIL pulled up in front of our house just in time to catch it.
Elizabeth Miller
i love how you wrote a post that gave us some insight into your everyday life!! 🙂 this made me smile! I am in a crazy season of life, this has helped me to bring it into focus thanks!!
Erin
I’m so glad you were encouraged!