Start of the day shenanigans

It's the wee hour of 6:10 a.m., and we've already had one kid screaming in outrage (at 5:30 a.m.), both girls jogging out to kitchen (at 5:50 a.m.) and a mini meltdown over being asked to not play with a bowl at the table (just now).  And now it sounds like there is a rejection over the asked-for oatmeal.  Hello, Wednesday.  You're being pretty snarky this morning.

Normally, I'm not a 6:15 a.m. blogger, but this morning why the why not.  I'm awake, unfortunately, and sometimes my children just act like children, so why not talk about that with some writing therapy?

(Now there's some turmoil over the last egg in the house.  Sometimes life just punches below the belt when you're 3 and 6.)

(By the way, I had an extended conversation with a student this week who was both incredulous and disgruntled about the acceptability of a 2-word sentence, to which I think "I see."  The things that get debated are often varied and unpredictable.  I'm sensing there are some similar feelings of angst with the girls this morning.  Well, now.)

Let's talk about 3-year olds and their bedtime shenanigans.  The Younger has a habit of throwing her door open loudly whenever she wakes up.  This is pretty handy to wake me up at 2 a.m. if need be as I finally cut the cords and pulled the monitor from her room.  In fact, I did so because she's far less than subtle when she wanders in the dark of the night.  She's far enough away that I don't always trust myself to hear a child in distress when I'm fully asleep, hence the extended use of the monitor.  But if she's going to bounce that door off of the door stop a few times, I'll hear her every time.

However.  (That right there is called a transitional word, which I strongly encourage my students to use.  I don't support a one-word sentence in their formal writing, though.)  I figured out this morning that the Younger bounded out of her bed and the into the Elder's bed at 5:30 a.m.  The boy didn't have any idea what was happening, which isn't even slightly surprising as he has the same awareness as carpet when he's asleep.  Mothers just know.

So the Younger decides that 5:30 a.m. is the ideal time to get up this morning, and that her sister's bed is the ideal place to go chill for a while.  And if you've ever shared bed space with either of my daughters, you will quickly understand how there is very little that is soothing or calm about this experience.  "Flailing about" is a pretty accurate description of how well they lie still.

Now, I had a situation.  Not only was the Younger awake and raring to go well before anyone else was, but she was involving her sister, who, frankly, didn't want to be involved in those hijinks.  This resulted in me dragging the slippery-pajama clad 3-year old out of one bed and forcing her back into her own room "until there's a 6 on the left."  (Bless you, digital clock.)  The Younger knows this general household rule, but it seems that she conveniently forgot this morning.  And there's nothing better about having everyone awake and talking at 5:30 a.m. then throwing a wailing child in the mix.
Oh, but they are loud at 5:30 in the morning.

I feel like maybe she ambushed us this morning.

Oh, my.

Thanks be to children who express their anger, get over it quickly, and then are ready to throw out some pudgy-pie kisses and hugs the next time they see you.  My 3-year old doesn't understand the concept of a grudge. 

At least this is the boy's time with the girls pre-work/school, and he gets to corral and control for a while.  It's looking like a completely normal kind of day around here.