How do you cope with mornings, if you're not a morning person?

[harman]

Message withdrawn

[WideWebWitch]

I get a cup, put 3 teaspoons of instant coffee in it, put cbeebies on, give them cereal, (all without much conversation if pos) and retreat to the bathroom.

I'm so not a morning person. I think one of the hardest things about having children is being WOKEN as opposed to that slowly opening your eyes, stretching stuff you used to do pre children.

I suppose I have kind of got used to it now, 10 yrs in.

[flowerybeanbag]

If I've had a bad night or had to be up too early I have a shower and a ginormous diet coke. Works for me!

[WideWebWitch]

with the coffee, obv.

[KTeePee]

It might sound strange but I find it easier if I have to be up earlier than I want to be up even earlier, iyswim. Much prefer taking things slowly, plenty of coffee, etc than having to rush about....

[MrsBadger]

routine

do exactly the same things in exactly the same order every day

means you don't need to switch your brain on

[webmum]

same here www, tv on and a mug of instant coffe, after that I can make them breakfast and start talking........Must add that after 6 years and 2 children I ahve vastly reduced my resoponse time!!

I used to be unable to utter a word until at least an hour after waking up....

[ghosty]

You never get used to it do you?
I don't 'switch on' until 10am ... and I can't function unless I am showered and dressed ...
On weekdays, if I am to get them out of the door for 8.30am for the school run I have a very strict routine and they get NOTHING out of me until I am showered and dressed.
They wake up around 6.30am and NO breakfast is given until 7am at the very earliest (I won't let them watch tv in the mornings - otherwise I can't get them to concentrate on getting dressed, packing bags etc)
So, I set the alarm at 6.30am, jump in shower and do my ablutions ...
I refuse to be rushed and hounded for breakfast and they know it. Once I am sorted I can deal with them in a civil manner.
I have to drink at least 2 cups of tea before the school run.
Once I am back from school or have gone on somewhere after the drop off I have to have one cup of coffee and then my 'humanness' slowly begins to seep into my bones ... so around 9.30/10am I 'come to' ...

It has been like this for nearly 8 years now.

[Tigana]

Oooh the luxury of waking up rather than being woken....

[MrsJohnCusack]

I hate, hate, HATE mornings
even I, a total night owl, have had to start going to bed earlier (by that I mean by 10.30-11 - can't cope with any earlier) so I can cope with the mornings (and with DS partying through the night on occasion, plus DD's intermittent night wakings)
DD until recently slept until at least 8am which was bliss. Now it's 7 (often with a preparatory salvo at 6.20 when DH leaves for work) and I hate it, although at least it's a bit easier to get out of the door for morning things/preschool etc. now

But I don't think I will EVER be nice in the mornings, it's just not in me. am doing a show in a few weeks and will be out every evening for 11 days on the trot. I find it really difficult to wind down and go to bed after a rehearsal/performance so the mornings will be even worse....and I so hate the way toddlers get up with a hiss and roar, no easing gently into the day

[Hurlyburly]

After 9.5 years I think I need drug assistance.

[ghosty]

MrsJC ... My DS is like that ... he literally BOUNDS out of bed ...
DD takes a little while longer to rev up, maybe 5 minutes or so ...

[admylin]

I'm not a morning person, my biological clock is set to wake up at 8:30 at the earliest so that's not getting up and being ready - just wake up time. I hate getting up at 7am for the kids to get ready for school.
On my last day of 6th form where school started at 9am so I had to be up at 8am - I swore an oath never to have children later in life because I would have to get up with them for school all over again! I broke my oath and had 2 but only because I'd forgotten all about it, and to top it all I went and had them in Germany where the bloody schools start at 8am.

[MaryAnnSingleton]

I hate the mornings but make myself get up really early otherwise I feel as though I don't have a grip on the day - I especially hate getting up in the dark - it fills me wirth gloom and everything that I've been worrying about seems to fill my head at that god forsaken time

[TigerFeet]

God I hate mornings

I have to be out of the door by 7.50 and I hate hate hate it

DD is also not a morning person - great at the weekends as she sleeps till about 8-9 then is happy to slob out until lunchtime.

Hate, really hate weekdays when none of us wants to get up, we always end up running late then I am flustered when I get to work, usually a couple of minutes after I should be there.

I hate it. Can you tell?

[BandofMothers]

I am definatley NOT a morning person. I am a grumpy cow too. Just try not to shout or say anything mean til I've had my coffee/tea and woken up a bit.
I am used to it, I guess, just don;t like it.
The only thing that really works is going to bed earlier, but I hate to do that as it's my only time without them.

[IntergalacticWalrus]

I am not a mornin person either. I start work at 7 3 mornings a week, so I have to be up at 5.20 in order to have at least an hour at hom to drink tea and become half human.

If I am not working, I still get up at 6, so I can fester in the bedroom putting away washing whjile DP sorts the children, and then I can shower and come down and not look and feel like a swamp monster

[elkiedee]

I struggle at the moment. Morning isn't my worst time of day, afternoon is, I can get up ok and stuff. But at the moment, the way I like to wake up is only possible for about half an hour or so with dp's help. Coffee, reading etc. I probably won't even have that once I go back to work. I have lots of time at home right now but I can't quite do what I want to do - maternity leave with a baby of nearly 4 months.

I also find, though, that it's better to get up even earlier to make that time than to have more sleep and try and function without it.

[southeastastra]

i go out first thing if i can so my face has a chance to re-arrange itself into a human form. then sort myself out around 10ish. i must look a fright but don't care really. only old people about early

[SSSandy2]

Admylin, I have to get up at 6 now to get dd all the way over to that other school we're trying for 8am (maniac German school system). I have such a headache all day from it. Awful. Nine O'Clock starts are so much easier, aren't they? I yearn back for the days I could get up at 7, 6 is just disgusting.

[admylin]

just be proud of yourself for doing it, shows what a dedicated mum you are, I would have used that as an excuse not to even try that school!

[harman]

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[Novacane]

I don't cope with mornings, at all.

I have even recently installed a tv in my bedroom to try and convince DS (3) to snuggle till milkshake has finished (9am on terrestrial), sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. Am DREADING having to get up for nursery again......

but in my defence I do work 2 nights a week till after 11pm.......

OK i admit I am slothernly.

[mylastrolo]

coffee let the show begin