Small Morning Victories!

Getting two small children out of the door in the morning should be considered nothing less than an Olympic event.

My mornings never run like clockwork, despite the effort made the night before to ensure as smooth a run as possible.

Someone always spills milk, there's always some sort of calamity involving the loss of a shoe or worse, the dreaded school tie, and we very rarely have a morning where everyone is completely happy and ready to go on time (not looking at anyone in particular, oh youngest son).

Refining the various tricks and things that go into the morning routine is nothing short of an every day small miracle and should be considered applicable for addition to a C.V.

Plus, there's never a morning where everyone is happy.  Either the dog ate the toast off the table (he's supposed to be old and doddery, not to mention a wee bit blind but apparently his nose can always locate toast at a 5 mile distance) or Ethan doesn't feel like he got to watch quite enough Jake and The Neverland Pirates before we leave (hence a tantrum) or worse, I don't get time to grab some food before we leave, which makes everything seem just a little bit more challenging.  Especially once we have dropped Tom at school and I then realise I have a butt-ton (yes, that's a legitimate unit of measurement), I say, a BUTT-TON of stuff to do before I'll be able to get home.

I hate mornings.

That's why I decided to hook up with the #MorningWin Linky challenge with Belvita breakfast biscuits.  I need to see how other people are doing this!

Britmums and Belvita are asking bloggers for their small morning victories.  So here's a few of mine!

Hat finding - just one more thing to remember!

1. Leaving the house on time

It's pretty much the end goal, isn't it?  All roads lead to exiting the house, albeit with one shoe on, no school tie or a half-packed school bag.  Joke.  I'm not that bad.

But leaving the house in the morning, on time, with everyone intact is one huge victory! So, a smaller victory would have to be...

2. Finding all of the shoes

Not my shoes then...

I have no idea where my trainers are.  I took them off three days ago, and I can't find them.  I have three pairs of shoes, all have very specific purposes.  When I am rich and famous, I'll buy back up pairs.  But until then, I live in a perpetual, never-ending search for my shoes.  Or, more frustratingly, one shoe.  Because no matter how many times I make sure everyone has put their shoes in the hallway, ready to go, or do the end of the night count, there's always some crazy shit that goes down that means that some of the shoes go walk-about. Usually in the middle of the night after the elderly dog (who likes a middle-of-the-night wee) has been out and I've sleepily deposited my shoes somewhere crazy, or after the three year old has decided to play that lovely game of 'sniff my stinky shoe!' with his brother.

There are all kinds of shenanigans that you wouldn't believe goes on in this house. I feel genuine relief when I see a pair of shoes together. Actual, genuine relief.

3. Getting four pairs of socks

What the hell happens to socks?
I love new socks.  I get a bit precious about them.  I promise things to them in my head, like 'I'll keep you both together always' and 'I'll never let Dave wear you with his bag mad crusty feet' and 'I'll always wash you together so you stay in a pair'.

Lies!  All lies!

Despite my best efforts, we have ended up with a sock bag.  I think I hate it more than anything else in my life.  Every day, the search through the bag for pairs is a soul-destroying task that fills me with rage.  And complete happiness when I find a pair. And complete merriness when I find a pair for everyone.

One day all of my socks will be paired and in drawers, but today is not the day.  Not when I still have butt-ton (yup, there it is again) of other, more important stuff to do.  Like, anything else.  Life is far too short. Sorry, socks.  And anyone else who cares.

4. Managing to leave the house with everything we need

It's early, we're all tired, we've possibly dealt with things in the night that we never thought we'd ever have to deal with.  If you have small children, or an elderly dog for that matter, you'll know the kind of things I mean.

I'd give you my secret handshake, but I can't remember if I've washed my hands yet...

Joke.  I joke. *dry laughter*

Getting out of the house with everything we need ; packed lunches, play pieces, homework, a change of clothes, hats, gloves, scarves, gym shoes, lunch money, books, things I said I'd give to people...it's no mean feat.

I do forget sometimes.  Although, I'm going to jinx it now by saying I've had a good run lately where I haven't forgotten anything.  But there were a LOT of times last year where I forgot things and had to hand them into the school office an hour after making the initial trip.  It was so bad that the lady in the school office didn't even have to ask who I was handing it in for.  But at least I got it in the end, right?

These are my morning victories. These, coupled with not getting stuck behind the bin lorry in our narrow street, not getting stuck behind every red light there is on the way and managing to get the kids out of the door without the inevitable fight that they have to see who gets to open the door (Why?  Why do they do that?  Every damn morning!)

Eating a wee brekkie always makes things a wee bit better, and if I can grab a wee bite to eat on the way out of the door, in the car or even on the way to school, or even after, then I consider this a big win too.  It just makes life so much easier to deal with if I'm not running on empty.

I use Belvita breakfast biscuits a lot, and although I prefer to be sat at home enjoying a leisurely breakfast in front of the television, or curled up with a book, these are the perfect alternative for some healthy sustenance.

Try them out - the chocolate and hazelnut ones are my favourites.  I love a wee bit of sweetness in the morning and they make a nice wee change from the usual milk and cereal ones I enjoy.

This post is an entry for #MorningWin Linky Challenge sponsored by belVita Breakfast. Learn more at http://bit.ly/belVitaUK