Momma's Musings

I'm currently typing this while curled up in the corner of the couch. Not my couch though. I spent last night at The Burgundy Hotel, alone- courtesy of my mother's day present from Cory.

Leading up to this weekend I was nervous, not about the kids or Cory's ability to handle everything. I was nervous that I wouldn't make this most of this scarce opportunity. I wanted to squeeze every ounce of fun and life and rest out of it that I could. I wanted the 24 hours to feel like 72.

And I did it.

My time started Sunday around 10:40 when Cory and the kids left for church. I actually stayed at the house for about 2 hours clearing out our HUGE storage closet. It wasn't very vacation-y of me, but it felt great to do. I have a hard time initiating projects, but once I get going I can't stop. My name is Christina Jones and I love a good productivity-induced high, particularly with a project like this because I am hopeful it's going to solve a major issue for our family....mornings.

My kids wake up around 6:00 every day. Well, not all my kids. The 15-year-old would sleep till noon if I let him and sometimes I do because you know what's easier than managing 8 kids? Managing 7. Children who are asleep get subtracted from my responsibilities. Which takes me back to our family's major problem....mornings.

Most of my kids wake up during the 6:00 hour, but it's three kids in particular that set the tone for the day, and not in a good way. Due to our people vs bedroom ratio, the three of them have to share a room. My six, seven, and eight-year-old boys have the biggest bedroom in the house, but for some reason, that doesn't stop them from staying out of each other's way.

"Get off me!!"

"Stop it!"

"Give it back!!!"

"Daddy!!!"

...is what Cory and I are greeted with each morning, followed eventually by the sound of a 40-60 pound human stomping upstairs to our bedroom to tattle. The morning tattler rotates, but this dance has become such a routine in our home that we can usually tell from the auditory clues whether it's the 40, 50, or 60 pound tattler before they knock on our door.

Isn't it funny the way parents are so in tune with the noises each of our children make? The other day I was in a different room from my kids and one of then sneezed, "Bless you, Judah," I said. I even know the noises of their bodily fluids.

Back to our mornings.

I was so tired of starting my day off being irritated and annoyed. It's not how I want to begin especially with the long summer days here. I decided that in order to be a peaceful Momma I needed peaceful mornings to myself before the kids get up. But I also need sleep so I wasn't willing to wake up at 4:00 just to get in some alone time. The kids would have to stay in their rooms until I was ready to greet them.

And I decided that at 8:00 every morning is when I would be ready.

8:00. The thought of it made me giddy.

Now to get my kids on board with our fool-proof plan with a combination of bribing and threatening.
(It's important to have a fool-proof plan because we have some fools in our family.)

I made the family announcement, using third person, of course, because that's how serious Momma was.

"Momma has decided that in order to be a fun, non-angry mother, she needs quiet mornings. If you stay in your rooms until 8:00 I will let you have some extra media time in the morning. You don't have to be asleep, you can read or play or whatever. Momma will call your name one at a time and you can come out." I had to be sure and throw that part in there. Nobody needs to be stampeded by children no matter how late in the day it was.

Phase 1 of my plan was complete. Now on to phase 2.

I had to do something about those three boys. Sure, I think they would physically stay in their room together till 8:00, but not without some Lord of the Flies re-enactments. That's where our HUGE messy closet came in. With the right amount of organization and de-cluttering, I could make space for a cot in there and market it as a "cool hide-out room" for each of the boys to take turns sleeping in. They could bring in a flashlight, some Pokemon cards, a Dog Man book, a chainsaw...whatever. I didn't care. Just as long as 1 kid stayed in there, leaving only 2 kids to duke it out in the bedroom.

I got the closet all set up and then headed out to check in at the hotel. It has been a glorious 22 hours so far. I went clothes shopping for our upcoming California trip. I grabbed a treat from Sonic. I read a book from start to finish. I ate the yummy 5 Guys burger Cory dropped off with a side of M&M's.  I hot rolled my hair, just because it makes me feel pretty. I've written this blog detailing the minutia of our morning dynamics. And in the middle of it all, I've fallen in love with my family all over again.

Truthfully, they are pretty easy to love, as long as it's after 8:00.