Division of Labor--Morning Routine

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There's nothing like being out-of-routine to make you appreciate what a good routine you have going. That was the case yesterday when Hubby had to go to work early so I had to drop L off at preschool. Meanwhile, I've been wanting to do a little series on how Hubby and I divide up housework, childcare etc. We've been married for 12 years and parents for 5, so our routines and responsibilities have changed and evolved. If you've been here before, you know there's a lot that I don't have figured out. But a few things are working, so I thought I'd share. Today I bring you Division of Labor: the Morning Routine edition. Here's how our school mornings usually look:

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If you're new here and wondering why my 5-year-old is drinking bottles, it's a long story. Suffice it to say, he has a medical condition called Eosinophilic Esophagitis and he gets about half his nutrition these days from elemental formula, which tastes so nasty that he still drinks it from baby bottles. We're working on it. Feel free to follow our journey with the EE tab in my sidebar. To get enough nutrition to power through the school day, he drinks two bottles before he leaves.

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6:45am

The alarm goes off and Hubby gets up and wakes L. I stumble out of bed toward the bathroom. Hubby fixes 2 bottles for L and a sippy of milk for T (who is hopefully still asleep). Then he's "off duty."

7:00

I emerge and grab clothes for L and help him get dressed while he drinks his bottle, then I doze off in the chair till breakfast. Hubby makes himself breakfast (usually cereal) and eats by the computer.

7:30

I make breakfast for L (dry cereal, yogurt, bananas; occasionally oatmeal or pancakes from the freezer). At some point T wakes up and joins us; I eat too. It's usually during breakfast that I pack L's snack. And Hubby is in the shower getting ready for work.

8:00

Breakfast ends, L gets his 2nd bottle and I make his lunch. Once lunch is packed, I join the kids in the living room and get L's shoes on.

8:20-8:25

Hubby comes out ready to go. As he backs the car out, I help L get his sweatshirt and backpack on, hand him the other stuff he needs to carry and the boys are off to school and work.

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Hmmm, to look at this written down, it seems like Hubby gets off easy. But actually he has the toughest parts of the job: (1) getting out of bed first and (2) doing the driving and drop-off. If I do drop-off, then in the midst of the above, I have to dress T and myself. Plus, drop-off is kind of a madhouse, so I'm glad to pass that chore to him.;-)

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I am linking to Works For Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family, because this routine works for me (and the rest of my family, for the moment).

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How do your kids get ready for school in the morning?