In my hurried rush to get the kids out the door yesterday, I caught myself snapping and grumpily
saying “hurry up” and “quick, let’s go” for the thousandth time that
morning. It wasn’t their fault that we
were late. My son had got himself up
early, got dressed, made his bed, and had breakfast, all before I had even made
it out of bed.
So why were we late again?
There are a number of excuses that I could write, but they
are just excuses. The truth is we were
late because, once again, I failed to get organised. Instead of thinking ahead for what we were
doing and getting the snack bag ready the night before, or preparing bottles
for the baby, or laying out our clothes, I chose to stare at the telly, zoning
out all the noise and retreating into my thoughts.
I often wonder why I do this. Our nightly routine is dinner, put the kids
to bed and then watch the TV before I head off to bed to fall asleep reading my
book. I enjoy the quiet after the kids
are asleep, I can finally switch off for a while. It sometimes feels like the greatest treat,
especially on days that have been a bit challenging or noisy with the
children. But more and more lately I am
feeling like this is not the best way to get my daily dose of calm.
It may be because at the moment, there isn’t much that my
husband and I agree on watching together, so often I sit wasting time on my phone
while we watch something that I wouldn’t have picked.
There is so much more I’d rather be doing. I have recently rediscovered my love of
reading. It has been getting a bit
easier since Miss 1 is in more of a sleeping routine. I’m not so exhausted (it’s all relative
though isn’t it – there are still some days where my body feels so heavy and
tired that it is a mammoth effort just to move!), so I can get a short reading
session in before my eyes close for the night.
I should bring my book upstairs and read while my husband watches the
telly.
Or I could be crocheting.
I have recently been teaching myself and find the work satisfying. It has super calming powers, and I love
really been enjoying seeing my creation grow (I’m currently making myself a
blanket with all my favourite colours).
My
six year old son has put in a couple of requests for things (Star Wars toys, a
green cushion), and I love making things for him, so I should get started on
those.
Or, I could spend ten minutes after our daughter goes to bed
thinking about what we will need for the next day and get a head start on
tomorrow. We have a pretty regular
routine, so it’s not like there are often surprises. For example, one night a week my parents look
after the children while I teach Pilates.
Every week it is at the same time, and every week I run around like a
mad woman five minutes before we leave trying to gather the things we need. I always forget something – nappies, a dummy
or formula. But it doesn’t have to be
this way.
I’m sure that with a small sprinkle of planning, and a pinch
less laziness, I could manage to bring more calm to my days. The mean, snappy, rushed Mummy could be a
person I happily leave in the past. We would
all benefit. Our mornings would be
smoother, with less negativity and more opportunity to be present and enjoy the
precious time I have with my children.
And I would probably not forget important things that we need for the
day.
So, I am setting myself a challenge. For the next seven days I am going to check
my diary each night for what is on the next day. I will prepare what I can the night before. I will go to bed a little earlier so I can
wake up fresh and bouncy in the morning and we will see if that makes a
difference to our days.
Will you join me?
What ideas do you have to make your days run more smoothly? How do you make sure that you never forget
the important things when you head out the door with children in tow?
Labels: Calm, Organised
