Back to School Means Back to Early Mornings

Let’s face it. I’m not a morning person. Neither are 75% of my children. Only one enjoys getting up before 7 am and having her tea while watching something on PBS Kids or Sprout. I swear she’s channeling BOTH of her great-grandmothers when she does this. The tea also HAS to have a spoon to sip from. It’s hilarious. I would actually laugh if it weren’t so early in the morning, and I wasn’t dragging to get out of bed to teach the kids. Oh, I didn’t tell you. Next week, EVERYONE starts school, which means I start teaching, and I may not actually be ready for it. 

Getting back my morning routine after the summer is winding down is actually quite difficult. I love those long lazy nights with Mr. Houseful talking about everything under the sun, staying up to talk about any and everything. However, as we well know, all those long nights must come to an end. You know what’s amazing though? When I was a kid, I LOVED school – actually I still do. I just don’t love early mornings, and I look for anything to help alleviate that feeling, and turn me into the productive citizen of the world that I know that I can be. Double stars if it can do the same for my children. 

Cheerios is it. Mostly because we can all find the flavor that we like. Yes, I buy my children their favorite flavors of cereal to cut down on morning meltdowns. The ones from that senior in high school can be EPIC! Right, Nathaniel? 

Cheerios has been a part of our life for four children over. From using them as the first finger food, to having them as car snacks and comfort food in lunchboxes during those first days of school. They’re an integral part of the Nicholes and breakfast, lunches AND dinners in general. 

While he may not know it, I still worry a lot about Nathaniel. Even with him turning 17 this year, I worry. I worry that he’s not eating enough. That he isn’t getting out enough. That he isn’t going to school in the morning full enough. There’s nothing worse to me than going to school on an empty stomach. I remember this because I was just a high school senior 5 years ago. I don’t care what anyone else says. Knowing that this is the last year of him being in my home and me looking after him to make sure that he eats a balanced breakfast gives me a bit of the sads. I want to make sure that he is alert in school for these early days, but I don’t want to hover. Because hovering over a 17 year old has to be done inconspicuously. Good thing he thinks that HE is the one picking out the flavors that he likes. Good thing for me, I know he’s fed in the morning and I’m not sending my kid off to school in zombie form. 

Now for the bottom three (the loving moniker of my three youngest children) they eat Cheerios in copious amounts through the day as they are completing their lessons. Or they have snack bags filled with the iconic O’s while we are out and about on field trips. It makes for easy school days and afternoons. Just like their big brother and mother, they love certain flavors and we make everyone happy by buying them all. 

If I could give any type of tips about how to rock out back to school like the rockstar you are, early morning hater and all, I would say to just make sure that you have breakfast in the morning – and it doesn’t have to be hot – just like you see here. It can be a great bowl of Cheerios with milk (whole milk drinkers here, you do you though,) and a piece of fruit as everyone is heading out of the door or to the kitchen table for their studies. 

For those of you who are already back in school – congratulations for getting over the hump! To those starting after Labor Day – WE’VE GOT THIS!