Grouchy Mama

There is one month of school left.  We are getting to that time of year when getting the kids to bed and getting them out the door to school in the morning is getting old.  I am grouchy.  I am the task master.  I want some order and routine to the schedule so that I don't have to be the bad guy.

We have two very verbal children and left to their own accord they would spend the entire morning in the bathroom brushing their teeth over a hardy discourse on recent iphone operating systems.  Enter the evil Mama who repeatedly blurts out the time of day.  It's 7:59.  It's 8:01.  It's now 8:04!

I didn't budget 7 minutes to tie shoes.

Ditto for bedtime.  You are using up your reading time.  The dentist says to brush your teeth for two minutes, it has been 17 and you are still in the bathroom.  What are you doing?  There are only two pieces to the jammies.  GET THEM ON!

Grouchy Mama.

Then they are gone to school and twenty minutes later I miss them.  I'm ready for them to get off the bus so I can start the next round.  Sit down to eat.  Sit DOWN to eat your snack.  Sit.  Down.

It's time for pi-an-o. . .

What?

How many times can one girl go to the bathroom.

What is it that I really want?  What is the root of my discontent?

I really want time to be elastic.  I want to not be in a hurry.  I want the kids to stay on a task without me having a cow.

Surely I can't be the only mother to ever have these feelings.  And they are good kids and I'm a well organized mom.

I may have to lower my expectations.  At least about the elasticity of time.

I don't want to look back and have been too much of a Grouchy Mama.  I'll try to turn it around.

I'm not giving up on bedtime.