I've got a big announcement to make today, but before I do, let me give the newbies a little background.
Last year, I did a photo shoot for Well Rounded NY with lifestyle photographer, Raquel Bianca to document my morning routine. Many reacted to the photos negatively. People thought they looked too beautiful to be a real representation of my morning. One mother even claimed they set too high of an expectation for the average working mom.
I said the beauty of the photographs surprised me as well— I was terrified to do the shoot because I thought it would expose my mornings for what they were— chaotic, disorganized and unenjoyable. But photographs stop time and show the little moments we miss— the snuggle you give at 6am when your kids invade your bed, the shoe you slip on your baby's foot with your foreheads practically touching, the smile you let escape when your daughter requests pancakes AGAIN.
I bet that if I sent the same photographer to any mother's home, she would find the beauty in their mornings too. To prove my point, I selected five mothers from around the NYC area, via reader comments— my main objective that different parts of NY were represented. Raquel and I did not see photos of the mothers, their families or their homes prior to the shoots.
Since we wanted the real deal with nothing stylized, Raquel arrived at 6am. The moms involved had no time to get their families in order even if they tried.
The goal wasn't to make their mornings look crazy or messy or comically awful. The goal was to show that even amidst the chaos and the crumbs, even when you don't pick up all the toys and you've got syrup stains on your mismatched pajamas, there is still beauty. In fact, the real moments, the ones that really represent your life and your family every day, are probably the most beautiful.
And that's how the "Monday Morning" series was born.
Ilona from Queens:
Annie from the suburbs of New Jersey:
Borami from Hoboken:
Teresa from the Upper West Side:
Jennifer from Brooklyn:
The series was tremendously popular and changed not just the perspectives of the mothers involved, but the perspective of many readers as well.
“Seeing these photos, along with yours, does make me realize that despite my own perception of the never ending chaos and the feeling that I'm doing nothing 100% well, from the outside things look pretty lovely. It also makes me remember that it's the precious little moments, so beautifully captured here, that we rush through each day, that are the ones that truly matter." – Jessica (real person, I swear)
The one complaint I got about "Monday Mornings" was that it focused only on moms from the NYC area. Readers wished more mothers from across the country were represented. I agreed. Only, I didn't have a budget to fly a photographer around the United States to snap photos. The only way I would be able to do that is if I got the series sponsored.
Well, today I am excited to announce a partnership with Allstate, an insurance company dedicated to protecting families and keeping them in good hands, who has generously agreed to help me continue the Monday Morning series and take it to other parts of the United States.
Can we all pause to let that sink in for a moment? I've known this for at least a month now and I still don't think I fully believe it.
We are looking for 12 moms in four different US cities (one city being Chicago since that's where Allstate calls home) with all different routines and backgrounds to feature their Monday Mornings on Mommy Shorts. The posts will be very similar to the five posts already featured in the program— Allstate has been clear from the beginning that they want me to maintain the authenticity of each post and not change anything I was previously doing for “Monday Mornings”. They even agreed to fly Raquel around so that I could use the same amazing photographer who made the previous posts so special.
Raquel and I could not be more excited about this partnership and I hope you all are too!
If you are a mother living in the continental United States and would like the opportunity to be featured in the Monday Morning series, please leave a brief comment below with:
a) the city/state you live in
b) the number and ages of your kids
c) any information you think might be relevant to your morning routine— what time you and/or your partner leave for work, whether your children stay at home/are in daycare/go to school/etc., if you work at home, if you have a baby on the way, if you are a single mom, if you have live-in help, if you have extended family at home, if you live in a small space, if you live in a colossal mansion, etc.
For full terms and conditions, click here.
Over the next few weeks, we will be working diligently to find the 12 featured mothers in our series. We are not looking to feature only people with extenuating circumstances— we just want a variety of relatable mornings represented.
As I mentioned, we are looking to find sets of three moms in four different cities. The only definite city is Chicago. If you want to up your chances, tell your friends nearby to enter!
A huge thank you to Allstate for making my dream come true and sponsoring Monday Mornings. It's been clear since we started working together, the series is in very good hands.
Come to Columbus, OH! I’m the mom of three gorgeous boys, ages 6, 4, and 16 months. My husband is a police sergeant and works 3rd shift, so he sleeps most days until around noon, so mornings (and def. Mondays) are usually my gig. I work part-time, and on Mondays I go in when my husband wakes up. With our split schedule, we don’t need childcare, so besides kindergarten and preschool, the boys are always home!
I would love to do this… 🙂
1. I’m in Pasadena/Los Angeles, CA
2. I’m a single mom and physical therapy doctoral student in Los Angeles but live 10 mins away in Pasadena. I have one son who is 17 months old, he goes to daycare in LA near my school.
3. I live in a house that is split into 4 apartments. I have a roommate who is also a doctoral student. But I do it all on my own! Things are so busy for us in the morning and I often rush to make sure both of our breakfasts and lunches are packed, coffee, things for the daycare, class assignments and computer . We don’t leave the house until 8, depending on the day sometimes a little earlier and sometimes a little later (depending on my class time). I leave the house with toddler and 3 bags, blankies, wet bag with cloth diapers etc… as we trek out to daycare. Sometimes the house is cleaner/and sometimes its a mess depending on if I have assignments the night before and have the time to clean!
Yay!! Please us, pretty please??!?
A) Redmond, WA. (Seattle area)
B) 4yo son, nearly 2yo daughter
C) My husband is French, he works and I’m a stay at home Mom. #1 attends two preschools, a French school in the mornings, and a public special ed class in the afternoons (he has SPD). #2 stays with me all day as we drive her brother around and run errands. We live in a small 60s split level home filled with ikea furniture so we won’t be heartbroken when the kids destroy it. We have a fluffy cat that loves my husband and I, has grown to tolerate the kids, and enjoys viciously attacking our visitors. I’m still breastfeeding my daughter and bring her into bed for nursing when she wakes up too early (which is most mornings). We usually aim to all be out the door by around 8. We’re often running late. My son is obsessed with making planes, helicopters, and cars out of Legos. My husband sometimes takes international work calls before leaving in the morning. I grow veggies in our back yard. We enjoy watching the many squirrels forage in our back yard while eating at our dining room table, and sometimes letting the cat out to chase them. 🙂
1. Baltimore, MD
2. Married, with two kids, a boy 5 and a girl 2.
3. We are both full-time working engineers and live in a 2-bedroom 60-year old house that we are desperately trying to fix up so we can get something bigger! I am an Aerospace Engineer working on finishing my Masters’ degree as well. Our son goes to preschool and our daughter to daycare, so two different places, one gets breakfast and one doesn’t, blah blah. Our house is a disaster and I feel like I never get in enough hours at work.
At one point my MIL lived with us too so in the master bedroom we had a queen bed, a crib and a toddler bed. Happy Family!
I really like this idea and think it would be a great eye-opener to participate in. Here’s my info:
1. Atlanta, GA (an intown neighbrhood, a couple miles from downtown)
2. One daughter- 20 months going on 20
3. My husband and I both work full time- I’m a professor and he is a consultant. We have a 3BR/2BA bungalow- just enough space for us. We take turns getting my daughter to daycare in the morning, and our mornings usually feel pretty crazy. I mostly blame my terrible hair. Luckily, I can work from home some days depending on what I am doing that day.
Excited to see the results!
OH, and I will cook you some good old fashioned (OK instant) grits and (frozen) biscuits if you come down here!
1- Kernersville NC (subarb of the Greensboro/Winston Salem NC area)
2- One 6 month old girl
3- In the photos of the previous subjects, they just seem to do so much in the mornings. I shower, get dressed and get my daughter ready in an hour. I feel its very quick and to the point. I dont have any play time really factored into it! And my husband doesnt really help right now because Im still nursing and theres not much he can help with. He does drive her to school every morning!
This is incredible!! Congratulations!!!!! And I’m totally game:
Pittsburgh, PA is where I call home (about 30 minutes north, actually!)
I have 3 kids: 4 y/o; 3 y/o; newborn (and two dogs that never shut up)
I work from home (online teaching) and my husband is a math teacher in a nearby high school. Husband wakes at 4:45, I wake whenever the baby wakes, and the older kids are usually up by 7. My son goes to school on Mondays, but not until noon, so our Mondays aren’t the frantic kind, just the chaotic kind!
a) Edmond, Oklahoma (suburb of OKC)
b) 4 boys: Will-10, Jamie-8, Ben-4, and Owen-2
c) I am a stay-at-home Mom and my hubby leaves for work every morning at 7:30. I get the bros up and ready for school at 7:45 or 8 and we leave at 8:30. The big boys are pretty good at getting themselves ready, but the little bros need some help! It’s really fun trying to potty-train the 2-year-old while making sure the 4th grader has his homework done! We would love to represent Oklahoma in your series!
We live in Arlington, Texas (in between Dallas and Fort Worth). I have a 9 year old daughter and a 10 month old son. I do customer service for a baby company and my husband is an adjunct community college professor. My daughter is in 3rd grade at the elementary school three houses down and my son goes to an in-home daycare. I get showers on Monday/Wednesday/Friday and I demand one on the weekends if we have places to go. 🙂
We’re getting ready to uproot our whole lives to move to Clemson, South Carolina in August so that my husband can work on his doctorate. So even though we’re in a cruddy rental home, it’s still home. Neither of us has ever lived outside the Dallas area and we have no friends or family anywhere near our future location. 102 days left.
1. We live in Atlanta, GA
2. My daughter is 7
3. I get up at 6am and we are out the door by 7. She goes to school, I go to work.
I think this project is amazing. Raquel is really fast with her camera!
This is great! Congratulations on the sponsor!
We live in Phoenix, AZ!
My husband and I have an almost 2-year-old son (June 1st), and a 6-month-old daughter. We are contemplating a third… 🙂
I get to stay at home with our kids, and my husband leaves for work by 7:00am. Our daughter has been the alarm clock for all of us lately. 🙂 My kids are both SO active, and my son loves to start his day by telling me he’s “hungy” for breakfast. I nurse my daughter during that time, and our living room becomes a disaster zone immediately, but it’s all worth it! I also try to manage my crochet and headband-making hobbies at naps (rarely happen together, though) and at night (on Facebook at the page Mama Mae Crochet). I love this time of life so much, though it is crazy!
I’m nominating my sister (with her approval. LOL). She lives just outside of Gainesville, Florida. Has three children: Abigale (8), Connor (7) and Jamison (3). Mom works a part time job as a substitute teacher. Dad just completed nursing school, will be taking the state boards soon and works as an EMT. They live in a 4/3 modular home on a 23 acre farm. The daily routine is to get up between 6-6:30 and be out of the house by 7 to head to school if mom is working. 7:30 if she is not. Jamison stays home with whichever parent is off of work that day and works on his potty training (which he wants absolutely nothing to do with). Daddy and Connor argue almost like clockwork every morning in an attempt to get out of the house and off to school. Abby and Connor are also responsible for feeding the chickens in the morning.
My name is Kristen,
1. I’m from Dallas, TX
2. I’m newly widowed, so I’m still trying to figure out single parenting of my 3 year old son, I’m also currently pregnant.
3. I live in a 4 bedroom house, with my son and our new puppy Chase. I wake up at 6:00am and after a quick shower I get him up so that I can get him ready and get let our dog out. It’s chaotic but I make it happen… My goal is to get him to daycare by 7:15 (I haven’t met that goal in a while lol). I’d like these pictures because they’d be the first pictures of our new life together… and I’m hoping to find some joy in what is usually a rough part of our day… Thanks!
You know what’s so weird about this? I had a dream literally three nights ago that you brought your Mommy Morning photo series to Los Angeles! So this obviously proves that we are telepathically communicating. Anywho, here are my vital stats:
1. Los Angeles, CA (Hollywood area)
2. Married Momma with a 15 month old little dude and a little lady due to arrive in July. I am a freelance writer who works from home, which basically means we live in chaos and I’m always madly rushing to make a deadline while simultaneously chasing a toddler. My husband is in the restaurant business, so sometimes he leaves REALLY early in the morning, and sometimes he works REALLY late at night. You never know what the day has in store.
3. We live in a duplex that is large by NYC standards (1700 square feet) but seems to get smaller and smaller with each loud and annoying plastic toy that enters our door. Usually my hubby gets up with the kiddo around 7am and lets me sleep for half an hour, and then we tag team watching and feeding the kid with showers and what not. If the Hubs doesn’t have to rush out the door, I help him with work stuff while our son eats breakfast. After my husband leaves and the munchkin goes down for his morning nap it’s a mad rush for me to shower/work on writing jobs/eat breakfast/load the dishwasher/not collapse from exhaustion by 10am. Honestly, it’s already a sh*t show around here, so I really don’t know how we’re going to handle another kid.
1) I live in the itty bitty town of Annabella, Utah.
2)I have one child, a daughter, who is currently 8 months old.
3)I recently cut my work to prn so I could stay home with her. My fiance works on the oil rigs and is gone for 2 weeks at a time, when he’s home he works as a mechanic.
4) 4 bedroom home on 3/4 of an acre.
Our routine varies depending on if I have to go to work, and if my fiance is home. Wake up is usually between 6 and 7, and first nap is usually at 9:30.
Charlotte, NC
A boy 2.5 yrs and 6mo girl
Husband usually gets up with toddler and leaves for work at 6:45am when I get up. Baby is sometimes up, sometimes sleeps in.
I stay at home. Husband is a teacher, though, so in the summer he is home, too. We live in a modest ranch home.
I’m in Berlin, NJ which is just outside of Philly. I have two daughters ages 3.5yrs and 10.5mos. I work from home 95% of the time and hubby works in an office. We scramble each and every morning to get ourselves and both children up, dressed, fed and out the door on time. Most days my hubby takes them to daycare/preschool and is late for work. Even if they get up “early” something happens to make us late. Our day starts with hubby in the shower around 7 and me rising when the girls wake anytime from 730-8. I should get up earlier but I’m usually too tired. Lol! I would love to participate!!! And I can only hope that if I’m chosen it’s not a day that my 3 yr old decides to do her best exorcist impression. Oh and we have a “dog”…he’s a shi tzu which is more like a cat that barks…but he’s the girls, esp my oldest, best buddy and adds to the morning chaos in his own way. The best thing about this idea is that I would have a chance at being in the pics with my kids instead of behind the camera trying to capture those morning moments.
We’re in Peoria, IL, about 2 hours south of Chicago. My daughter is 3.5 and my son is 1.5.
My morning starts at 4:30am with a solo trip to the gym, to be showered and home by 6:30am to get everyone else up, dressed, fed and entertained. My husband and I both work full time, and have to be out of the house by 7:30am to get the kids to daycare and us to work. Even with a daily routine, there are always surprises along the way, but mornings are usually a happy time. I love, love, love when Magnolia welcomes August to the day with “Good morning, Buddy!”, as she wants to be the first person he sees. I’d love to see what it looks like from the outside…
Forgot to mention that my 2 oldest go to school full day and my 4-year-old is in morning pre-k, while Baby O stays with me.
This is incredible!! We live in an eastern suburb of Cleveland, Ohio and I have two boys; ages 3 1/2 and 11 months. My husband leaves for work before the boys wake up (6am). I get up around 6 when the baby wakes up and older brother wakes up between 7am-7:30am. We need to be out the door by 8:30am for me to drop the boys off at my sister-in-laws who watches them while I go off to work. We live in a 3 bedroom colonial with 2 doggies.
This is amazing!
I live with my husband, 1.5 year old daughter, and beagle in Clarkston, Mi (about 30 minutes north of Detroit).
Monday mornings I am up around 6:30. I get ready for work (I am an adoption worker for foster kids). My husband stays home on Mondays with our daughter. We have a pretty crazy morning because so much has to be done in just a couple hours. Feed the dog, let him out, get Lily up and dressed, breakfast, I get all of my work things together,my husband has to get showered and ready for the day because he wwon’t have another free minute with Lily. Our bedrooms and main bathroom are upstairs, the kitchen, living room, dining room, and play area are downstairs. So there is a lot of up and down as we rush around the house.
a) Quincy, Illinois
b) 3 kids – Alex (6 1/2), Charlie (4), and Cecilia (2)
c) My husband and I both work. He takes the two little kids to daycare in the morning because it is located on the campus of the hospital where he works as an IT guy. Our first grader walks two doors down to my sister’s house where he catches a ride to school with my other sister who lives a couple of blocks away. I just went from part time to full time at my job as an economic development project manager so things are a little hectic as we figure out our new schedule. Mu husband is very supportive – we share kid/home responsibilities. We live in a historic bungalow that is always under some sort of renovation. We recently refinished our attic into three bedrooms (doing all the work ourselves on nights/weekend) so that we had more room, but we still share one bathroom and have an unofficial, kid-mandated open door policy. The boys always rise early 5:45 and head downstairs. Ceci usually wakes up and ‘nuggles with Mommy and Daddy before we pry ourselves out of bed around 6:45. Then, we scramble to make it out the door by 8am with cereal still strewn around the kitchen to be dealt with later. Charlie always “beats” Dad in the getting dressed race and Alex is learning to make his own lunch. Ceci spends the morning drawing next to the toilet while I get ready which is simultaneously cute and disgusting (I mentioned I have two boys who pee in that toilet, right?). But, alas, she’s a third child. Our morning is an exercise in controlled chaos. Not perfect, but we’ll take it.
How fun! And congrats on partnering with Allstate.
1) Cincinnati, OH (northern suburb of West Chester)
2) 3 kids…2 girls (ages 6.5 and 5) and one boy (3.5)
3) I’m a SAHM. We usually begin our day around 6:30. The 5-year old is our alarm clock. Husband is out the door between 7:30-8 if he is not traveling. Then we are out the door at 8:45 for the bus stop for the first grader and then to preschool 3 days/week for the other two.
There are so many great moms in Cincinnati – come visit!
1) We live in Boston, Ma
2) We have a son who will be 3 in June and a 15 month olf daughter
3) My husband is a Boston Fire Fighter and I work part time 3 days a week. 2 days the kids go to a babysitter and most Mondays my husband is home with them. Since he works a rotating schedule, almost every morning is different. Some days he would be getting off work as I’m going in and I need to get dress, kids fed and drive the kids to the fire station before I can go to work. I always have to check the news to see if there’s a late/big call that might keep him from taking the kids on time. Others we’re both out the door and some one or both of us are home. My children are also exact opposites, one wants breakfast right away and the other likes to eat an hour after waking up. Not to forget our 2 little dogs Spartacus and Bailey who add to the chaos.
a) Wichita, KS
b) one daughter, who will be three at the end of August
c) We (my husband, daughter, and I) live in a small-ish second floor apartment (seems smaller with all of our ‘stuff’) with a balcony. No family lives with us, but both our moms live within ten miles and my sister lives in the apartment complex next door. My husband and I get up at 5:30 to get him ready for work. We make coffee and his lunch, sometimes my daughter wakes up when we do and sometimes she wakes up right before he leaves (no later than 6:05 or he hits bad traffic). It’s a rarity that she sleeps later than that because she wants to see him before he’s gone for the day. After he leaves we’ll watch cartoons and wake up for the day, then we have breakfast (if the weather’s nice we’ll eat on the balcony) and read and color and depending on the day we’ll start our errands early as 8 (although sometimes we just chill out in our pjs all day, one of the perks of being a SAHM).
A) Southwest Suburb of Chicago
B) 17 month old boy/girl twins
C) My husband leaves the house between 5:30-6:00 am to get to his office which is about 1.5 hours away from our house. I’m an attorney in Chicago. I get up with the twins and get our mornings started until my sister comes to watch them all day around 7. My son wakes up anytime after 5:30 and his twin sister is usually up around 7. It is generally chaos every morning while I try to get ready for work and keep them entertained and out of trouble.
a) Charlotte,NC
b) one child, 3.5 little girl. Trying hard for a second!
c) I have to leave my house by 6:30 to get to my job on time for my 7th grade Language Arts job at a title I school about 40 minutes away. Often, I do it alone because my husband is a corporate chef and travels extensively. We live in a two story house in a cookie cutter neighborhood 🙂
I really love this!
a) Toms River, New Jersey
b) I have 2 boys (4 1/2 and 3)
c) Our routine is organized chaos. I am a teacher and need to get myself plus both boys ready and out of the house by 7:10 everyday. I drop them off at preschool and daycare before rushing to work in order to sign in by 7:33. My husband is a pharmaceutical rep which means he does not get up to an alarm. Sometimes he works from home or has to leave by 10 am (he usually doesn’t hear the craziness that goes on) I truly don’t imagine how because it can get noisy. Especially with all the crying and rushing around.
I am a stay-at-home-momma to three gorgeous girls, ages 4 months, 18 months, and 6 years old. We live in McKinney, Texas, which is a small suburb in the North Dallas area of the Metroplex. My husband is an engineer, and he works close to downtown Dallas. To help with the morning commute in he leaves around 4:30am most mornings, unless he has s meeting in a nearby town they do work for, and those days he will stay and help get our oldest ready for Kinder and take her to school. Most mornings begin for me between 5:30-6am, when the baby wakes up. I feed her, and then at 7 head upstairs to wake up my oldest. My toddler somehow always hears me coming, and if she’t not already awake, will wake up then. I grab her from the crib, and we all go in to wake up big sister. Then I head back downstairs with the babies, while she gets dressed. My toddler goes in her highchair and the baby in the swing while I make breakfast (and if I’m lucky, coffee!) and then after the daily battle of brushing hair, finding all our school things, and getting all 4 of us in the car, we (try to) head out the door at 7:30am. I would definitely say it’s more often than not complete chaos, topped off with a little grumpy sauce. The blissful days hubby is home, I get to cuddle in bed with both the babies while he does the morning routine. 🙂
What a wonderful opportunity!
I live in Chicago, Illinois with my husband, son and dog.
Our son is three years old.
We live in a two bedroom condo in a six-flat on the north side of the city. Our space definitely feels small at times. My husband is a pediatric nurse at the local children’s hospital and I am a consultant. I work from home three days each week and work from my office the other two days of the week. Our son is in full time daycare. When I work from home, I walk with him to daycare. When I work from the office, I drive him on my way to work.
A typical morning involves getting up at 5 am (I walk the dog; my husband showers, our son sleeps). I shower at 5:30 while my husband eats breakfast and gets ready to leave. My husbands leaves at 6am, which is when I wake up our son. Between 6-7, I feed and clothe our son, while trying to organize for my own day (could involve making lunch, checking email, emptying the dishwasher/doing leftover dishes from the previous night, etc.). I trip over the dog 6.5 times on average before we get out the door; she loves to be close. On a typical day, my son and I walk out the door between 7-7:30. If it’s a good day, he’s a willing participant and only cries/whines/complains 3.5 times before agreeing mommy (sometimes) knows best.
I’m really looking forward to this series!
Congratulations! I would love to have the chance to be photographed! I live in Indianapolis, IN. I have an 8 month old son. My husband is a nurse working the night shift so our mornings are pretty hectic. I wake up around 6:00 to nurse my son then we both go back to sleep. I wake up around 7:00 and start getting ready. My husband arrives home from a 12 hour shift around 7:45 and my son typically wakes up once my husband is home. I am a full time nanny so my son and I need to be out the door by 8:10. We are usually rushing around to get everything packed up for the day while trying to say hello to my husband for a few minutes before he goes to bed. We also have two large dogs that need let out and fed in the morning. We have an older 3 bedroom ranch in a small subdivision on the northeast side of the city. Thanks for the consideration!
1) I live in the itty bitty town of Annabella, Utah.
2)I have one child, a daughter, who is currently 8 months old, and two medium sized dogs.
3)I recently cut my work to prn so I could stay home with her. My fiance works on the oil rigs and is gone for 2 weeks at a time, when he’s home he works as a mechanic.
4) 4 bedroom home on 3/4 of an acre.
Our routine varies depending on if I have to go to work, and if my fiance is home. Wake up is usually between 6 and 7, and first nap is usually at 9:30.
Carrie cava live in st augustine Florida. Roma my baby is 1 (April 16). I am a single mother and a teacher so depending on when the shoot is I may not have to leave for work! We live with my two parents who Roma loves so much. When she wakes up sometimes my mom comes and cuddles with us and sometimes Roma likes to go outside and help my dad do “stuff” aka play in the rocks! I loved this project when you did it in NY!!!! So excited to see more shoots!
How fun!
a) Richmond, Virginia
b) 3 kiddos: 4-year-old girl and twin 2-year-old boys
c) My husband and I both work full-time and our 3 babes are in daycare. My husband is a special education teacher and leaves the house ~45 minutes to an hour before me, so he plays a big role in waking the children up and getting the twins dressed every morning. I typically dress our oldest and then take over as he is leaving with teeth, hair, breakfast and all of the other last minute things before leaving the house. Our morning routine is always chaos with everyone going in different directions – somehow we are usually all out of the house before 7:45 each morning, though!
a) Lafayette, LA
b) 2 kids: T, 4 & W, 15 months
c) I leave for work around 5:45 am (unless the baby, W, wakes up, and/or my older daughter, T, is having a rough morning). I have to be sure to wake up T before I leave so she doesn’t get upset. After I wake her up, I usually wake up my husband; he leaves for work after putting the girls in the car, usually around 6:45 am. Most of the time, T wants to get in the bathtub for a few minutes before getting dressed, & she wants me to get her dressed for school. She is in PreK3.
My mother watches the girls on Mondays & Wednesdays; my mother in law watches them on Tuesdays & Thursdays. They arrive at our house at 6:30 am. The grandmother & the girls are usually out of the house by 7 am.
We have a 2 story house: 2 bedrooms on top, 2 on bottom. Therefore, W has never slept in her “own” room/bed at night. At this point, she’s still in bed with me & my husband.
I am so, so excited about this! I can hardly wait for the next Monday Morning photos. I find myself wandering back to the series over and over again, and reminding myself to look for the beauty in my mornings with my daughter. Yay!
Congratulations!!
I’m a 35yo, first time, single mom from Rochester, MI. A suburb of Detroit. I own a home in the quaint downtown area of Rochester.
I work full time as an event planner for a local university. Cheyenne is in full-time daycare.
We start our day about 6am, momma nursing the little babe in our most peaceful moment of the day. It is then craziness as I get both of us ready and out the door by 7:30am.
Valerie 🙂
So, I know you are looking for mommies, but how about a stay-at-home dad – because isn’t “mommy” just another word for “the person who does all the work”!!
1. We live in Norfolk VA
2. We have a 13mon old and two cats
3. I am an anesthesiologist and leave for work before anyone gets up. I am also active duty military, and will likely be on deployment in the next couple of months. My husband was a chef, now he is a stay at home dad. His day starts around 7. What happens after that is variable, but he always seems exhausted by the end of the day 🙂
1. Virginia Beach, VA
2. We have three boys: 2 1/2 year old, and 9-month old twins.
3. I work outside of the home three days a week (M,T, TH) and my husband works from home or travels. The kids usually wake up around 6:30. I try to get out of the door by 8:30. On the days that I work, we have a nanny that comes over at 8.
1. Orlando, FL
2. I have one child (2.5) who goes to daycare
3. My husband and I both work full time outside of the home and my husband is currently in the process of starting up a lawn business, so he is working his full time job plus mowing lawns when he is not working. We live in a two bedroom home (which we rent)and is just enough space for the three of us. My husband leaves home about 6:30 every morning. I kiss him goodbye and go back to bed for about another hour to snuggle with our little monster. He usually wakes up about 7-7:30am and at about 8am is when we both start to get ready in order to be out the door by 8:30 so that I can drop him off and be to work by 9am. It is always a morning full of rushing, chaos and temper tantrums. Most mornings the temper tantrums are just his, but on really crazy days it is both of us that have a fit. I would love to see the beauty in my mornings.
Chesapeake, VA
My husband and I have 3 children ages 2,4 and 10 years old. I am a work from home mom who owns my own bakery and my husband is a manager at a major department store. We live in a “comfy” three bedroom and my oldest daughter is in 4th grade, my son is in preschool (twice a week) and my 2 year old stays home with me. We are currently expecting again as well. 🙂 This series resonated with me so much because I always feel like I’m not one of those moms who wakes up before the sun to shower or put makeup on, I cringe every time my alarm hits in the morning and definitely wish I had it all “together” but, a girl can dream, right?
1. Dayton, OH (not far from Cincinnati!)
2. Married. Husband is out of the door around 8:15. 2 sons are 2 years old and 6 months old
3. Stay-at-home mom and I watch a friend’s 1 year old who shows up at 7 am ready to play. 2 story house, with enough room for us to play and live comfortably
Winchester, VA
3 kids – 14 (boy), 6 (boy), 1.5 (girl)
I work two jobs, my full-time job out of my home and a small business in my home. My husband and I both commute about 65 miles one way to work. All mornings he’s long gone before the kids wake up which leaves me the glory of making sure we all get out the door somewhat matching. When I’m not working from home for both my jobs, I leave to take the kids to daycare around 730a then I’m off for my commute. When I work from home, I make sure the oldest is up and ready for school and I let the two left sleep in. It’s helpful because my middle one is in afternoon kindergarten so it helps, kind of, make things not to crazy. However I almost feel like the days I work from home, there’s so much more to do. Making sure they’re all fed and that backpacks and ready to go, I feel like I’m in a whirlwind all while making sure my youngest isn’t climbing up or down the off-limit stairs and making sure I still sprinkle answering emails for work. It really is the longest morning. Luckily, when the middle leaves for school at 1130a, that nap time for the youngest so there’s a little quiet time to actually work for a few hours.
My name is Alicia Greene and I live in Orlando, Florida.
I am a stay at home my with a two year old son.
Our morning routine is different everyday and usually not very structured or chaotic. My sons a great sleeper inner (I just made that word up) which makes things easier. We would love for you to come experience out so twines crazy and die times not so crazy mornings 🙂
We would love to be a part of this. The photos above are so beautiful!
1. Los Angeles
2. two little girls, ages 6 & 4
3. We live in a small space – about 700 sq. ft., with pretty good light and a small yard. My husband and I both work, but if this happens in June or early July, he will be on hiatus (not working). We have two cats. On many mornings our duplex neighbor/friend comes over to have coffee and play with the girls – she’s like family. Our drop-dead out-the-door time is 8:30am on a school day.
Thank you!
Woohoo!
a) Boston, MA
b) 5 year old (today!) girl and 2 1/2 year old boy
c) We all commute to work together – my husband, my two kids, and I. Our adorable dog Beatz has separation anxiety and therefore follows us around all morning. Matty and I usually tag-team the morning, but he’s usually stuck walking Beatz at 6 am, back by 7. Neither kid is allowed to get out of bed until their toddler clocks turn green at 7 am, and then it’s craziness until 8:30ish when we all drive in together. Our house is always a mess because I prioritize kids, food, and work over cleaning.
Fairport, NY
Twin girls, turning one in July
My husband works from home, I bring the girls to my moms 2 days a week and stay home 3 days. We just bought a new home-a 4 bedroom colonial.
1. Austin, TX
2. 2 kids 9 & 11
3. We currently live in a large house (3000 sq feet) in Austin preparing to move to a teeny house (900 sq feet) in a tiny town. I am a full time educational consultant who is married to an elementary school teacher. We are up by 5 AM & everyone is out the door by 7-7:30.
Love this Mommy shorts!
1.) Whitestown, Indiana (suburb of Indianapolis)
2.) we have 1 18 month old boy and 1 3 year old rescue dog. I am including the dog because they truly act as brothers (check out Instagram.com/carterandtoby to see exactly what I am talking about)
3.) our day starts around 6:30 when our son Carter decides to get up. My husband leaves for work by 7. He works full time and is also taking night classes for his MBA. So they are long days for this stay at home mom. Our mornings are unpredictable in the sense of how smoothly it will go. We try to get outside when we can. We live in a neighborhood that the houses are on a zero lot (very close together) luckily we have a lot of green space and parks to be able to run.
I am looking forward to this series being continued!
Chicago, IL
Single mom of three (17, 9, 3)
I’m up at 5:30am and we’re out the door by 6:30. We squeeze in a lot of activities in that hour. I’m in a decent sized 3 bedroom condo, our hallway is where we all run into each other.
1.) Fresno, California
2.) Sophia will be 23 months on May 9th 2014 and Luke will be 4 months old on May 10th 2014
3.) Sophia hates sleep and we are lucky if she sleep until 6am, Luke loves to sleep and is in bed until about 730 or when his sister decideds to jump around yelling “Lukey!!!” My husband is self employed which means sometimes we have great morning with breakfast together and I get to shower before he leaves or it means he can’t get to the office early enough so after nursing the newborn all night I get up at 530 with our toddler. I am a stay at home mommy and love it! I am home to make the best environment for the kids which means showers and getting dresses doesn’t always happen for me. We live in a beautiful eclectic neighborhood known as the Tower District.
I love Mommy Shorts… pick me!! 🙂
a. Timnath, CO (an hour north of Denver)
b. 2 boys, ages 3 and 14 months. 2 dogs and a cat.
c. We live in a 4 bedroom 3600 sf house. I work M, W, F and get to be home with our boys on T, Th. If it’s a day that I work, the alarm goes off at 5:45 and we are out the door at 7:30. The boys go to an in-home daycare in the neighboring city where my husband and I work. If it’s a day that I’m at home, we “sleep in” until between 6:30-7 depending on when the 14 month old wakes up. We usually lounge in our jammies for awhile on those days before we officially get going for the day.
Love this! I constantly compare my crazy mornings to others and it’s such a lovely reminder to see these pictures and realize there is beauty in everything. Here’s my info:
a) Chicago, IL. Specifically a little neighborhood called Roscoe Village that is full of young families. We live in a small, 3 bedroom condo that is pretty typical for the city.
b) We have one 3 year old daughter.
c) Neither of us are from Chicago originally, so we have no family support nearby. We both work demanding, full time jobs and our daughter has been in daycare since she was 12 weeks old. We are typically up by 6am to try to get ready before our daughter wakes around 6:30 or 7. Then it’s a hectic race of breakfast and convincing an independent minded child to get dressed and out the door by 7:30am.
Sunnyside, NY
1 girl 19 months
Thinking about number 2
We usually wake up at 8:30. Daddy gets home at midnight (he is NYPD) I am (mommy) pastry chef who owns my own custom cakes business. Since my husband and I have high demanding jobs I take my baby girl to work with me which is a BIG task. Trying to sculpt tiny figures and do complicated designs is hard to do with a toddler running around. I do get a lot of help from my parents though. We have a day to day routine and despite all the things to do we get it done (with some meltdowns from time to time) we are thinking about number 2 which is a BIG step and would need to move out of our 600 square foot apt. With all that at the end of the day after bed at 9:30 I like to relax with a glass of wine. I mean don’t all moms!
My name is Katy Corrigan and I am from San Antonio, Texas. I am a working mom with 3 kids- 1 2 year old little boy and identical twin girls who are 9 months. We live in a normal-sized home in a cute old neighborhood in the middle of the city called Alamo Heights. My husband is an attorney and I do marketing for a law firm. Our son attends a church school 3 days per week and we have a nanny who helps in our house daily. We also have wonderful grandparents who assist constantly. We are normally out the door by 8:30 a.m., unless someone is sick, which causes all hell to break loose. I write a VERY small blog for my friends and family called A Mom Divided http://amomdivided.blogspot.com, so that can also provide a small glimpse into out insane life. SO thankful for this wonderful series- it helps to know that beautiful chaos looks different, yet feels the same, with all families!
Oh boy, Philly, represent!
1. I am a mother of a daughter (another Harlow) who is 18 months old right now.
2. We live just outside of Philadelphia.
3. My husband and I live a pretty normal suburban life. We both work, he is a meteorologist for a local news station and I work full time for a software company, with the option of working at home or working from the office. So some mornings, I can go to the gym and take our daughter to daycare in my workout clothes. Other mornings the three of us are trying to get ready and get out of the door by 8 to take her to school. The battles begin with breakfast. Will she or won’t she eat today. Did you pack her lunch? Wait, we have to make her something. Start cooking! Who let out the dog? Is he fed? I need to brush my teeth, can you clean her up? (tee-hee, I got out of cleaning banana schmooze off of her again!)Oh, wait … Harlow needs her teeth brushed? Good thing I am in alligator wrestling training, because nothing can be more difficult than wrestling a toddler for brushing teeth.
Once out the door, we both take her to her daycare. It is something we have always done, we both drop her off and pick her up when our schedules allow. Apparently we look cute walking back to our cars while holding hands. 🙂
Now, all of this is dependent upon my husband working his normal shift and no one calling in sick so he doesn’t get called into work for 2 a.m. Then I rock the morning solo.
a) Denver, CO
b) We have one daughter, 15 months; one on the way, due in Nov. and a 10 year old English Bulldog
c) My husband leaves for work around 7am and our nanny comes around 9. We live in a little bungalow in the Highlands neighborhood of Denver, CO and we love it here! We are expecting a baby this November.
I always look forward to reading your blog; it is often a topic of conversation among our group of friends.
So excited about this!
A) St. Augustine, Florida
B) Children: Jackson age 5; Amaya & Anderson (twins) age 3 and a half
C) I am a stay at home mom with a small photography business on the side. My husband works from home on Mondays and travels around the state of FL Tuesdays through Friday each week. We had a house built in September and it’s 5 bedrooms and 4.5 baths. We wake up around 630am, have breakfast together and then we all walk Jackson to the bus stop around 735. The twins stay at home with me and I usually do a bit of laundrty or cleaning in the mornings and then we go to Yoga and then run errands. Sometimes we have go to a park or the beach, but it all depends on Mommy’s mood 🙂
It would be such a blessing if you picked us! Plus… you’d LOVE Florida!!
This is so great, I love the Monday Morning series and it really made me stop to remember all the little smiles amidst the rush of our mornings…especially those days where it seems all I say is “…hurry, let’s go!”
1. Saint Louis, MO
2. 4 kids…6,5,3,and 2 months.
3. My husband leaves for work at 5:00, so it is just me getting the kids ready for school. I wake them at 6 and they need to be dressed, brushed teeth, all medicines given, and out the door by 7. Our two oldest go to school and the two youngest stay home with me. I work from home part time and try to work when the kids nap or when my husband gets home from picking the kids up from school. We live in the suburbs in an average sized house.
Loved the pics of the NYC moms. Here’s my info…
a) We live in Little Italy, AR, just outside of Little Rock
b) We have 3 boys, ages 11, 7 & 4
c) 5 of us in a 2 bedroom, 1 bath house in a rural area outside of Little Rock. I’m up by 5:45. Everyone else is up by 6:30-6:45. We all leave the house by 7:15 if we’re lucky, but usually running late. We also have a dog, a rabbit, and 9 chickens.
COME TO DALLAS!!
My name is Laura Hernandez
I live in Duncanville, TX (suburb of Dallas)
I am a stay at home wife and mother of three
Ages 4 (half day at preschool), 3, 2 and one on the way in July. The oldest is a boy and the other two are girls. My husband leaves for work everyday around 7:15 to drop off my son to school and sometimes comes back home for breakfast before going to work. Other times I fix him breakfast. If I’m lucky I catch some extra zzz’s before the girls are up (lately the girls are up before I am asking to eat cereal) my morning consists of waking up my son, fixing his snack, brushing his teeth, dressing him up all in under than 10 minutes and minimal noise so the girls won’t wake. We live in a 4 bedroom home. I would love to participate.
I would love to be considered for this – My husband is currently deployed and 3 weeks before he left for 8 months, I gave birth to our “bonus babies” – identical twin boys who are now 12 weeks old. They join their 5 and 7 year old big brothers (that’s right – 4 boys!) and my
Monday mornings may be chaotic and rushed and loud, but they are mine and until my husband gets home I will do them on my own with a smile on my face. I live just outside Wilmington, NC – 10 minutes from the ocean. I drive my oldest to elementary school every morning, my 5 year old to preschool, and then I continue our day with my baby boys and our large and impulsive lab that gives the infamous Marley a genuine run for his money. Thanks for considering me and mine! I truly believe there is beauty in the everyday, the perfectly imperfect and this project seems like a great fit.
-Living in Virginia Beach (on a military base)
-2 kiddos, Olivia (2 years old) and Landon (3 months old)
-when I married my husband I knew I was marrying him and the military. A month after our wedding we got pregnant and our life has been a roller coaster ever since. I’m a stay at home mom running a small Etsy business out of my house (Livie Loo’s Bowtique). My husband reports to another base every morning to fly (MH-53E platform). I stay at home with my 2 kiddos and 2 yellow labs. No matter what time they all asleep both kids are up by 6:30AM at the latest. Occasionally we walk to the beach, right in our backyard and watch the jets and helicopters fly above us. We walk around the base, and if we occasionally get caught walking during morning colors we turn towards to closest flag in silence. Some might find it annoying but I find it to be a moment of peace in our hectic days. I love my “job” and it’s very rewarding. However, it has its challenges and there are times I feel like running and hiding (with a brownie sundae) in the closet to just have a moment to myself. Unless I “beg” my husband to take pics or pay for a photographer there are hardly any pictures of me and my children. Documenting a “Monday morning” with our family would mean the absolute world to me.
Hi my name is Hannah I’m 27 with two beautiful daughters. Reese is 4 and Arlie will be 18 months May 7th! I have the privilege of staying home with them. We live in Tulsa, Ok in a quite, beautiful tree lined neighborhood. My husband works 6am-5pm and meanwhile my daughters and I live and learn until he gets home.
My name is Colleen and I live in Junction City, Kansas; outside of Fort Riley. I have two boys – a three year old, and a one year old. I am a SAHM, and my husband is an officer in the army. We live in a single family home that has farmland in the background. My husband’s unit is due to deploy in June, but he will be deploying late because he has to have surgery on his shoulder, which needs time to heal. I’m not sure what his schedule will be like once the rest of the unit deploys. My son goes to preschool in the morning, and gets on the bus at 8:10 in the morning. We have a dog, and a cat, but the cat would probably be hiding. I’m not sure when you plan on having this series take place, but my parents will be staying with us to help out either the second or third week in June.
Honestly, the only person who is up in my household at 6 in the morning is my husband, but if I was chosen, I bet I’d be too excited to sleep! Also, if all goes well, I will be expecting whenever this happens. Maybe not showing, depending on the time frame, but expecting. Fingers crossed!
I live in the Baltimore, MD area. I am a new mom
to a 10 month beautiful baby boy named Benjamin. My husband and I are also parents to a 10 year old fur ball as well named Casanova. We both work full time. I work in the financial industry and he works as a car salesman. Our Monday mornings are sometimes filled with waking up late and trying to get out the door by 8:15 or morning giggle sessions in bed with little man and lots of love. I would love to share our story of how our lives as new parents, albeit working parents, have shaped our new lives and what we call “normal”!
1. South Salem, NY (We are in Westchester and while only an hour train from NYC it can feel like a thousand when you want to leave the chaos).
3. Three Kids (5, 4 & 4…B/G twins)
4. We live in a house that was too small when we had our first but at some point we have made it work and we love it even when we are ALL on top of each other. My little ones are in preschool 20 minutes from where my kindergartener goes to school and of course they start at the same time! I own and operate my own business (www.babynavbabyplanners.com) which I do from our home (or my car) and often race out of the house with everything the kids need as well as 3 bags for me and my clients! I try to make it seem like things are smooth and an easy to start to each day for the kids (hubby leaves before anyone wakes up) while my mind races with everything that needs to get done and I have even been caught running from room to room!
This is awesome! My husband and I have 2 beautiful children ages 18 months and 3 years old. We live in Oxford, MI in a small subdivision, in an average sized home! My husband and I both work full time but have a unique schedule where I work afternoons and he works the day shift. It works out quite well as we rarely ever need child care. Usually we are up by 8am and having “winstrument” (instrument) parades by 8:15! We would love to be selected.
I should also note that school ends in May, but my son will be participating in the extended school year program, which runs through most of June. The program starts at 8:30, but I don’t know when (or if?) the bus will pick him up.
1. I live in the northwest suburbs of Chicago (Arlington Heights)
2. I have three small children. A Daughter (5) and two sons (3 & 2)
3. We own a family business, so my husband is out the door anywhere from 3:30 am-6:00 am. Getting these little ones dressed, fed, teeth/hair brushed, and ready for public consumption, falls solely on me. My parents live with us too and they both work full time. We have family dinners every night (all of us) which is my favorite time of the day!
So there is a house full to the brim of 4 adults, 3 kids, and 2 dogs (but most of the time it’s just me and the kiddos).I shuffle to and from preschool, 5 days a week. I do all the cooking and all the cleaning for this hectic household, solo (it’s the least I can do with everyone working so hard). But I am home with our kids, which was our ultimate goal. We are remodeling the house (I’m typing this with blistered fingers from ripping up our floors) so life is straight chaos, but it’s the most beautiful kind of crazy!
Congrats on being able to extend the series, it’s such a beautiful gift for the families that participate AND for the rest of us to witness. Such exciting news!
I live in Clinton Utah
I have a 4 month old son Dominic and a 31 year old husband Armando 🙂
I work part time as an RN and my husband is a manager of a jewelry store. On days that I work I am up by 5am to nurse my son and pack his bag to go to Grandma’s house. My husband leaves for work around 8 so that he can drop off our son at my mom’s house- Gram gets to hang out with Dom all day for a few days a week.
I love my alone time with my son in the morning and I’m sure my husband enjoys his time too- we just aren’t there to document it for each other so I don’t think we take the time to appreciate it.
We live in Charlottesville, VA.
I have a 22 month old son and a daughter due in 6 weeks.
I stay at home with my son and my husband catches the bus to work every morning. Our morning routine is a lot of crazy. But ever since you featured this series, I’ve started to notice a little bit of pretty in our wild mornings. I would love nothing more than for it to be photographed!
1. I live in Halfmoon, NY – about 3 hours north of NYC.
2. I have 3 kids- ages 6, 3 and brand new!
3. My morning routine is crazy with a newborn, a 3 year old
and a 6 year to get out of the door and on the bus. I’m mostly a stay at home mom, aside from a little part time
work. Between trying to sneak in a morning run (mommy time) and caring for 3 kids of different ages… I’d say my morning routine is pretty hectic- if not comical to
some!
What a fantastic project! 🙂
Another thought: It might be cool to, instead of focus on three families in one city, focusing on three families in three branches of the military. Just scrolling through the comments so far, I’ve seen other military wives, so this is totally doable. And I’m not just saying that because Junction City is as big as a pin head. 😉
A. Dallas, Texas
B. Two children: Liam age 4 and Luci age 1
C. I am a passionate stay-at-home mom. Besides my children I am very passionate about food and using food too bring family’s together. I have started a small business where I prepare dinner for working moms so they can sit down and eat as a family stress free. I believe eating meals as family is a very important part of making a family healthy and strong.
a) Decatur, GA (suburb of Atlanta, GA)
b) Daughter 3.5,Son 11 months
c) Our mornings start with my on nursing at 5am then back in bed until the alarm or a child wakes us up (hardly ever the alarm) then we do breakfast with a very specific 3 year old required routine that ends up with her eating more yogurt directly out of the carton than she does out of her bowl and my son spreading most of his meal all over the dining room and my husband’s work clothes. I try to check my work email while everyone is eating. Husband leaves, then my daughter picks out an outfit that ranges from homeless looking to Easter dress special to fairy. Once she is dressed, she can play and she and her brother play super sweetly together, making my heart melt while I throw on jeans or yoga pants and try to brush all the teeth. Then hair time and backpack check and out the door. Upon our return, the baby plays for a little while then down for a nap and I try to work, workout and clean (ha). He gets up, eats a snack and finally gets out of his jammers. Then it is usually back to school to get his sister and the morning is over.
Hello!
1. Just outside of Detroit, MI (technically Ferndale, MI)
2. Married with one 7 month old daughter
3. Live in a 3 bedroom bungalow. My mornings are different every day. I work two days a week and my husband travels for work many nights and sometimes weekends. Some mornings he is home and able to help get me and the baby out the door and to daycare, but other days it’s just the two of us. Our day usually starts around 6:30 AM when either she wakes me or I wake her up to feed (still breastfeeding). If it’s a work day I will get myself ready and then get her ready for the day. If it’s not a work day we will slowly get ready for the day and just hang out and have fun. 🙂
There is beauty in every situation, it is just sometimes hard to see it when you are changing a diaper. 🙂
a) Minneapolis, MN
b) I have a 3 month old daughter
c)We’re a pretty normal family. My husband and I share one small bathroom in a 3 bedroom single family home. We have 3 small dogs to let out and feed each morning. Our daughter often likes to sleep in beyond our 5:45 am wake up call and we have to wake her up, change her and feed her before we leave. My husband works from home and I work outside the home. We both leave the house around 7:15 am so I can get to office and my husband can drop our daughter off at daycare.
Love this idea. I live in Dallas, Texas with my husband and 2 boys (Henry age 3 and Max age 6 months). After Max was born I left my full time working gig as a corporate Interior Designer to stay home with my boys. I do design work from home and started a blog to document this crazy journey (or map my spiral into insanity!) and to have a creative outlet. I would love to be a part of this. Best of luck in your search.
Congrats! That is so exciting! I live in Glendale, AZ (a suburb of Phoenix). I am a stay-at-home- mom, married with one daughter, age 7 months. I live in a one bedroom apartment on a medical university campus while my husband attends medical school. Our mornings begin at 5:30 am, sometimes start with a shower, and sometimes not! I look forward to seeing all the different Monday Mornings around the country!
This is such a beautiful idea! our family would love to be featured. We live in Novi, Michigan. I am a stay at home mom and hubby works full time. I have 3 boys ages 7, 6, and 4. Two of my boys are in school and the little one is home with me. We are currently in between the moving stage and are living in a cute condo and we love it, we are so thankful for the blessings in our lives even the ‘beautiful mess’. A hopeful mom waiting to hear from you. My names Diana Hacman im 29 years old
1. Issaquah, WA (suburb of Seattle)
2. 2 kids: 2 months old son and 2.5 year old daughter
3. I am a nurse, I do night shift and usually don’t work on Sunday night/Monday morning. My husband leaves for work by 6 or 7, we usually don’t see him most mornings. It is just me getting the kids up. My daughter is in preschool on Mondays until June 9th, then it is summer break. Getting them both out the door on Monday mornings is pretty hectic by myself. The kids are usually up between 7-8 and we are out the door around 9.
1) Michigan City, IN (about an hour out of Chicago)
2) one 3 year old son and 2 fur babies (dogs)
3) My husband, son and I live in a house that used to be the perfect size. Now, it’s a little cramped, but it keeps us close and I really like that. We get up around 6:15 to get everyone showered, dressed and out the door by 7:30 (that’s a lie. We’re supposed to leave by 7:30, but it’s usally closer to 7:50) My husband and I both work and take turns dropping our son off at his amazing day care.
1. Chicago – right in the city
2. SAHM with a 3.5 year old girl, 2.5 year old boy and 7 month old girl.
3. The 3 year old goes to pre school 5 days a week so we have to be out of the house by 7:30 to get her to school on time. My husband travels so sometimes I am solo. We live in a house that just fits our family of 5.
a) Chicago, IL
b) Abel, 9 months
c) Our routine varies everyday, depending on my adorable, yet opinionated, 9 month old. Some mornings are a breeze,and others are more difficult, as I imagine most moms deal wit h the same things. I leave for work at 7:20am/my husband leaves at 6:15am. Abel is in daycare, and I drop him off on my way to the office, which I arrive(or try to) at 8am. We live in a 2 bedroom apartment in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood.
I LOVE this. I definately struggle to see the beauty in morning madness!
1. Tulsa, OK
2. 3 kids, ages 6, 2, and 1
3. My husband and I both work out of the home. I am an attorney, my husband is a principal. My oldest attends kindergarten and my younger 2 go to daycare. Our mornings being about 5:30am and we are out the door before 7:00am. We live in a 4br house in Tulsa.
This so so amazing and I would love to be a part of this. I live in Great Falls, Mt. I live in a little house with my husband, our two daughters (five and three years) and our two dogs. I usually leave with the girls around 7:30am to go to my brother’s house where I watch my nephews and niece. Often times I get my oldest finished getting ready for preschool while caring for my 11 month old niece. My husband doesn’t have a set schedule and can either be gone that day or leave some where between 12am to 6am, or he may work from home that day. Our Monday mornings are chaotic and full of messes. I would love to have these moments documented though and be able to look back on these crazy mornings filled with rushed love.
1.Gilbert, Arizona
2. 2 year old Colton and 1 year old Addison
3. Husband is off to work at 7am and I am a stay at home mom. We live in an average house with 3 dogs (2 large one small). We have a respite provider that comes to help with my daughter and a therapist that’s here every week as well. We’re just a regular family with the craziness of two young kids close in age!
Denver, Colorado! I am a part-time stay at home mom with two girls, 5 and 2. The older one is in kindergarten and the younger stays at home. My husband leaves at different times each morning, sometimes as the kids are getting up, sometimes layer. We are usually yo around 6 abs out the door at 8:20.
a) I think our wild west hometown of Los Angeles, CA will nicely compliment your NYC area series, don’t you? SoCal is a realtively small area with a lot of different types of cities and families within it…win/win!
b) I’ve got my one kiddo, Delilah who is four, and my one husband, and our three dogs ranging from Chihuahua to 108lb Coonhound to contend with.
c) We’re late-ish risers, I’m up first around 7 so I can have some quiet time before the rest of the menagerie realizes it’s morning. I work at home and am in charge of the morning routine while my husband, who works for himself, usually does some morning playing or artwork with Delilah before he leaves for work while I try to get any urgent emails handled. Around 8:30/9 Scott is out the door and I get the kiddo and the dogs fed. Then we do our best to get dressed (hit or miss) and Dee and I hit the road for carpool to Pre-K around 10:40.
LOVED this series. It helped me take a breath and appreciate the joy in my mornings, too :o)
1. Columbia, SC
2. Mom to two girls – 6 years and 8 months
3. We get up around 6/630 and walk big sis to school around 715. Come home to finish getting ready to go to my job, where I work part time at a preschool. Dad’s schedule varies, so I usually just plan on doing it all myself :o)
a) richmond, va
b) an 11 month old girl and two grumpy cats
c) My husband and I both work full time outside the home. We carpool in the morning. We drop our daughter off together at daycare, which is nice. We live in the top floor of a duplex in a neighborhood of large, single family homes. We usually leave for work between 8:30 and 8:45am. It’s always mildly chaotic.
Hi, I’m in Biloxi, MS and I have one 18 month old son and two cats. My husband is active duty military (gets up at 5:00AM) and I stay at home, for now with my son. He’s an early riser usually as well and we spend a ton of time outside. We live on a military base.
a) Brookline, MA (basically Boston, MA)
b) 1 boy, just turned 1
c) Every day seems to be different here. My husband works full time and I work part time. We bring our baby to a nanny share in the neighborhood two days a week, and have family come one day/week. I’m with him at home the other 2 days. My husband brings the baby to the nanny at 7:45 Tues/Wed but our day usually starts at 6am. Tuesdays and Fridays are the trickiest since I need to get out the door to work as well. We have a great size, ground level apartment with two bedrooms, but never thought we’d be here with a baby and NO parking space, NO dishwasher and NO laundry. That’s probably typical for lots of families in the city, and somehow we make it work!
This is great lifestyle photography is a favorite of mine. I can never get my kids ready for a photo shoot so having them “allowed” to be messy is just what I need.
1. Boston, MA
2. 3 kids (with 1 on the way)
Oldest Boy – so close to 5
Oldest Girl- 3.5
Baby Boy- 1.5
Expecting Boy in July 2014
3. We live in two family house with 3 bedrooms enough space but wouldn’t complain at more. 1 bathroom (would love one more 🙂
We get up around 7 and I stay at home full-time with the kids. No nanny just me. My husband leaves for work around 7:15-7:30ish.
Hi I love this series and would be so happy to be a part of it!
1. Atlanta, Ga
2. We have two little girls. Livia (2.5) and Hallie (12 mos)
3. Unique info:
-I usually end up sleeping with Hallie in her Montessori style floor bed
– lately my husband is ending up with livia in the middle of the night
-the mornings see us jumping into Livias bed together for a morning snuggle very very early (my girls get up soooooo freakin early)
-dad leaves for work around 630a and I’m alone with the kids until help comes at 8a
-we eat bfast, get dressed a hundred times, have dance parties, I try get dressed decently if I have a meeting that day
-I run a speech therapy practice mostly from home but often have meetings
-hallie is giving us a lot of trout weaning from nursing and accepting real food- meal times are a struggle
-we are a typical loving, chaotic family trying to do our best. We try to be gentle parents and help our kids learn discipline lessons gently and with love
Hi 🙂 I am single mom in Sacramento, California
2. My son is 3
3. My son and I live in a single one bedroom apartment. My son typically gets the bed and I fall asleep on the couch where I do homework. I am a full time student and part time dispatcher so Mondays in my household are a crapshoot. I wake around 530 to get ready and wake him up at about 6:15. If I’m working my son has to be at daycare by 6:45 and myself at work by 7 am. If I have class then we are lucky and get leisurely get ready, and stroll into daycare by 7:15. Breakfast is typically the same (because he requests it not because I can’t cook haha) …consisting of toast with peanut butter and Jelly with crust cut off and a banana stuffed in a ziploc bag and milk in a thermos. If he still wants more his at home daycare provider typically makes him kasha (Russian pouridge …not the cereal). If I’m lucky enough my son will wake up and I am able to brush his teeth and wash his face. If not I dress him while he is still sleeping (which I assume is akin to dressing a mannequin at store..stiff and unweilding), pack up his breakfast, tooth paste, tooth brush, and my back pack all the while hoping my outfit matches and is not ripped and without stains and I didn’t forget anything. This is the nice summarized version of my morning, in reality I think it looks like chaotic tearful mess, but it’s my mess and I’m working on it.
I have absolutely LOVED the “Monday Mornings” series that you have posted in the past. I’m so happy to hear that it is being expanded across the country!
1. Minneapolis, Minnesota
2. Two boys ages 4 & 2
3. 3 days a week I am a full-time lifestyle/wedding photographer (the boys go to preschool those days) and the other days I am a stay-at-home mom. My husband is a CPA and is out of the house around 7:00 every morning. The days that the kids are home we let the boys play in the living room while my husband and I have a quick cup of coffee together before he takes off for work. After he is out the door the boys and I make breakfast, get ready for the day, and pack up the car to head to the lake by our house for a walk and a snack at the park. We live in a 1940’s home that is just a few miles South of downtown Minneapolis. It’s typically pure, beautiful chaos in the morning with monster trucks taking over our living room, Yo Gabba Gabba blasting in the background, and 2 brothers having a wrestling match on the couch.
Hi, this is amazing! I try so hard to focus on the beauty of my mornings with my kids, which can often be hectic considering they are both toddlers and like to go against all my efforts to get out the door in a timely fashion each day.
a) We live in Warren, NJ
b) 2 kids (boy is 2 years, 4 months and girl just turned 1)
c) My husband and I work and our children attend daycare. His schedule varies, so sometimes he is there to help, while other days he has left before we wake up. We live in a nice suburban home and I work in the city, so it’s really an effort to get myself and the kids ready on the days I am alone and still catch the train on time!