Morning Routine

Mornings have developed a very predictable routine at our house. Our day begins around 7am, give or take a half hour. The first item of business is to make coffee. Lots of strong, black, coffee for Mama is of the utmost importance. While Kevin is getting ready for work, Warner and Maren help me pack his lunch and make him something for breakfast. When he leaves, the kids and I wave goodbye to him at the front family room window. Warner says "bye-bye, Daddy" as he waves, and sometimes blows him kisses.

Next it's time for Warner's breakfast. This is usually a banana with peanut butter, a peanut butter and honey or jelly sandwich, or a Nutrigrain bar and some sort of fruit. Warner eats his breakfast while we watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Only we can't just watch whichever episode is on Playhouse Disney that day. Warner gets stuck on a particular episode (that I DVR) and asks to watch the same one, day after day, for days in a row. For a while it was the "choo-choo dot dog" episode, then it was Mickey's adventures in wonderland - "tweet tweet dot dog", and now it's the "pool dot dog" - Pete's beach luau. I don't understand Warner's fascination with Mickey Mouse, but he loves the show. Really.
I nurse Maren while Warner is eating and watching Mickey, but now have to cover her head during the feeding because she'd rather watch Mickey Mouse than eat. I guess we now have two Mickey Mouse fans in the house.
After Maren is finished eating she plays with her toys on the floor while I drink more coffee, have my breakfast, and mentally prepare for the day, which includes prayer time to ask Jesus for grace and strength to be a good Mommy that day. And for patience. Lots of patience. It's a routine that works for us, for now. But I do look forward to when I won't have the Mickey Mouse "Hot Dog" song stuck in my head all day.