Bows, tights, toothpaste......surviving the Sunday morning craziness.....

Ok moms....grab that big cup of joe, or that large glass of wine and let's "chat":

Sunday Morning Craziness

Sunday Morning Craziness is defined as the crazy time in the morning that preludes attending Sunday morning service/Mass.

In honor of this quite frustrating time...I have parodied a song you might enjoy....

Move over Julie Andrews...haha......

These are a few annoying things (to the tune of "favorite things")....

tights that have holes, and teeth that need brushing,

can't find a hairbrush, and God knows we're rushing,

kids slow as molasses, and daddy's unseen

these are a few annoying things.

When the zipper breaks, when the baby cries,

when I'm feeling sad...

I simply remember I'm meeting our Lord

....and then I don't feel..... sooooooooo bad.

hahaha.....

Seriously......

Now...I don't plan to run off and become the next big song writer...but that did get you thinking, huh?

So, how do you feel when you look at a picture like this?

Does the thought of getting all these kids ready overwhelm you?

Do you dread the "Sunday morning shuffle"??!!

Because if it does, that's ok.......

I used to feel the same way.

I have often heard that we learn more from our mistakes than from our successes.

And...that's why I blog...hahahaha. 

That's why I wanted to give you a few pieces of advice that have allowed me a smoothier Sunday morning.

*****Disclaimer: Maybe, you are awesome at this and want to leave some advice for the rest of us...please feel free to write some suggestions in the comment section.*******

When I had three children and was trying to get them ready for Church,  No one could have convinced me that I would one day have five children, be able to get them ready for church, and still enjoy a nice sit down breakfast with my family before. I was practically losing my mind...and my faith in my mothering abilities every Sunday.  I was rushing around trashing my bathrooms, leaving a trail of clothes behind and a huge post-Mass mess.

I would soon learn the key to end this craziness: planning ahead. 

When I was a young child, I dreaded the "sunday morning craziness"....trying to make it to church on time. Six people trying to get into one bathroom and get ready for Mass on Sunday. My mom would get us dressed for church, and then we would sit on the couch in front of the TV with my dad. Then she would run around with little time to get herself dressed. We were always a few minutes late.

As I grew older, I would practically lose my mind waiting in the car with my dad. I had inherited his love for timeliness and order, and saw being late as a complete sign of disrespect. We would go out to the car together, with plenty of time to spare, until the rest of our family would make their way outside....often holding socks, shoes, or jackets in their arms. My mom, on the other hand, moved for "no one" and somehow thought that time would "stand still" while she got ready. If you asked her, we only lived "5 minutes" from the church....however, that was only true if we made all the lights and never fully "stopped" at a stop sign...haha.

I took this same "frustrated" mentality into my early marriage. My husband didn't share my love for "timeliness" and would often wait until the last minute to jump up, take a "5 minute" shower (those don't exist) and throw something on for church. I would be in the car already in a terrible, anxious mood for church.

I couldn't understand why is was so tough. Wake up, get ready....it was the same thing every week. However, when you add gettting "little people" into the mix, your life just got a lot tougher. In addition, if you have kiddos that insist on picking out their own outfits, it can get downright insane...haha.

So after several unsuccessful Mass attempts and several years of messes, I have developed these "sanity savers" ......

Pick out your kids clothes the night before.....

We check the weather and lay everything out the night before. I mean...everything.  The girls typically hang their dresses on their closet doors complete with tights hanging, bows clipped, shoes on the ground, and underwear tucked around the hanger. This avoids any last minute..."I don't have any socks. or "I'm out of underwear" issues. It also prevents a certain boy from thinking he can pick out shorts in fall weather. However, Mini me did try to attend Mass this morning with brown sandals over black tights...good gosh. 

Bathe the little ones the night before. Have older kids shower before, if possible. 

My "mini me" has gorgeous curly hair...that needs to be brushed out and "set". I like to give her a shower on Sunday mornings or else she will definitely be rocking a ponytail.  However, my son and oldest daughter have straight hair and I will often have them shower the night before. The Fashionista likes to shower in the morning verses the night so she showers the same day too. The hubs and I are definitely Sunday morning showerers. Having three of my children shower the night before saves me time and hot water the next morning. It also allows them to go straight to getting ready.

Get up early and shower yourself.

Yes! Do this! You have to! I used to get up early and start breakfast for everyone. However, I realized that if I got up a little earlier and got myself ready....it was easier to make breakfast in my robe with all my undergarments on. I would put on my jewelry and lay out my clothes so I needed minutes to get ready. I don't want my clothes smelling like bacon so I will often put on lounge pants and a shirt but my hair and makeup is often done..and my clothes are laid out on my bed.

Serve a nice hot breakfast so no one needs to eat after they are dressed for church. Our family loves to attend the 11:30 Mass at our parish. Since we live about 30 minutes away, my kiddos can still sleep in til around 8/8:30...we can have a nice breakfast between 9-10:00 and head out the door by 10:50/11:00. Cereal or frozen waffles will send my little ones begging for a snack right about during the homily so breakfast is always eggs and some other kind of protein to keep them full.

Tell your spouse to "give you 15 minutes of time" before the time you need to leave. I have found that this fact was CRUCIAL when I had a baby or toddler. My husband would get ready and then find me for that last 15 minutes. Sometimes it was to find a missing shoe. Sometimes it would be to double check that I had a few outfits, diapers, and wipes for the diaper bag.....but often it was to help me put on a necklace or fasten my dress. If we were ready, he would pile the kiddos in their car seats so I could give the house a quick "tidy" before leaving.

Store a neutral bow and several ponytails in your purse.  This tip is especially necessary if you have a child that likes to pull out their bows. Several of my girls, I wouldn't even style their hair until we were in the parking lot of the church. If you keep a neutral bow like a white or a black, you are always good. Ponytails can help the worst of hair days....just trust me on that one. 

A couple of stored "mints" will prevent you embarrassment in one of your older kids "forgets" to brush their teeth. I would LOVE to say that this seldom happens but I have a preteen who is obsessed with eye rolling and anything remotely hygienic ...yep...we have turned to those mints to save embarrassment.

Take a deep breath as you get in the car. There is nothing more you can do. Anything that wasn't done...can't be done. Prepare yourself to meet the Lord and be present.

Most of all, try to put yourself at ease. Your kids are adorable even if they drive you insane getting out the door. And Lord knows, the other moms are too worried about their own child's hair to notice that this is the fifth Sunday in a row that you are rocking a ponytail.

Please see these tips for what they are....."sanity savers". I'm not insinuating that my family is "perfect"...sometimes we oversleep or have a late night on Saturday night and all my "planning" goes out the door.  However, we have several "sanity savers" to help us the next week.

May your Sunday become calmer and more peaceful.