6.30am Mornings at our house is quite eventless. We eat, watch the news and sit quiet. I heat or cook something for the lunch bags, pack them up and drink a lot of coffee. The kids eat, they all eat good breakfasts. And I don’t even have to nag. They all make their own breakfasts and they all eat different things. Brjann glides down the stairs after a while and reads emails, taking care of the first 30 minutes of work before work. After eating, all three kids crawl up in different corners of the sofas with a blanket and close their eyes listening to the news. I usually try to make conversation and asks about homework and what’s going to happen during the day and I usually get a long look or a –seriously, why do you think I stayed up until 12… to not finish my homework. So, we watch the news and try to keep the conversation to the minimum.

7.25am I get my third cup of coffee, Brjann opens his computer. All three kids jump up and runs up the stairs. Is it 7.25 already! We hear that they are all moving around upstairs, changing clothes, straightening hair, brushing teeth, changing clothes… And actually talking to each other.

7.37am Three backpacks, three gym bags, three lunch bags, three water bottles, three netbooks, three phones, one guitar, one racket, kneepads, shoes… needs to be located. Even if everything was packed or at least in the right area of the house 10 minutes ago we are now missing at least 1 pair of spandex, 1 jersey, 3 phones and 2 pairs of kneepads. And shoot, away game… need more snacks, more clothes, more… And purple game jersey, no, it’s a white day. And in 30 seconds the house is turned upside down and the whole world depends on those special pair of spandex that is still in the washing machine.  

Taking deep breaths and remembering the struggles 10 years ago. Three kids, three different schools/preschools, two working parents, very cold winters, -4F/-20C, clothes, lots of clothes, skates, helmets, three kids on one bike, ice, snow…

7.38am Why can I still see netbook cords on the floor? Who forgot something? And yes, you need a water bottle. Not drinking for 9 hours will not be an option.

7.39am Two parents in a car each and often two kids but where is the third… Changing clothes? Looking for the perfect pair of boots to the perfect yoga pant? Looking for a phone?…?

7.40am We are all in the car and rolling out from the driveway.

Traffic! Where is everybody going?

Some days I drop off at both schools but it depends on Brjann’s work schedule. If he is home we usually get one school each. If I drop at both schools it’s about 40 min in the car on a good day. I dropped off at high school today, really close, maybe 3 miles away, 112 red lights, 15 left turns and most of the day’s traffic.

7.50ish am If you want some excitement in your life, drive to a school 10 minutes before the bell rings. Parents are stressed, kids are stressed and the cars can’t move fast enough. Drop off lines fills up fast, a few drivers apparently missed drivers ed and somehow you always have the sun in your eyes. It’s an ant farm. I drive up, stop the car and say something perky. Can’t help myself, cute and very uncool words pop out. –Mom, turn down the music. Everybody doesn’t have to hear that you’re listening to Justin Timberlake and JAY-Z. Empty Perrier bottles falls out as they open the doors. Embarrassing! And I take a last look at the two high schoolers walking up to the doors, disappearing in. Lovely kids! I don’t know why it chokes me up. I get the same feeling every day, when did this growing up thing happen? And the day goes on.