Mornings

Weekday mornings around this house are kind of insane.

J typically gets up and ready for work and is gone before the kids and I even get up.

6:15am comes way too soon.

By 6:30am all are awake and accounted for.T's usually eating breakfast, M's usually getting dressed and I am somewhere between being half dressed myself and getting H ready for the day.

The 30 minutes between then and the time the bus comes fly by.In fact there are days it flies by so quickly that the bus has to make a special stop in front of our house to pick up the stalling children.

Between getting homework and lunches put in backpacks, reminding kids to brush teeth and getting out the door, it's a crazy house.Somedays are smoother than others.Somedays are altogether chaotic.

Regardless for sometime I've really been struggling with our morning issues.Especially the issues I tend to find myself in with T.

Part of it is me, I consider myself a happy-go-with the flow sort of person. But when it comes to mornings, sometimes I know I wake up not so friendly. It might be I just don't really want to be up so early, somedays it might just be the fact that we're running behind. I find my patience isn't up to par in the mornings. I'm short tempered, quickly finding myself overwhelmed.

To add to this, T has a hard time staying on track. And though each morning he has the same things to do before he leaves for school, he sometimes forgets he was supposed to brush his teeth or put his lunch in his backpack. This wares on my already struggling morning patience. So part of it is T.

To me, it's really important that the kids leave for school not only with breakfast in their bellies but a good attitude, and good feelings. Sometimes I feel like between all the rushing, reminders and attitudes, it isn't always like that.

We tried at one point at night to have everything set out for morning. I even went so far as pouring out the milk for each kids cereal the night before.For whatever reason this wasn't the answer.

Then for awhile we tried making a list for T so he knew exactly what he was supposed to do before school.This didn't work because then T got overwhelmed by the list.

About three weeks ago, I found a verse that has really helped me. I've put it on the computer as my screensaver now. Have it written in my wallet, diaper bag and in a cupboard.

"Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew. Like showers
onnew grass. Like abundant rain on tender plants."
Deuteronomy 6:2

This verse hit me.

And using the words of that verse as my morning prayer when I find myself getting frustrated, overwhelmed and ready to lose it at 6:55am...has made a difference.

It's a reminder that not only do I need to send these children to school with full tummies, clean clothes and finished homework in their backpacks, but also with showers of goodness, love oozing through.

And it's working.

These kids are my plants.

(And thankfully I'm doing a better job with them than I do with real plants.)

Shh, don't tell anyone but I'm beginning to enjoy our mornings.