It's Monday

Which means another week involving the morning routine.... 

I have adopted a military basic training style, which is wake them up with only enough time to get dressed, fed and out the door.  I do this for a multitude of reasons.

Reason #1:  It limits how much my darling Daughter can argue.  This happens in 2 ways, first, she isn't fully awake and in turn not in prime debate mode.  Second, she doesn't have time to argue effectively; as it is either fight and ride the bus, or get to school on time to do what she wants....

Reason #2:  If the kids are in a hurry, it limits how much they can screw around and complicate things. 

Reason #3:  They remain groggy through out the process, which makes it much easier to herd them.

Reason #4:  I am not a morning person, and I try to squeeze in as much sleep as possible before I have to get up.  I have tried to get up when Hubby gets up, but alas I have failed miserably.  Instead, I snuggle in deeper as the minutes tick away before I absolutely have to get up and get the kids out the door.

Now, due to my darling Daughter volunteering for Safety Patrol, I can no longer just send her to school on the bus.  AND, it requires us to leave the house about 20 minutes earlier than pre-safety patrol.  This does not bode well for my anti-morning mentality.

I have also learned that no matter what, my Darling Daughter must start off the day with an argument.  Having realized this, I have figured out I can at least control what we argue about; and with limited time baring down on us, I can also limit the extent of the disagreement and intensity.  This one took me a while, but I figured it out. 

I have also learned that along side necessary reading materials that include, but are not limited to the following:

What To Expect When You Are Expecting
Belly Laughs:  The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth
The Complete Guide To Childhood Diseases
How To Clean Anything
First Aid 101
and
The Bar Tenders Handbook

Every parent should also read Sun Tzu's The Art Of War.

I have it downloaded onto my smart but not talented phone, AND I pulled out DH's manual from college.  I intend to read, take notes and apply what I learn in a very deliberate manner.

I just want to survive the Tween and Teen Years.  So, I figure I should prepare myself for whatever comes up.  Take PreEmptive actions and prepare for all the guts and gore that come with raising a strong minded puberty ridden tween. 

I wonder if I can cross utilize this training for a zombie apocalypse?