One morning in the life of mi casa

7:20 AM: Wake up with a start and start by muttering “$&*%”, I’m late, I’m late, I’m so late” much like the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland

7:25 AM : Teeth brushed, run downstairs hurriedly (stopping for 30 seconds) to wake DD up, very rudely, I might add. No time for “Good Morning Sunshine” today

7:26 AM: Downstairs, start boiling water for tea and on another burner, add a cup of rice to a saucepan, add 3 cups of water, a pinch of salt for the broccoli-cheese rice that will be DD’s lunch for today. Slice cucumbers, wash blueberries, grab a package of Vanilla yogurt from the fridge. Put cucumbers and blueberries and Vanilla yogurt in her lunch box. Toss broccoli florets with a little water in the microwave to steam them.

7:31: DD’s all changed and downstairs, ready for breakfast. Heat milk in the microwave for DD’s cereal. Pull the cereal box out – add to bowl, pour warm milk over it, hand it to DD, so she can get started with breakfast

7:33 AM: Check with DD if her school work’s in her bag, make sure that all her work is signed, forms that need to be turned in are in the bag.

7:34 AM: Add milk to the tea that’s merrily boiling away. Check on rice. Assemble rice, broccoli and cheese to make broccoli cheese rice. Put it in the thermos lunch box. Make sure to put a tiny Tupperware of shredded cheese in the lunch box so DD can add it to the rice during lunch.

7:37 AM: Slice the crusts off 3 bread slices. Melt cheese in the microwave to make a cheese sandwich. Pull Jam out of the fridge to make one jam sandwich. Assemble cheese sandwich and the jam sandwich and wrap them in foil. Add it to DD’s school bag so she can eat it after school and before music class. Simultaneously empty the dishwasher and start loading breakfast and lunch dishes in there.

7:42 AM: Yell at DD (that’s been happening every 2 minutes through all of the above activities) to finish her breakfast. Pack extra sliced cucumbers in a Tupperware box for DH.

7:43 AM: Run upstairs to yell at DH to finish his shower quickly.

7:44 AM: Yell downstairs to ask DD if she has her socks. No, she doesn’t. Grab them out of her cupboard and run back down.

7:46 AM: Comb DD’s hair. This is accompanied by DD yelling “Ouch, amma, it hurts.” and me  yelling “This is what happens when you go around suttufying like a pei (like an open-haired ghost). Yell, one more time or cry and I will cut your hair down to a bob.”

7:50 AM: DD’s hair combed, send her upstairs to brush her teeth and use the restroom.

7: 51 AM: Yell from downstairs asking DH when he will grace us with his presence.

7:52 AM: Gather DH’s wallet, keys, phone, laptop. Stuff the laptop in his backpack, put his keys, phone and wallet on the washing machine in the laundry room so DH can pick it up on his way to the car. Put the laptop bag close to the door leading to the garage.

7:54 AM: Strain a cup of steaming chai into a cup and put it on the washing machine

7:55 AM: DH runs downstairs, picks up his wallet, keys and phone from the washing machine, picks up his backpack, puts everything in the car. Comes back and picks up his chai and puts it in the car as well. Runs back into the house since he’s forgotten his lunch in the fridge (leftovers from last night’s dinner), picks it up and runs back out to the car.

7:57 AM: DD comes down, picks up her school bag, grabs her shoes and gets into the car

7:58 AM: DH and DD leave, with me yelling instructions about what DH needs to discuss with DD’s teacher, plans for the evening etc.

7:59 AM: Meera sits down with a cup of chai, heaves a sigh of relief and savours the silence

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