25 things mums do before 8am
Waking up to the sound of birds chirping outside your window, indulging in a leisurely breakfast of home-made nasi lemak, reading The Straits Times while savouring a cup of freshly-brewed kopi, planning your dinner date after work at the newest table at Duxton Hill. Errr… if only!
Once you're a parent, you're always in a race with time to accomplish a gazillion things within the hour (or at max, 2 hours) before your kids set out for school. Coffee? What coffee?
Here’s a list of the things mums do before 8am (and we’re sure we’ve missed out some):
1. Wake the kids up
2. Put the kettle on for some coffee (often with a tiny tot attached to your ankles)
3. Wake the kids up again
4. Brush their teeth (while nagging that they’re going to be late for school, and you, for work)
5. Iron their school uniforms
6. Check that their school bags are packed
7. Dress them (and try to explain that a tutu to school is a no-no)
8. Make several different breakfasts for your fussy troop- NOT yours though
9. Deal with poop
10. Pack their lunch boxes
11. Give them pocket money
12. Make sure they’re actually eating their breakfast
13. Jump in for the world’s quickest shower - come on, you can do it!
14. Deal with an emergency (sibling fight) that has taken in your absence (and changing someone’s clothes if food was involved)
15. Call your husband and remind him you’re Superwoman and demand a lovely (read:expensive) gift at the end of the week
16. Feed them their vitamins
17. Brush your hair quickly and put something on (blouse, skirt, oh whatever)
18. Comb everyone else's hair (try negotiating with your little princess that fancy braid days are strictly on the weekends)
19. Hunt down your mobile, handbag and grab your now cold coffee
20. Clear breakfast mess and make a mental note to thank your mum for buying you a dishwasher
21. Pick up all the Lego pieces you step on along the way to the door
22. Fight the urge to call you boss and say you’re taking an MC
23. Run back in to grab your laptop… and car keys…. and specs (what else? what else?)
24. Usher those small people out of the main door, and towards the car
25. Drop every child to the right place and kiss them goodbye (here’s where you look at their adorable faces and know it’s all worth it)
Phew! Ok now, where’s that coffee?