As the alarm rang today morning I got out of bed without hitting the snooze button even once. Some feat, that! For a change I was ready to meet the new week, on this rather warm Monday morning, with a smile on my face. I felt well-rested and happy.
Forty-five minutes later the tiffins were done – snack and lunch, bottles filled with fresh water, milk glasses at the table and eggs beaten and ready to go on the pan.
Then I went to wake the children.
As usual they were reluctant to get out of bed, snuggling in deeper, begging for the last five minutes. I gave them ten. Finally they got up complaining of aches and pains like a bunch of old fuddy duddies —
‘My stomach hurts,’ said N.
‘Go sit in the loo and you can skip the milk today,’ I told her.
‘I sprained my foot yesterday,’ complained H as he made his way to the washroom with an exaggerated limp. ‘And I couldn’t sleep all night because I was coughing.’
‘Can you please write a note for my teacher?’
‘To excuse you from football?’ I asked, a trifle surprised since that’s his favourite sport.
‘No, of course not,’ said he, ‘I can manage football. Ask her to let me put my head down and sleep during social studies if I feel tired.’
No, I didn’t ask how he could play football with a sprained ankle. I refused to write the note, though because I figured if he could play football with a ‘sprained’ ankle he might as well sit through social studies too.
Instead, I sprayed pain reliever and wrapped up his foot in crepe bandage, smiling when he said he felt ‘better already’. I gave him his inhaler since the cough and wheeze were genuine. Meanwhile N’s stomach ache had subsided magically at the suggestion of the milk-holiday.
Finally after all the pains, real and imagined, had been taken care of, I could wave the kids off to school.
All it takes, to make a happy beginning, is a good night’s sleep.
How has your week started?
Wow! Such a heart warming post, Tulika. And your kids are so cute. Made me reminisce the school days where every other morning I had a reason to not attend school!
God bless!
Cheers
Geets
So true, that ! A refreshing sleep is the best stress buster ever !
My little one wakes up at 5:45 to get ready for school, and given that she's only four and a half, I need to make sure that she sleeps well at night to avoid the morning hurricane at home 🙂 I lull her to sleep by 7:30 pm , which leaves me with ample me time at night, before turning in.
A yummy sleep is what we all need.
I love the excuses, though. Nice to see the way you've handled them 😉 A milk holiday !( miraculous tummy ache reliever 😛 )!
Loads of love to the tweens 🙂
It's hard waking up the kids in the morning, isn't it? Somedays I feel sorry for them but then where's the option? Thanks for the love and sending some for you and your little one too. <3.
Oh yes! I appreciate the 'sleep' now more than ever; especially because of the health disorder I'd mentioned in my previous post.
Of course, Monday mornings are happy days for me too 😛 In fact, most weekday mornings are. I get some 'me-time'
You take care Sid. I cannot do without my sleep at all. Less than six or seven hours and I'm a zombie. I need 8 hours for a happy sleep.
Hahahah funny read – and well handled my dear friend:-) Those Monday mornings…. can be something – had my share of those…. still the joy too… of another day, another week. Wishing you a good week ahead:-)
Thank you Eli. Your comments are always so full of optimism. Thank you.
*takes down notes for new excuses to use* *evil grin*
Really, the social studies and football one was too good. I probably would have used the excuse to sit during social studies and escape football 😛
An awesome start to the week, indeed 😀
Ha ha Mithila. Some inspiration you've found!
Seems like a great way to start your week Tulika! With children it always is fun. I sometimes get serious with such behavior of kids though
Oh tell me about it! Most days I lose my cool. This morning was an exception.
Ah that's interesting. Kids and their excuses are sure wierd at times. The week did begin on a good note. Trying to achieve a yell free week… Hope it works this time.
So was the week yell-free? That would be quite some achievement.
Aha! That's a great start to the new week. You handled the hiccups so well, Tulika.
I had a late start, as I came in late from a workshop on Sunday night and then the usual chores and work reports /presentations/ con-calls etc. And the much needed post on the blog happened too.
That sounds like a productive day. Hope you have more of those Shilpa.
Hahaha this was fun to read. How calmly you listen to their excuses and cleverly work around it… That's a lot of patience �� I wish you have a good night sleep every day 🙂
I know. I was so impressed by myself :-).
Lovely Tulika!!!!Wish the rest of week is even better…Even for me Monday morning was fairly quite and happy…It feels good to start the week with positivity….
True Gowri. A week well-started is such a happy feeling.
True that, Tulika. A good night's rest is underestimated, and more often than not, completely ignored.
Only recently have I taken this seriously, and it has made a world of a difference for me.
Wishing you a week that continues on the great note it started. 😀
Thank you Shantala. Each day is so different and one never knows what the new morning will bring.
Wow! Lucky you. I had a terrible morning. The girls keep chatting all night long and then start their drama early in the morning. They woke up late, dressed up late and we left for school just five minutes before the bell rang. All in all, I almost escaped a heart attack. I really wanted to give them a nice one each, but I excused.
Uff I so know those days. Sending you hugs Rekha. Hope the coming days are nicer.
Haha..so good to read this, Tulika. Surely a good night's sleep and the ability to wake up when the alarm goes off is a great mood booster. Loved the kids' excuses. It's really funny how the aches start and disappear. I had a happy morning too as I was not rushing. Happy that there's a mid-week off too. Actually, realized it only in the evening that this is the Republic week. So yay!
I think the mid-week holiday makes us all relaxed.
Such a lovely happy post. My week started just okay but I am glad it is a two day week. Yes cos on Wednesday, I am off to team outing and then 26th Jan and then Friday planned off 🙂 So yay!!
I love a mid-week holiday. Hope you had a great one Parul.
Love your munchkins and the way you turned around their mornings too!
Didn't get much sleep last night but so far Monday has been good! 🙂
Touch wood to that. A good Monday often means a decent week.
This was such a fun read!:) Ensuring my Monday continues with a smile:)
Wishing you plenty of good night sleeps, Tulika !:)
Thank Mayuri. I've been trying to sleep early. That's helping in making happy mornings.