18 minutes of CHAOS!

Ah it's Tuesday. I like Tuesdays.
I like Tuesdays because my kids go to school.
Don't get me wrong - I LOVE my kids - But I love them more when we have a little separation time, and I get a chance to do errands without running after them, worrying about them running off, throwing tantrums in the post office/grocery store/wherever we happen to be. When I go to pick them up, I am relaxed and happy, and a lot more patient - This is a good thing for all of us.

This morning however, I was sleeping gloriously when the sound of the radio playing some irritating sort of music work me up.
I think it was purposely set to this station, since the music I actually like would not encourage me to get up and turn the radio off, whereas this music had to be stopped immediately to rescue what little sanity I have left.
I glanced at the clock; 7:42. 7:42???????
CRAP
Thus ensued 18 minutes of pure chaos.

Duncan's school starts at the ungodly hour of 8:25am - this is because it is a bussed school, and they stagger the times for the buses arriving, and his happens to be one of the earlier drop-offs.
The kindergarten class always goes in before the bell, and they have conveniently placed the kindergarten dropoff at the back of the school, necessitating the longest walk possible. In order for us to get him into his class on time, we have to leave at 8:00am, so that I have time to park, get 3 kids out, and make the long walk ALL AROUND the school to the back to drop him off. Add that I have a stroller, and two boys who take short steps and are easily distracted by, oh Grass, or garbage on the ground and the trek takes on mammoth proportions.

So, imagine me bolting out of bed at 7:42am, knowing I now have 18 minutes to wake up 3 small children, get them dressed, get all their 'stuff' together, and out to the van, buckled in and ready to start. No easy task - and I'm doing it alone, since Chris was already up and gone to the office at this point. (I didn't even hear him leave, and he very considerately tried to be quiet and let me sleep, although in retrospect, I probably should have been woken up on a schoolday)

Nevertheless - What follows is the actual timeline - I know because I kept close tabs on the time.
7:42am - Spring out of bed - half asleep, throw on clean underwear, a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with my eyes half closed.
Duncan is already up, but crumples into a heap the moment he finds out it's a schoolday. He's not a fan.

7:44am - wake Matthew up. Matthew is funny - the moment he is awake he is instantly ON - like a switch. There's no groggy waking up time, he sits up and bounds out of bed. He had taken his jammies off sometime in the night and was wearing only a pullup. It was dry (woohoo). Matthew is excited about the prospect of getting dressed and going out - but the lure of blankets is calling him, and he would rather hide under them, laughing and giggling. His brother joins him in the underblanket hiding game while I scramble to pull out 2 pairs of underwear, 2 pairs of jeans, and 2 shirts that they can wear.

7:48amGet Joey up - Change his diaper and leave him in his blanket sleepers - Why waste time getting this one dressed? He's not going to school - besides, his sleepers are already warm and cozy - throw a coat on him, and nobody will notice that he's still in jammies.


7:49am Pick up Matthew and 'help' him get his underwear on. If we can start the dressing process, maybe he'll continue on.....who am I kidding? He gets underwear on and dives under the blanket again in a torrent of giggles. Joey has escaped down the hall and is banging on the washing mashine door....

7:50am Duncan argues with me about the shirt he's wearing - First he wants a short sleeve shirt - when I get one out he decides that he needs a long sleeved shirt. He pulls one out of his closet that is WAY too big. I mean a little too big I'd let it go, but the sleeves are dragging on the ground. I realize he's pulled one of MY shirts out - how did that get in his closet? While I'm fighting with him to take the giant shirt off, Joey crawls downstairs and starts pulling books out of the bookcase.
7:51 Grab matthew from out of the blankets - put his pants on and a shirt. He knows I'm not kidding around, so he lets me. He wants to do the socks himself - I let him. He takes 2 minutes - but that's ok, I'm getting Duncan dressed in that time.
7:53 Both boys dressed - It's a miracle - and a new record for me - 11 minutes. I'm a star! But we still have shoes and bags to do....

7:54am knowing that school mornings are a little busy, I'd made Duncan's lunch the night before - but some things were still in the fridge (the cheese and ham) and I had to fill up his drinking box. I usually put a little water in it, and freeze it overnight so his drink stays cold - he likes "cold cold cold cold cold water" to drink, which is unusual for a 4 year old, but great for me - fill up his drinking box with water, zip up his lunchbag and throw it in his bag along with his homework which he didn't do last night. I understand the concept of homework is a good habit to establish early, but he's 4. He gets homework EVERY school day. It's not much, and it's usually some fun activity, except that he is not a big fan of colouring, so what is fun for a normal kindergartener really is a chore for him.
I am a bad mommy and did it for him - I don't think it will damage him too much - but now we are really getting crunched for time.

7:58am It's cold out, so we grab 3 coats and 3 sets of shoes - The boys can put on their own shoes, and I throw Joeys back in the closet - he's wearing sleepers anyway, and will be in a stroller - not necessary to waste time with shoes right now. Joey. Joey? Where is he? Oh wait, I can hear him - swishing his hands around in the toilet bowl.........nice.
Grab him, wash his hands. put his coat on. Grab keys, open the van and we are....

OUT THE DOOR at 8:00AM!!!!!!

Hand claps all around - but our morning isn't finished yet, oh no.
We still have to buckle these kids all in.
This takes exactly 6 minutes because
A) They want to drive, and it takes at least 60 seconds of threatening and bribes to get them into their seats
B) They want to buckle themselves up. I oblige - after all, I'm supermom, right? HA

Finally on the road at 8:06 - turn out of our street, and get right-behind-a-schoolbus! It of course makes frequent stops to pick other kids up, proudly putting out it's oversized stop sign, not letting anyone pass because it's a 2000$ fine to pass a schoolbus when the giant stop sign is up......
Finally get away from the bus, and it's rush hour morning traffic, which I'm used to, so I take "The shortcut".
The car ahead of me has taken "the shortcut" too - but she, unlike me, does not know where she is going, so she drives uber slowly, checking the name of every street sign we pass......
Get to my turn - slow poke turns too - grrrrrrrrrr
Not much further - we can still make it....
School is coming up, yes there it is. It is 8:18am.
I find a side street to park on - there are lots of other parents who have parked on this side street. We'll have a bit of a walk today.
Park - Get the stroller out. Strap the baby in. Wishing I'd had the presence of mind to grab a drink for him earlier. He's cranky.
Get the boys out of their seats, and get the coats back on that they took off in the van.
It is windy and cold out - Matthew decides that he cannot be outside.
I turn into mean mommy.
I make them push the stroller - we turn it into a game and RUN with the stroller.
The crossing guard sees us coming and is prepared - we run across the street and run around to the back of the school JUST as the kindergarten class is lining up and going inside - Duncan is able to run and join the end of the last line, which happened to be his class (there are 4 kindy classes)
Make the trek back to the van - Matthew needs to be carried because the wind is trying to get him. I am carrying a 3 yr old, and pushing a stroller and trying to find my keys to the van - oh here they are - open it up, Matthew gets down and immediately is distracted by a red leaf that he MUST have to do a leaf rubbing at school. I oblige - because I'm supermom, remember? He picks now to have to go to the bathroom urgently. I remember that we have a plastic cup from the McD's drivethrough last week - He pees in the cup.

Arrive at Matthew's school at 8:42 (it starts at 8:45). Luckily, I can pull right up to his dropoff. Take him inside, change his shoes, and he's happy despite losing his leaf somewhere....

Arrive home at 8:50am - Give Joey some cheerios and milk and relax - because it's a school day!