Insane morning rush - exhausted

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old are your kids if you are saying you have done 8 years of this? They seem quite capable to help. They can pack their own backpacks (my k kid does it), they get fill up their own water bottles (my k kid does it), they can feed the dog (pretty simple) and you can fix their lunch the night before so that all you need to do is zap it in the microwave the morning of.

OP - kids are 8, 6 and 3. Dog is still a puppy. By doing this for 8 years I mean some variation. At one point I was breastfeeding before I would drop off to daycare and getting pumped bottles together. Now its lunches and breakfast. Dog is too young for kids to help (beyond putting food in a bowl). They can't walk dog at all.

Um, whose idea was it to get the puppy?

I'm sorry for piling on, but surely, OP, you know a lot of your stress was self-inflicted, right?

Not OP, but nothing wrong with getting a puppy. The feeding could possibly be passed off to the 8yo. Or the older kids could do more of their own stuff while OP feeds the 3yo and puppy.

It is bad to get a puppy when your day is exhausting by 7:30 am. I feel bad for the puppy. No way is she getting what she needs in terms of care, attention, exercise and training. Then everyone is gonna be pissed at the dog because it had no training.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old are your kids if you are saying you have done 8 years of this? They seem quite capable to help. They can pack their own backpacks (my k kid does it), they get fill up their own water bottles (my k kid does it), they can feed the dog (pretty simple) and you can fix their lunch the night before so that all you need to do is zap it in the microwave the morning of.

OP - kids are 8, 6 and 3. Dog is still a puppy. By doing this for 8 years I mean some variation. At one point I was breastfeeding before I would drop off to daycare and getting pumped bottles together. Now its lunches and breakfast. Dog is too young for kids to help (beyond putting food in a bowl). They can't walk dog at all.

Um, whose idea was it to get the puppy?

I'm sorry for piling on, but surely, OP, you know a lot of your stress was self-inflicted, right?

Not OP, but nothing wrong with getting a puppy. The feeding could possibly be passed off to the 8yo. Or the older kids could do more of their own stuff while OP feeds the 3yo and puppy.

It is bad to get a puppy when your day is exhausting by 7:30 am. I feel bad for the puppy. No way is she getting what she needs in terms of care, attention, exercise and training. Then everyone is gonna be pissed at the dog because it had no training.

Op here - this I take exception to. The puppy is well taken care of and goes on 3-4 walks a day. We have already done training and will do extensive training in the month to come (needs to be 6 months old for the course). She is a puppy - of course we get frustrated but I know it’s not the puppy’s fault.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old are your kids if you are saying you have done 8 years of this? They seem quite capable to help. They can pack their own backpacks (my k kid does it), they get fill up their own water bottles (my k kid does it), they can feed the dog (pretty simple) and you can fix their lunch the night before so that all you need to do is zap it in the microwave the morning of.

OP - kids are 8, 6 and 3. Dog is still a puppy. By doing this for 8 years I mean some variation. At one point I was breastfeeding before I would drop off to daycare and getting pumped bottles together. Now its lunches and breakfast. Dog is too young for kids to help (beyond putting food in a bowl). They can't walk dog at all.

Um, whose idea was it to get the puppy?

I'm sorry for piling on, but surely, OP, you know a lot of your stress was self-inflicted, right?

Not OP, but nothing wrong with getting a puppy. The feeding could possibly be passed off to the 8yo. Or the older kids could do more of their own stuff while OP feeds the 3yo and puppy.

It is bad to get a puppy when your day is exhausting by 7:30 am. I feel bad for the puppy. No way is she getting what she needs in terms of care, attention, exercise and training. Then everyone is gonna be pissed at the dog because it had no training.

Op here - this I take exception to. The puppy is well taken care of and goes on 3-4 walks a day. We have already done training and will do extensive training in the month to come (needs to be 6 months old for the course). She is a puppy - of course we get frustrated but I know it’s not the puppy’s fault.

OP - how does your dog get 3-4 walks a day? My husband and I both work from home so I know how our dogs get that kind of treatment but I assume since you and your husband both work out of the house you are paying someone to walk the dog? If so, think about other areas you can outsource.

Also, why doesn't your husband do anything in the mornings? How early do you guys get up? I get it, mornings can be crazy, but it sounds like he does NOTHING, in which case you need some help around the house morning or evening (and you better be able to afford it or he needs to find another job!).

You can make scrambled eggs ahead of time and reheat them. You can also make breakfast burritos or bagel egg sandwiches ahead of time and reheat in the morning. My kids know if they want eggs in the morning we have to plan ahead the night before and I will make time for that but generally speaking breakfast is something that can be microwaved or toasted or eaten cold. I'm huge on filling breakfasts and protein, and I eat eggs a lot, but I make my breakfast after the kids get on the bus. Simplify until you're less exhausted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old are your kids if you are saying you have done 8 years of this? They seem quite capable to help. They can pack their own backpacks (my k kid does it), they get fill up their own water bottles (my k kid does it), they can feed the dog (pretty simple) and you can fix their lunch the night before so that all you need to do is zap it in the microwave the morning of.

OP - kids are 8, 6 and 3. Dog is still a puppy. By doing this for 8 years I mean some variation. At one point I was breastfeeding before I would drop off to daycare and getting pumped bottles together. Now its lunches and breakfast. Dog is too young for kids to help (beyond putting food in a bowl). They can't walk dog at all.

Um, whose idea was it to get the puppy?

I'm sorry for piling on, but surely, OP, you know a lot of your stress was self-inflicted, right?

Not OP, but nothing wrong with getting a puppy. The feeding could possibly be passed off to the 8yo. Or the older kids could do more of their own stuff while OP feeds the 3yo and puppy.

It is bad to get a puppy when your day is exhausting by 7:30 am. I feel bad for the puppy. No way is she getting what she needs in terms of care, attention, exercise and training. Then everyone is gonna be pissed at the dog because it had no training.

Op here - this I take exception to. The puppy is well taken care of and goes on 3-4 walks a day. We have already done training and will do extensive training in the month to come (needs to be 6 months old for the course). She is a puppy - of course we get frustrated but I know it’s not the puppy’s fault.

OP - how does your dog get 3-4 walks a day? My husband and I both work from home so I know how our dogs get that kind of treatment but I assume since you and your husband both work out of the house you are paying someone to walk the dog? If so, think about other areas you can outsource.

Also, why doesn't your husband do anything in the mornings? How early do you guys get up? I get it, mornings can be crazy, but it sounds like he does NOTHING, in which case you need some help around the house morning or evening (and you better be able to afford it or he needs to find another job!).

You can make scrambled eggs ahead of time and reheat them. You can also make breakfast burritos or bagel egg sandwiches ahead of time and reheat in the morning. My kids know if they want eggs in the morning we have to plan ahead the night before and I will make time for that but generally speaking breakfast is something that can be microwaved or toasted or eaten cold. I'm huge on filling breakfasts and protein, and I eat eggs a lot, but I make my breakfast after the kids get on the bus. Simplify until you're less exhausted.

OP - I walk the dog before I leave, dog walker walks the dog mid day and then I walk the dog again at night. I work from home a few days a week so then we do long mid day walks as well.

DH is the slowest person in the world getting ready. He gets up at 6:00am and then leaves around 7:00am. It takes him an hour to get ready every morning. I get ready in about 15-20 minutes so I can get downstairs to do all the above mentioned things. I think having a very filling protein filled breakfast helps my kids during the day at school so I really try and push healthy big breakfasts, knowing that it might be the best meal they have until dinner.

I do need to do more meal prep during the weekend - but we are swamped on the weekends too with sports and church and kid activities (birthday parties, playdates, etc) but I need to make more of an effort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old are your kids if you are saying you have done 8 years of this? They seem quite capable to help. They can pack their own backpacks (my k kid does it), they get fill up their own water bottles (my k kid does it), they can feed the dog (pretty simple) and you can fix their lunch the night before so that all you need to do is zap it in the microwave the morning of.

OP - kids are 8, 6 and 3. Dog is still a puppy. By doing this for 8 years I mean some variation. At one point I was breastfeeding before I would drop off to daycare and getting pumped bottles together. Now its lunches and breakfast. Dog is too young for kids to help (beyond putting food in a bowl). They can't walk dog at all.

Um, whose idea was it to get the puppy?

I'm sorry for piling on, but surely, OP, you know a lot of your stress was self-inflicted, right?

Not OP, but nothing wrong with getting a puppy. The feeding could possibly be passed off to the 8yo. Or the older kids could do more of their own stuff while OP feeds the 3yo and puppy.

It is bad to get a puppy when your day is exhausting by 7:30 am. I feel bad for the puppy. No way is she getting what she needs in terms of care, attention, exercise and training. Then everyone is gonna be pissed at the dog because it had no training.

Op here - this I take exception to. The puppy is well taken care of and goes on 3-4 walks a day. We have already done training and will do extensive training in the month to come (needs to be 6 months old for the course). She is a puppy - of course we get frustrated but I know it’s not the puppy’s fault.

Fair enough. I take back my earlier comment. Also just throw some deli meat and an apple at your kids in the morning. They’ll be fine.

[Anonymous]

OP, are you also the OP of the thread asking how much of daily life revolves around the kids? Same kids ages, similar tone.

Anyway, you’re letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. You have three kids. You work FT and your husband works more than FT. Something has to give if you want a less stressful home life: chill about the homemade breakfasts, lunches, etc. If you let your kids dictate meals this much, you’re making extra work for yourself. It may take some time, but you can teach them how to get breakfast for themselves, pack lunches, etc. Will they be perfect and amazing? Doubtful. But that will likely take at least one chronically stressful thing off your plate, and that’s important.

[Anonymous]

I feel you on the healthy protein breakfast. Here's a recipe that I pre-make for the week.

(This makes one small pan, like a square cake pan)

--2/3 of a tub of cottage cheese
--three eggs
-a few handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese
--A few handfuls of chopped frozen spinach ( I defrost it but I think you can get away with adding it frozen.

Combine eggs, cottage cheese, spinach and a handful of cheddar in the square cake pan. Sprinkle cheddar cheese evenly over the top. Bake at 425 for 15-19 min (until bubbly-crispy-melty on the top).

You can sub spinach for broccoli, you can add onions/garlic, you can add sausage etc. It's so versatile. It freezes beautifully and a portion defrosts in one minute. I make it and cut it into squares, put into foil packets, and freeze and defrost one every morning.

This might get a little spendy with three kids, but Trader Joe's sells several varieties of pre-cooked egg fritata things (I only have one kid so...) I give them to my 8 yo on the weekend and then go back to bed.

[Anonymous]

^^I posted the recipe above and I just wanted to add - can your husband take care of the puppy duties? Pets are exhausting when combined with kids, and I feel like he could really help with puppy care in the AM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I feel you on the healthy protein breakfast. Here's a recipe that I pre-make for the week.

(This makes one small pan, like a square cake pan)

--2/3 of a tub of cottage cheese
--three eggs
-a few handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese
--A few handfuls of chopped frozen spinach ( I defrost it but I think you can get away with adding it frozen.

Combine eggs, cottage cheese, spinach and a handful of cheddar in the square cake pan. Sprinkle cheddar cheese evenly over the top. Bake at 425 for 15-19 min (until bubbly-crispy-melty on the top).

You can sub spinach for broccoli, you can add onions/garlic, you can add sausage etc. It's so versatile. It freezes beautifully and a portion defrosts in one minute. I make it and cut it into squares, put into foil packets, and freeze and defrost one every morning.

This might get a little spendy with three kids, but Trader Joe's sells several varieties of pre-cooked egg fritata things (I only have one kid so...) I give them to my 8 yo on the weekend and then go back to bed.

Same. I also make a bunch of baked goods and pancakes with almond flour and/or whole wheat and an extra egg. They are pretty filling with a glass of milk and more palatable to my kids in the morning. One of my kids eats lunch after 1pm and has had a meltdown at school from getting over hungry. But there are ways to do more ahead of time.

Also your husband should help more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I miss the days of waking up, having coffee, getting ready for work and walking out the door. For the past 8 years I have been running every morning from the minute I wake up until the minute I drop kids off and start work. Lunches, breakfast, backpacks, water, feed the dog, clean up all the dishes, get kids changed, etc. By 7:30am I am exhausted and the day hasn't even started! Just a vent post - I am so tired!

Stop doing everything in the morning. Lunches can be made the night before. Breakfast is cereal and put in covered bowls night before. Your children are old enough to put their dishes in dishwasher. Backpacks are packed and at front door the night before.

Get organized!

[Anonymous]

I am in bed by 8pm due to the morning rush and needing to get up at 5am. I love it! Lights out in my house early so kids get a full nights rest. Nothing better than my bed and sleep.

It's Sunday now and I slept 10 hours last night! Even with 8-9 hours per night on weeknights, I still sleep extra on weekends..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am in bed by 8pm due to the morning rush and needing to get up at 5am. I love it! Lights out in my house early so kids get a full nights rest. Nothing better than my bed and sleep.

It's Sunday now and I slept 10 hours last night! Even with 8-9 hours per night on weeknights, I still sleep extra on weekends..

How old are your kids? So they do no activities at night? On nights we have sports practice we aren’t even home till 7-7:30.

I typically bring my kids upstairs at 7:30ish and lights are out by 8:15ish (fingers crossed).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I feel you on the healthy protein breakfast. Here's a recipe that I pre-make for the week.

(This makes one small pan, like a square cake pan)

--2/3 of a tub of cottage cheese
--three eggs
-a few handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese
--A few handfuls of chopped frozen spinach ( I defrost it but I think you can get away with adding it frozen.

Combine eggs, cottage cheese, spinach and a handful of cheddar in the square cake pan. Sprinkle cheddar cheese evenly over the top. Bake at 425 for 15-19 min (until bubbly-crispy-melty on the top).

You can sub spinach for broccoli, you can add onions/garlic, you can add sausage etc. It's so versatile. It freezes beautifully and a portion defrosts in one minute. I make it and cut it into squares, put into foil packets, and freeze and defrost one every morning.

This might get a little spendy with three kids, but Trader Joe's sells several varieties of pre-cooked egg fritata things (I only have one kid so...) I give them to my 8 yo on the weekend and then go back to bed.

[Anonymous]

Wake up earlier and go to bed earlier, this is the only way I can function in the mornings. It's tough as a natural night owl, but it makes sense for our life and schedule.

[Anonymous]

Mornings are crazy for us too, OP. It sounds like you are doing what you can to streamline. I have learned over time that sometimes there is no "hack" to make the hard things about parenting easier. They are just hard!

Our dog just turned 2 and it is night and day dealing with her in the morning versus when she was under 1. That part will get better!!

And as for the folks getting on your DH, I am assuming he is big law or something? I work a job where I have to be in the office at least three days a week and I often am not helping much in the morning either.