La La Land VS Reality

In an ideal world, this would be my morning:

6:00 Wake-up

6:00 - 7:00 Make coffee, check email, make lunches, listen to NPR.

7:20 - Wake up girls.  Relax as they easily jump out of bed and start their day.

7:20 - 8:00 Get them ready for school, picking out outfits of my choice, feed them a quick breakfast and still have plenty of time for them to brush their teeth.

8:05 - Leave for school.

8:15 - Drop both girls off, waving sweetly from afar like June Cleaver did to Beaver every day.

8:30 - Head out for my run.

10:00 - Stretch, do core work, and enjoy a second cup of coffee and begin to tackle the rest of my day.

Yes, I know.  It's not like this for anyone.  Even June probably had some mornings when she was pissed off at the boys and just kept it to herself because that's what you did back then.  It just doesn't work this way for most of us.  Lately, it's been more like this:

6:00 - Wake up.

6:05 - Realize we don't have milk for coffee and make a fast break to Byrne Dairy before my husband has to leave for work.

6:30 - Make MUCH NEEDED cup of coffee

7:00 - Check email and then remember today is the deadline for my entries to the upcoming invitational that my XC team is participating in and panic that I haven't gotten it done.  Pull out the results of the past 5 meets and determine the top 14 runners on my team so I can get their names in the system before it's too late.  Break a sweat as I dig up the web site and pray that I can still get them registered.

7:17 - Turn to see Grace standing at the door and brace myself as she tells me she doesn't really feel like going to school today.  Explain that I can't have this conversation right now and feel bad that I don't have the time focus on her.

7:32 - Run downstairs to make lunches and then run back up to wake up Rosie and try to motivate Grace who is now back in bed.

7:44 - Start to lose my patience when Rosie claims she now only wears skinny jeans and will not wear the other 3 pairs that are in her drawer because they are boot leg.  Give in and let her wear the one pair of skinny jeans she has that are in her hamper....they're really not that dirty.

8:05 - Run a brush through Rosie's hair; Grace doesn't really need it.  Squeeze a dab of toothpaste on Grace's toothbrush which she then takes with her in the car.  Toothpaste isn't that bad for us, right?

8:08 - As we're dashing to school, let the girls know that I'm going to have to wake them up earlier if we don't start to make it on time.  Realize, I might as well be talking to myself.  Grip the steering wheel as Rosie tells me she forgot to eat breakfast and she's hungry.  Decide that a granola bar is sort of like breakfast and pull it from her lunch.  

8:17 - Run in to school, late for Rosie on time for Grace.

9:00 - Remember that Rosie has ballet today and that I haven't done her laundry so she has nothing to wear to class.  Throw in a small emergency load.

9:15 - Attempt to start a blog entry but then re-focus on our upcoming neighborhood Halloween party involving over 50 kids, pizza and a parade.

9:30 - Hear I song I like on Pandora and start exploring similar bands in iTunes.  Completely lose track of time.

9:45 - Refocus.  Take a breath.  Grab my iPod.  Throw on my sneakers.  Revel in the fact that it's October and it's 60 degrees out.  Feel the wind in my face as I head down the street.  Wave to a neighbor.  Smile at nothing in particular.  I'm running.

10:35 - It's all good.  I got the run in.  I'm pretty sure I've the rest of this day nailed.  Maybe.

Unless you have it all figured out, and I'm sure there are some of you who do, I suggest you determine what it takes to make it feel, if only for a brief moment, that you live in la la land.  Then do that every day.  

Listen to this:

Change - Churchill