Ten Quiet Minutes (And a Very Messy Dinner)
Good morning!
I’m up before my children! What a thrill. What a rare and exciting event!
I woke up with Riyu peeled to my backside, giggling directly into my hair. I peeked at the clock and it was 5:15 and was fully prepared to roll over and put him back to sleep. But when I turned around, he was out cold. Just giggling in his sleep.
What do we think he’s dreaming about?!
But, now, I’ll get some quiet time before the chaos begins. HOWEVER, I will say this. Yesterday was Day 2 of our family morning journaling time. And, while the morning is still chaos, those 10-15 minutes of us journaling together are surprisingly peaceful.
And lemme tell you this.
Ishu helped me make dinner last night.
(BTW, deleting this recipe from my archives. I jokingly told Ankur that we will not be making it again ’til our kids are 18. Too many pots and pans. Absolutely not).
We made baked ziti. At the final step – when you’re supposed to mix the pasta with the meat mixture and the cheese mixture – I had just layered the first round into a lasagna dish and turned my back for ONE second. And Ishu accidentally knocked the entire mixing bowl onto the floor. Bowl shattered. A significant portion of dinner gone. Pasta everywhere. Cabinets splattered with sauce.
And, somehow SOMEHOW I did not LOSE MY SH*T.
Was it because I had a calm start to my day?
I’ll never know.
But if it contributes even a little to my sanity, I’m in.
The kids are really into this journaling idea right now. They both get excited to crawl into bed with their journals and though they’re not entirely quiet, it’s one of the rare times I hear them WHISPER (more Ishu who will occasionally ask me how to spell something).
And I think Ishu – being a little older – is starting to hear me when I say that journaling helped Mama stay calm today. I’m hoping he’s beginning to connect the dots and give me the space I need to set myself up for the day.
Anyway, I think that’s gonna be our new 8am routine before we head out the door.
Yesterday, after journaling, Ishu got ready in record time because he didn’t want to make Riyu late to his first day of “school.” (Riyu’s not actually in school. I signed him up for this weekly program at the zoo with other kiddos his age).
I always feel a little low-level guilt about not doing enough for Riyu the way I once did with Ishu. I know, I know, Riyu gets a cool older brother and different experiences that Ishu never got. But still. It feels nice to have something just for him.
He loved it.
They set up different stations around the space and the kids basically explore on their own for the first 45 minutes. And then the last 15 minutes they come together for a story time, a short activity, and a goodbye song.
It’s the perfect amount of time. And then if we’re feeling a little extra, we can linger at the zoo for a little afterward. (It’s also really cool to get to be in the zoo before it opens and see everyone feeding the animals and starting the day).
We’ll do this through the winter! Riyu was excitedly telling everyone about it yesterday and it made me feel like he’s pretty darn happy about having something of his own.
Alright, I’m off to start the day. So far, Ishu’s journaling has mostly been lists of things that would make him happy (which pretty much reads like a to-do list). Today, I wrote two questions in his journal:
What is one thing you’re thankful for?
What superpower would you choose?
I’m excited to see what comes out of it.
And, if you’re feeling it, tell me your answers to those two questions in the comments!
Have a good one!
