DH doesn't start work till' 11.00am so he does the school run. I work from home and begin about 9.30. The school is almost 2 miles away through country lanes and they ride bikes. DD aged 9 has her own bike and DD aged 5 is on a tagalong.
Now...I do my bit...I get up first, make the packed lunches and help DDs with clothing and bags....I do their breakfast and hair etc.
DH gets up, spends ages making elaborate toasts (mini gourmet toasts) and then stands in the kitchen eating them while I do the last minute checks with the DDs. Then without fail, we all have a row because he's wasted a load of time and panics and gets grumpy because he's annoyed that one DD can't find her helmet or the other is moaning about her socks or whatever and we all spend the last 5 minutes arguing.
I HATE that he can't seem to get ready on time and he last night admitted he was too slow and said he'd change...he also suggested a good idea which was to stop blurring the lines of which parent was in charge, we'd sort of "hand over" when it came to coat, bag and helmet time....I thought this sounded excellent and tried to do it this morning and he STILL failed to get out for 20 past which is the time we them need to leave.
He always gets annoyed with one DD...whichever one is most grumpy or slow...and I get annoyed because if he wasn't so bloody slow himself, he'd have time to address issues with tight straps or cold hands!
What can i DO???
AIBU?
To ask you all how to make our mornings easier? DH incapable of timing things correctly
ICameOnTheJitney · 10/10/2013 08:53
The only problem with fresh onion - apart from a faff one can do without on a weekday morning/hurried lunch - is quantity. Recipes tend to recommend half an onion. And I only use one egg.
It is the only thing I use frozen chopped onion for, apart from when making vats of curry for parties, but it is a revelation in the simplifying department. I will confess to using frozen chopped coriander too but only because we always have it. The chilli I slice, gloriously, by hand
totally agree with you (and myself ) mumsyblouse. I give my DCs very hard stares when they say they want to sit with their friends who have packed lunches. The other option is to do what my mother did - she was also a single parent and she said we were allowed packed lunches but only if we made them ourselves and then - and here's the kicker - she never bought anything good to put in them .
Every morning we'd be hacking off deep-frozen slices from the cheapest own brand bread and trying to stick them together with some peanut butter (there was never any actual butter in the house) - by the time we came to eat them they were puckered and shrivelled and devoid of all joy - they were a sort of extreme mouth dehumidifier. No Wagon Wheels, no Monster Munch, no treats of any sort. Oh and we weren't allowed proper lunch boxes either (too expensive!). Just old margarine tubs and on one memorable occasion - soap boxes to put carrot sticks in . We got the message and went back to school dinners. She's a great role model for all working parents, my mum. I'm tempted to tell her about the gourmet toasts just for the devilment
Sorry to go off topic OP - you've brought back a lot of memories.
no doubt this is really irritating advice but as well as your DH sounding a bit precious, there seems to be a lot of work going on. Why are cardigans washed and ironed every night? I get away with as little washing as I can and I don't think my DCs look particularly scruffy (DS is in reception and, at just 4, is the youngest in his class but even he doesn't need his uniform washing and ironing every day). Actually I never, ever iron but that's another thread...
And perhaps you'd think this a bit extreme but DD has a bob because I don't have time to faff around with putting it up every morning. I'm not advocating you shear them but I wonder if there's some very high standards being maintained here that others on the thread (ie me) are just not even aiming for. Likewise, I don't want morning faff or any extra chores so they both have school dinners - no debate. Is there a reason you can't do this (allergies? cost?)
I am a single parent of two and work FT so give myself a lot of permission not to do some of the repetitive chores you seem to be having to get involved with.
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I agree OP. I don't think a 5yo could make breakfast and lunch themselves in anything like the time required and without a lot of faff / mess / stress especially given their dad's inability to do it sensibly 
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