Little Girls with Braids

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Little Girls with Braids | Duluth Moms Blog

To all the moms who have the little girls in braids, I bow down to you because….

I am that mom who has the little girl in ratty hair. Hair that looks like it hasn’t been washed in days. (This is probably because it hasn’t been.)

I am that mom who is so grateful to grandma for taking the time twice a week at grandma and papa’s “daycare” to bathe and do hair. I’m grateful… even when grandma says “she better not have a rat’s nest when I get back!” before going on vacation.

I am that mom whose little girl goes to school in the clothes she picked out even though I already had a cute outfit on the bed ready to go. Luckily, as a teacher, I know it’s good for them to have the independence and confidence to pick out their own style of outfit. I just wish some mornings, she would just wear what’s out!

I am that mom who would love to have a cup of coffee in the morning, brush my kiddo’s hair, and put her locks in the most fabulous braid you’ve ever seen on Pinterest, but that’s not me. I rush in the morning. I wish school started at 11am and ended at 2pm. This way, I wouldn’t have to worry about alarms, struggle with kids who don’t want to get up early (on a weekday!), and we’d all be able to enjoy the morning. Who am I kidding? I’d probably still be rushing because we’d be relaxing until 10am!

On the days when my little girl does have braids that I have done, I love it. She loves it. However, I think that it is more about the time I sit with and focus on only her. Total honesty here: one day a few weeks ago, I was brushing and curling my oldest hair in the morning and we were not in a rush (What!!?? I know!). She turned to look at me and said, “Mom, you never do my hair in the morning!” It brought a little tear to my eye, as I said, “Sure I do!” But I realized I probably don’t do her hair very often anymore.

WHAT SHOULD I DO?

I know there are some of you reading this, saying to yourself, “Oh come on! Get up earlier! Make a schedule!” I know what to do. Here’s the list of how to get ready and make your kids look fabulous in the morning. (At least this is what I think the list would look like.)

  1. Pack lunches for everyone the night before, including a love note to be read at lunch.
  2. Lay out all outfits the night before, so there is not searching in the morning.
  3. Get up an hour earlier than the children, so that mom/dad can be ready and relaxed when getting the children ready and out the door.
  4. Wake up the children with a lovely sing song voice of, “Good morning to you!”
  5. Make them a hot breakfast and talk to them while they eat, going over the day’s schedule, while drinking coffee.
  6. Get the kiddos dressed. Sit them down and brush their hair gently, braid their hair, curl it. Use lots of bows and barrettes.
  7. With their jackets laid out by their already filled backpacks, help the kiddos put them on, followed by the boots and backpack.
  8. Walk them to the car, drive them to school, hug them and say, “Have a great day!”

Little Girls with Braids | Duluth Moms Blog

There. I’ll put it in my journal and hope it works. More likely, I’ll put it in my journal and giggle that people may think I’ll actually do any of it! I would love to… It looks so easy and lovely, but this is not me.

I am not the perfect house mom. If you want to come to my house, please give me a week’s notice or be OK with coming into a mess. My kids play hard. I should make them clean up everything they take out every time, just like at school, but sometimes it’s easier to just watch them play. Laundry is half done, ALL the time. What’s that you ask? It’s when the laundry is clean, but stays in the basket until it is needed for the next load out of the dryer. Dishes are not always washed after dinner. Seriously, I can hear some of you gasping, wondering how I can stand seeing them dirty in the sink! But I can also see some of you nodding your head in understanding.

My Pinterest boards are filled with ideas for my girls and their hair. I have job charts perfect for their ages. I have layouts that will be perfect in my bullet journal, to help with scheduling my “hectic schedule”. Sometimes, these will be used, printed, implemented, and sometimes they will not.

So to all moms like me: MOM ON! Our children are here and doing well. They come to us when they are sick and just need mom. They come to us when they need their fruit snacks opened. They will blossom to their fullest ability, all with the help of us, their mom. I love my girls. I love to play, cuddle, do hair (sometimes), color, and lots more with them. They love to do those with me, too!

Braids or no braids, we’ve got our own family groove. I know you do, too. Keep it up!

Little Girls with Braids | Duluth Moms Blog
Curled hair, brushed hair, just woke up hair… doesn’t matter. They love us!