March Slice of Life Story Challenge
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Yesterday was like any other school day.
Once my girls are up and dressed, we head downstairs for breakfast. This morning P. requested Mommy's crunchy cereal. The girls selected their bowls and I served up two bowls of crunchy cereal and milk.
The girls are at an age where they want, desire, fight for independence.
"I do it."
"I wanna do it . . . by myself!"
"No! Me do."
Mornings are busy, and this is one of those times I let them practice this sense of independence so that I can accomplish a few tasks. We cram a lot during a short amount of time before we zip out of the house to go so school.
I run around grabbing hair ties and clips, throwing my lunch together, grabbing this, emptying the dishwasher, getting that, eating my breakfast, searching for this and that, shoving on boots -- all the while trying not to feel rushed!
As we went about our busy morning, conversing about the day ahead of us, I stepped out of the kitchen area to gather my bags and then I heard it --
C R A S H !
All was quiet. I took a deep breath. I could only imagine the splattering of milk and soggy cereal.
I know some mornings, being in a hurry, I would have shared my thinking bubbles (right, Chris?), but I remained calm and accepted it for what it was: an accident.
As I cleaned the floor, M. whimpered while P. directed me to clean the milk over here and over there. I reassured M. that it was an accident and talked about being more careful.
The bonus? I have a clean floor and we still were not late for school.
Lordy, I remember those days. Deep breaths - you handled it well.
ReplyDeleteI think this is something soooooooo many of us moms relate to! Coincidentally enough, I had a similar morning myself - daddy left early to go play basketball before school and even though he did every thing he could think of to prep us for the morning without him I still was 10 minutes later getting out of the house than I wanted...on time for school but not at the time I had hoped. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLove how P was directing you to all the "dirty spot"...how adorable! Good for you for remaining calm, because in the scheme of things... what is the worst thing... you would have been a few minutes late for work.
ReplyDeleteOh, the patience you have developed (I don't think you learned from your Mom)! Yes, accidents happen and life goes on and you made it out the door and to work on time. A good learning experience for both girls. Love P's comment on where clean. And a clean floor too! Love ya M
ReplyDeleteWhat positive thinking for early morning mamma! Don't sweat the small stuff --right?!! Praise! You know I can relate to the early morning rush with kids ----and I love the line right after that-----all the while trying "not to feel rushed"
ReplyDeleteWhat a positive spin on a stressful start. I once had a t-shirt that said, "It's only spilled milk."
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that you saw the positive side to this! Your mornings sound very busy & hectic. Enjoy the weekend! :)
ReplyDelete--jee young
Even though I wrote about my slow mornings in my slice, I do remember the busy mornings. Usually things happen when you are in a hurry. Admirable how you stayed calm.
ReplyDeleteGreat slice of a true morning in a busy home! I love the bonus thought. Lucky little girls to have such a role model.
ReplyDeleteKeep calm and carry on! What choice do we have?
ReplyDeleteSounds like you need a dog!
ReplyDeleteAmazing that you were able to keep calm and carry on...also, I'm with Brian, you need a dog. my Sophie would have taken care of it all in two minutes flat!
ReplyDeleteI love how you let your girls practice their independence, even when you could probably get things done more quickly by doing it for them. That feeling of having done it on their own is irreplaceable!
ReplyDeleteThe simplicity of the average, everyday occurences make your writing rich. Spilled cereal connects the human race. Thanks for posting!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great mama to allow your girlies to develop their independence, and to stay calm, and not lose your cool when an accident happened! Sometimes that was hard for me on school mornings!
ReplyDeleteFloors are done. Check. I so remember mornings like this, "trying not to feel rushed!" I enjoy reading the slices of your girls, Michelle. It brings back fond memories. I love hearing about how they are becoming more independent. Sometimes that independence can make mornings a little harder, but you were able to come out the winner. Tomorrow you can put your feet up --- the floors are done.
ReplyDeleteCathy
I love the part about one of your girls telling you to clean up over there, and over there. It blows my mind how many plates you have to keep spinning.
ReplyDeleteMornings like this, I think it is what creates the layers of strength in a mom.
ReplyDelete