Early to School

I'm working on putting another year of my blog in a book, and I am reminded once again of how much I enjoy looking back on the little details of life. I love the pictures, but it's the specific anecdotes that I'm really thankful I recorded.

I thought I'd do a little update about how our early school start time (7:25) is going. Things have turned out surprisingly well. Life keeps doing that to me. I am presented with a new situation that practically has me in tears, but it turns out to be for the best.

I set my alarm for about 6:25. Sometimes one of the kids wakes up before that, but I'm usually the first one to face the day. I change into some exercise clothes and go get Jansen and Natalie out of bed. Emmy is awake about now as well, and I bring her some milk and head downstairs with her.

Luckily, the kids' favorite show Wild Kratts is on at 6:30. This is an extra incentive to get them going in the morning. They both usually have cereal and/or fruit for breakfast. Natalie doesn't have much of an appetite this early in the morning. They both need some prodding to eat their food faster, but by about 7 we are fed, dressed, hair done (not me or Emmy!), and teeth brushed. I eat breakfast later.

We load up into the car about 7:05 and pick up our friend Jantzen. I park and walk the boys to a gate and continue on to take Natalie to Kindergarten. The weather has still been warm up to this point, but mornings are starting to get cool. The other day the kids wore pants to school for the first time, and they are starting to bring jackets.

Emmy and I head back home to go for a run. That is one of the biggest advantages of this start time...it's convenient for me to exercise. I get her some juice and whatever blanket or animal she wants and load her into the jogging stroller. Luckily, she enjoys it for the most part. I only run for about 30 minutes, always the same route, and when we get back I do a few more things like push ups, jumping jacks, and ab stuff. I exercise more, drink more water, and eat better than I have in my entire life, and yet I weigh more than I ever have (besides pregnancy and right after babies). That's what age will do to you! After showering, eating breakfast, and picking up the house a little, it's usually time to pick up Natalie at 9:55. I like having her home most of the day. Jansen is home by about 1:45, and the afternoons go by pretty quickly. If I was presented the option of starting school later I actually don't think I would want to. Our schedule right now is working really well for everyone.