I like to make preparations for the toddlers for the following day on the evening before.

Their clothes and their backpacks are prepared, packed and set out the night before.

Then, when we get up in the morning, we can eat breakfast, get dressed, and leave the house in an organized and timely manner so the toddlers can get to school and I can get to work on time.

Since everything is organized and prepared the night before, we should just go through our morning routine and leave for school and work without a hitch…

But no matter how will prepared I am, there must be thirty or more things I forgot to do or need to do as we rush out of the house and get in the car to leave for school and work.

Here’s what I mean:

1. Pour my coffee that I’ve been trying to drink all morning into a to-go cup and reheat in the microwave.
2. Look for Kaleb’s Goggy.
3. Look for Kenzie’s Nite-Nite.
4. Clean up the sticky spot on the floor that was discovered while looking for the Goggy and Nite-Nite.
5. Clean up the forgotten dirty breakfast dishes and leftovers from the table that were discovered while cleaning the sticky spot off the floor.
6. Rinse dishes, cups, and eating utensils that were put in sink after cleaning off the table; put them in the dishwasher.
7. Empty the kitchen trash containing the leftovers from cleaning off the table so that it won’t start smelling or attract gnats or ants while we’re gone for the day.
8. Feed our cat that keeps jumping up on the kitchen window sill so you will notice her and not forget to feed her again like you did yesterday and the day before.
9. Put the toddlers’ backpacks in the car.
10. Look for the school library book that you forgot to put in Kaleb’s backpack.
11. Reheat cold coffee in the microwave.
12. Gel Kaleb’s hair.
13. Fix Kenzie’s hair.
14. Go get a hair band or clip for Kenzie’s hair.
15. Fix Kenzie’s hair.
16. Tell the toddlers to go get in the car.
17. Tell the toddlers to go get in the car.
18. Tell the toddlers to go get in the car.
19. Yell at the toddlers to quit honking the car horn and sit down in their car seats after they actually get in the car.
20. Put Kenzie in her car seat.
21. Fasten Kaleb in his car seat.
22. Go back around the car and fasten Kenzie in her car seat.
23. Go back in the house and get the wooden spoon to threaten the toddlers with when they don’t keep their bottoms in their car seats.
24. Go back in the house and get different coats for the toddlers because it’s colder than you thought.
25. Go back in the house and get different coats for the toddlers because it’s warmer than you thought.
26. Reheat cold coffee in the microwave.
27. Clean their dirty faces and wipe their snotty noses that you forgot to clean after they finished breakfast.
28. Go back in the house and get a DVD for the toddlers to watch on the way to school.
29. Go back in house and get an electronic game for the toddlers to play with while they watch the DVD on the way to school.
30. Retrieve the forgotten cup of coffee from the microwave after being re-heated multiple times.

And now that I’m finally ready to leave the house with the toddlers….

31. Go back in the house and get the car keys to start the car.