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.
I’m in Columbus, Ohio and an unexpected stay at home mom to a 10 month old son. I quit my job at the end if the year to take care of his complex medical needs. He had a liver transplant in February when he was 7 months old. Our morning routine now consists of giving him his anti-rejection meds. Some mornings my husband is here to help, but as a commercial pilot, he leaves for a couple days at a time. Our lives have been a whirlwind of medical challenges and we haven’t had time to have professional photos taken yet. With the stress of our situation we sometimes forget to slow down and see the beauty in our everyday lives. Especially since our little one has gotten a second chance at life.
LOL This cracked me up, being in Las Vegas I can totally relate to being out at the buttcrack of dawn do anything with the kids, or going super late in the evening to the park. And a park with a splashpad is a must
I live in Ohio with my husband, 18 month old, dog and cat. My husband leaves for work as I am getting up each morning. I try to get myself up and ready before my independent daughter wakes up and I then have to focus all my attention on her. Once we are dressed, we head downstairs to have breakfast together (where she obviously serves herself:/), feed the animals (code for dumps animal food all over the floor)and get lunches ready (she inevitably wants to eat whatever I am packing for lunch now for breakfast).
A) raleigh, nc
B) two girls, aged 5 and 15 months
C) I’m currently staying at home and my husband travels often. Sometimes mornings are rushed and chaotic and sometimes sweet and lazy. Though I feel like I never fully “get ready” and on many mornings my first 2hrs are spent feeding the kids and cleaning up. We live in a neighborhood of young families near the raleigh airport! I’m going to miss these years so terribly and the days become such a blur, I’d love to have just a few honest repsentations of how we truly live!
a. my wife and i live in Washington DC
b) we have boy/girl twins who will turn 1 this month (wow fast year!!)
c) We did both work and have a nanny, but I will be a stay at home mom in about 3 weeks. My wife is a professor at a local university. we live in a very modest row house.
We typically leave the house at 8:30 (having been up usually since about 6am). Now, I suspect my wife will be leaving around 9.
This is such an awesome thing you are doing!
We live in Garland, TX
I have one son who is 7 years old who we homeschool. My husband is usually up quite early and off to work most times before the sun rises. My son and I like to lay and bed and talk before we get up and do anything else. We start with breakfast, then we jump into homeschooling. We live in an apartment complex that is in a mall area. We love to take walks around once we are done and even visit our local, and within walking distance, Barnes and Noble bookstore!
Thank you for doing this project for the families!
a) Roanoke, VA (and bonus: there is an Allstate here!);
b) I have two kiddos, ages 2 and 4;
c) I get up at roughly 5:20; I go to the YMCA; I get myself good and tired before the day starts by working my ass off; I come home to my husband who may or may not have the kids up and eating; I get a huge welcome scream and hug from my son; I shower and he keeps me company; I get dressed and go downstairs, at which point my husband goes upstairs to get ready; I feed both kiddos, or finish what my husband started; I fix lunch; we all run around like maniacs looking for socks, shoes, coats, etc.; some screaming ensues; we all leave, with my husband taking one kiddo to the appropriate place before going to his job as the Chief Magistrate and I take the other kiddo before going to work as a legal aid lawyer. My 4 year old attends Montessori school and our 2 year old goes to a baby sitter. We live in an old single family house full of love and character in the historic part of town. We have two indoor cats (one with cerebral palsy and asthma) and an outdoor male cat that thinks he is a female cat in heat all the time. His name is actually Trixie because we thought he was in heat, but it turns out he is just a really, really vocal male! Life is good, and would be better documented through photos!
Thanks for the opportunity for this!!
So exciting!
I am a stay at home mom to 2 boys, 5 and 2. We live in a tiny rental house in Toledo, Oh., but are building our first home about 15 mins away in Sylvania that should be done mid July, early August. My husband usually leaves for work around 8 am and sells cars ara local dealership. My 5 yo is finishing preschool this week and will be starting kindergarten in the fall so the next few months will be full of packing, playing, summer camps, and zoo camp!
How exciting! I love this series.
a) Buda, TX (10 minutes south of Austin)
b) Two children- Emily (3) and Levi (2)
c) My husband works construction and is up and out of the house before the rest of us wake up, by 6am. My kids wake around 7:30/8. Some mornings I’m up before them to make my coffee or put dishes away, but I love the mornings when my daughter crawls into bed with me before we get started. We get my son out of his crib together, have breakfast, watch TV and get ourselves ready to go to the gym or run errands. We try to leave the house by 9 but it’s almost always closer to 10:30. We live in a single family home in a pretty normal suburban neighborhood. Our house isn’t perfect or professionally cleaned but it’s home and we love it.
I can’t wait to see the new photos!
a) Charlotte NC
b) 3 kiddos (2boys 1 Girl) Jackson age 6, Liam age 5, and Mallory age 8 months
c) We are still fairly new to Charlotte (moved here 2 years ago). I’m a general manager at a marketing agency and my husband is currently a full time student in the Nurse Anesthetist program (CRNA). So in other words I am currently head of the house for a family of 5! What! I know, I can’t believe it either. 🙂 Our revolving 5 year plan is just about to be completed again in December of 2015 when he graduates then it’s on to the next 5 year plan! Despite our current income situation, we rent a townhome in a nice area of Charlotte and are so very blessed. Though daily I feel like we are rushing through the morning to get to our landing places without so much as a glance at each other. I’d love to be proven wrong.
And just a hop down the road in Lexington, KY, is ME! I’m a single mom with an almost 5-yr-old, and on the mornings that she is with me, we try to be up by 5:45 so that we can be in the car at 7, drop her off at daycare by 7:30, and then I have an hour commute to work. That… does not always go so well. (Plus, my kiddo is the 2011 Evil Baby Glare-off runner-up, so you can get to see her evil morning face.)
Hi! I am thrilled you are doing this series again. I would be thrilled to be a part of it.
a) Jamaica Plain, MA (Boston)
b) A son, 26 months
c) My husband and I both work outside the home during the week. Our mornings usually start around 6:45 a.m. when my son wakes up in our bed. Somehow he ends up between us in the middle of the night! One of us reads books to him while the other gets breakfast. During breakfast, we skype with grandpa in Taiwan. This makes breakfast long and “getting-ready” time short, but worth it. My son will usually play with his trains or the chalkboard table while we clean up, get lunch ready, and get dressed. We walk to daycare with my son in the stroller and then I hop on the subway to work. We live in a rented 3 bedroom apartment in the city. My husband will be returning to medical residency this summer so he will no longer be around in the mornings to help – fingers crossed!
I loved the Monday Morning series. It’s how I first came across your blog. Who knows what sort of motherly advice I was desperately seeking at the time of that Google search, but the discovery of that series left me in happy tears (presumably just what I needed at the time).
We live in the suburbs of Boston, MA. We have 2 boys, one almost 4 and the other 15 months. Like your girls, they like to wake up at the crack of dawn. I try to wake up at 5AM and sneak out for a run before my older boy catches me in the act (it’s a 50/50 shot). Our situation is a somewhat unique in that I am a full-time working mom, and my husband stays home with the kids (poor guy). Because the kids are early to rise and early to bed, mornings are precious because that’s when I can spend the most time with them. Between 6-8am I try to balance getting myself ready for work, dressing the kids, making everyone breakfast, getting my older son ready for pre-school, dealing with the inevitable tantrum or two, etc. We also have a huge, goofy old golden retriever who happily accepts constant abuse (but the occassional hug) from the kids in exchange for all of the scraps thrown at him (intentionally) from the high chair. I feel as though 2 hours passes in 10 minutes because it is so chaotic. But it is the best family time of the day for me, tantrums and all.
I would love to see the beauty in my morning!
a) Baltimore Maryland (Suburbs)
b) 2 kids – Boy (2 years) and Girl (11 months)
c) Both my husband and I work full time. He has a two hour each way commute so he leave at 5:30am every morning. Which means it is my job to completely get the kids ready and out the door and still make it to my job at a reasonable time (I am totally failing at that last part). We live in a Suburb community. Beginning of June we are putting my son in a preschool/daycare which means I will have to add packing a lunch and feeding him breakfast to my morning routine as well. My daughter goes to an inhome daycare. I work from home with them on Fridays. Right now my routine looks like this: Hop in the shower between 5:30 and 6am (hopefully before the kids wake up). My daughter wakes up first and I nurse her. If my son isn’t up, I then change her diaper and get her dressed. If he gets up, I have to drop everything to run him to the potty. Perhaps I have to pull all the sheets off his bed. For both kids, I am usually digging through a mountain of clean clothes on their floor that I have just not had the time to put away yet. Take my daughter down the steps and put her on the floor. My son then typically wants to be carried down the steps so then I have to run up the steps before my daughter climbs up them (she loves to climb) and run down the steps with him. If I’m feeling up to it, I’ll just put one kid on each hip and carry them both down at the same time. I toss them in the playroom (former living room) and run around getting things into the car. Then I have to search for my son’s shoes and convince him to put them on. Heaven help me when I actually need to start putting shoes on my daughter as well! Carry my daughter out to the car with my son trailing behind. Of course as I am getting her in the carseat, he notices all his toys and starts pulling them out of the garage. So then I have to put all the toys back and grab him and put him in the car.
As a follower of MommyShorts, I am so proud of you and all of your successes!! I would (gulp) love to be featured on Monday Mornings.
a) We live in Altadena, CA (near Los Angeles)
b) We have 2 kids: a 3.5 year old girl named Annabelle and 1.5 year old boy named Samuel.
c) I am a postdoc working at NASA JPL and my husband is a stay-at-home-Dad (who actually works part-time in the evenings). On some days, I try to leave the house before the kids wake up, but other days I stay home a little longer to help with breakfast and then I don’t leave until 8:30-9:30am (depending on the chaos). We live in a small house (which feels like a giant toy box) on a lot with an even smaller house in our backyard; we have 2 cats (who feel neglected); the kids are home A LOT (hubby is not the ‘adventurous’ type when it comes to venturing out of the house with the kids), except Monday nights when I take them to storytime at the library.
I’m so happy to see the series will continue on. My name is Kate and I live with my two boys (3.5 and 2) outside of Seattle on a lovely island in Anacortes, WA. My husband is a Navy pilot and is currently gone (comes back in late June and then leaves again in August for 10 months). So I kind of have a single mom stay-at-home kind of thing going on. Our routine consists of getting up around 6:30a, breakfast, then we usually watch a video that daddy recorded (sometimes reading a book or doing something silly) or sometimes try to Skype with family on the east coast. At 9a, my oldest goes to a little preschool to pick his nose and climb trees with friends while I bop around with the younger one. Congrats on the continuation of the series! Looking forward to seeing the new photos!
I live in Woodbridge, Virginia – a suburb just south of DC.
I have three little boys, ages 8, 6, and 3. And a pet mini-pig. My husband is usually out of the house by 5:45 am, just as I’m stumbling down to the main level of our town home in search of coffee. I spend a little time to myself before the noise wakes. Time to myself is a precious commodity with my husband gearing up for deployment, and my youngest still at home with me.
Hi!!!
1. I live in wenatchee wa!!! Apple capital! East of Seattle.
2. 2 boys…9 & 5
3. I’m a stay at home mom, planning on homeschooling my boys next year. We’ve got chickens, a dog, 2 parrots…and several wine grapes. Our mornings are sometimes chaotic. I enjoy a slow paced; snuggle filled morning.
How cool! Love your blog. Your girls are ADORABLE!
I would love for someone to try and find some beauty in my mornings, because I really feel like our routine is sort of a hot mess. Here’s my info:
Jacksonville, FL
2 kiddos…an almost 4-yr old boy and a 15-month old little girl
I’m a stay-at-home mom. I love it…most of the time. Ha! My husband works full-time and leaves for work around 7:30am. He travels about once a month for work. But when he’s here, he’s pretty helpful with the first part of our morning routine. He helps get the kids out of bed before escaping/leaving for the day. My son attends preschool three days a week, so it’s up to me to get the kids fed/dressed/not looking like hobos before we leave he house to take my son to school. My two stubborn, high energy kids can make that a challenge somedays! We live in a smallish sized house. A dog and a cat. We’re a pretty typical family, so I would love to see what our mornings look like to someone else…in beautiful photos.
We have 4 children, ages 1 (girl), 7&8 (boys) and 14 (girl) . I work three days a week and my husband works full time mon-fri 8:30-5. We live in Muskegon, MI.i wake at 4:45, take the dog out, then leave to exercise. I get home at 6 and shower. Then get the boys up. Get ready while they get clothes on and whatnot. Then14!yr old does her thing. I get breakfast for all but the baby. My husband gets the baby up and dressed (in clothes I have pre-selected the night before. I take the baby to daycare then drop the 14 year old off at school. We leave the house at 7:30. My husband takes the boys to school and they leave at 7:45. Thank you for your consideration.
This is such a cool idea- can’t wait to see the results!!
a) We live in Cincinnati, Ohio (in a northern suburb)
b) Three kids: Twin girls that are almost 5, another daughter who is 2 yrs old, and one more on the way! I’m in my first trimester (yet already showing so it’s been really interesting trying to keep this a secret!).
c.) My husband and I both work full-time. My husband leaves at 6:15am which means I am left to get myself and the kids ready all by myself in the mornings. Awesome;) Thursdays and Fridays tend to be the most chaotic as all 3 kids go to daycare on those days and have to look moderately presentable. Mon-Weds my twin daughters go to preschool/daycare but the 2 year old stays with either my sister or mother for the day (usually at our home). I am typically told multiple times each morning that I am the “meanest Mommy in the world” because we are always rushing around in the mornings and never seem to have enough time, which usually leaves me feeling completely defeated by the time we actually manage to get ourselves loaded up into the car. I would love to actually see some “beauty” in our morning routine 🙂
Philadelphia suburbs, PA.
Two girls under 2 – and 18 month old and a 2.5 month old.
I am back to work and my husband took family leave to care for the newborn (Calliope Jane) as he did for our first daughter (Cadence Olivia). He is an amazing father and husband, an elementary teacher by day, and used to be a metal drummer before our girls arrived 🙂 he has no problem with being mr mom and has endless patience. I would love to show him my appreciation by having a photo series of his and Callie’s morning routine.
A) Springfield, MO
B) One child, male, 9.5 months old.
C) I wake up to get ready for work at 6:00 a.m. My morning routine varies depending on whether or not my son wakes up when I do (he sleeps in bed with me). If he is still sleeping I get ready quietly, if he wakes up I attempt to get ready while continually chasing him throughout the house. I take my son over to my neighbor’s house before I leave for work, as she watches him during the day. My husband is deployed to Afghanistan so I’m handling daily life without him. We live in a middle-class neighborhood just within city limits.
a) Sacramento, CA
b) Two children, Everett 3, Gwendolyn 14 months
c) I am a stay-at-home Mom, and my husband goes to work at 7:00 am. We are up at 5:45, and our morning routine is hectic! After waking up, getting dressed, and eating a small bite, the kids and I take my husband to work each morning, and then come home and begin our day. My children are at home with me, and do not go to daycare or school. We are in a small space (1200 square feet), with a ton of toys, pets, and a back yard that is constantly being played in. I do not work from home, just take care of my kids! Thanks for your consideration!
1- downtown Raleigh, NC. We live in a house my husband built and have chickens
2- one 3 1/2 yo daughter
3- I am usually getting home from work right when she wakes up on Monday mornings. I work weekend nights only in the pediatric ICU. Monday mornings are rough but I get the whole week off with her which is pretty great.
1. Yellowstone National Park, WY
2. 3 yr old girl, 17 month old boy
3. I am a stay at home/ part time work from home mom and i along with two other women run a non profit thrift store. My husband is a 911 dispatcher for the national park service and works nights, 7 on, 7 off. Our mornings differ depending on if hes home that week or not. Because my husband is an emergency dispatcher, we are required to live winthin the park boundary, and live in typical government housing. Because i work from home, im with my kids all day. Sometimes its easy to forget the special moments during the chaos.
We are getting ready to embark on a journey to spend the summer hitting different Renaissance Faires, Book Fairs, etc. selling my books. We will be near Louisville, KY, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and Holly, Michigan. I have four children, 8,7,5, and 2. Two of them have special needs. We will be living in a camper and tents. We will wake up at 7, get showered, stoke up the fire, eat breakfast, dress in our period garb, then work on school until lunch. It would certainly make for some fun shoots.
-Colorado Springs, CO
-2 kiddos; one boy who turned 3 today and a girl who is almost 5 months.
-I am a stay at home mom, working on starting my own business. My husband leaves for work very early, but gets home early and loves that time with the kids. We just bought our first home. It isn’t fancy, but it’s ours.
The pictures are so beautiful. I love this idea. As a former documentary filmmaker, I’m really excited about this.
A. Sunnyvale, CA (Silicon Valley/San Francisco suburb)
B. 1 daughter age 3.5
C. My husband and I both work full time at tech companies and our daughter attends Montessori preschool. We drive together and try to head out the door by 8:30am and bring our daughter to school on the way. We live in a townhouse community. I design, research, and create educational tech toys and games for kids.
OOOH, Please pick US!!!
a. Portola Valley, CA
b. 4 Children (4 year old identical twin girls, 2.5 year old son and 13 month old daughter)
c. Every morning is a different version of organized chaos at our house. My husband leaves at 5:30 am unless he’s traveling which is about 8 days per month. Our day starts at 6:15 am when the baby moves into bed with me and usually about 15 minutes later 1 or both of my 4 year olds. We all cuddle in bed until I am able to move myself around 7:30. Our 2 year old stays in bed until we go and get him around 8 am. We have a godsend live in nanny named Jessica who helps me with the kids from 8-5 everyday. We do breakfast together, get the kids dressed and prepare for the days activities at which time we part ways and our taxi/shuttle service begins. I work full-time as a partner in a hospitality company that does hotel management, asset management, hotel renovations and purchasing. My schedule is flexible so three days a week I am with the kids until around noon time and then I go up to San Francisco or to our various properties. The two days when I’m unable to be home in the mornings we have another fabulous helper named Alejandra. Please pick us, we promise not to disappoint!!!
a) St. Paul, MN
b) 3 year old boy, 17 month old girl
c) My husband and I both work full-time. We live in a suburb of St. Paul. We are all up around 7:30am. Once the kids are set with their milk, cheerios, and Disney Jr show, my husband and I are off to separate bathrooms for lightning fast showers, praying that the kids stay in one place and don’t destroy the house! Then we scramble to find matching pairs of socks and coordinated outfits to dress the kids in, realizing that we have 10 min until breakfast starts at daycare. Luckily, my husband only has to run the kids through our backyard to our home daycare in the neighborhood. I watch them skip through the yard while cleaning up the kitchen. All is calm by 8:30am when I leave for work.
Toledo, Ohio, 3 boys (ages 4, 6, 9) and I watch 2 more boys (ages 5, 8) each morning before school. Stay at home mom who on average walks 8 kids up to school and remembers to bring the just turned 4 year old home with me, oh the joy when he can stay and learn life lessons from someone else! After surviving 15 snow days (snowiest winter ever in Toledo) I feel my family can do anything! My husband travels for work so there are many days I am mom/dad all rolled into one.
a) Danville, California
b) 2 Kids – Poppy Ireland 3, Hudson Maverick 1.5
c) My husband and I both work. We are up by 6:30am, the kids are up between 6:30am-7:00am. We both have to get ready while managing both kids who need to be dressed, fed, loved, watched-over, entertained, etc. We have a nanny who watches them 2 days and a week and my mother in law 2 days a week – they both arrive at 7:30am. We are expecting our 3rd baby – Holland Waverly – at the end of August; quite the Christmas morning surprise!! We live in a small 1200sqft townhome that we remodeled while pregnant with my son so that we could add on a 300sqft loft where my daughter, Poppy, sleeps and is also part playroom. We are considering a remodel, again, since we have no room for baby #3… we have to be creative in order to make the house work a little while longer while the housing market is a bit rough. So, she may ultimately be sleeping in a walk-in closet converted to a nursery for a little while… we are maxed out on space!!! We also have 2 dogs (40 & 60lbs)who require a whole lot of attention, also. I make dinner every night – usually something for the kids and something separate for my husband and I and sometimes the mornings consist of prepping for those meals. I am a very hands-on mom and do a lot of DIY projects and make all sorts of things for them (clothes, toys, bedding, room decor, furniture, etc.). Our house is usually a bit chaotic since we are so cramped but we are trying to make it work!
How fabulous!
Chicago, IL (near downtown)
2 girls, ages 8 and 3
We both work full time, up by 545 am, I am out by 710 am, my husband and the girls by 750 am. (Late June until Labor Day will have me out by 615 am, and a sitter arriving by 730 am so he can leave.)
A) I live in Austin, TX
B) I have two boys ages 4 and 2
C) I am a stay at home mom and my husband travels or if he’s home he works from the house. My oldest goes to Pre-K so our Monday mornings consist of getting everyone dressed, eating breakfast and lunches made to get out of the house by 8:45 am. We also have a new puppy Goldendoodle which has added a new form of chaos to my morning!! This is such a great idea, makes you feel not so alone with all your chaos:)
A: Jamison, PA
B: 3 y/o daughter, 8 y/o twin boys
C: In a previous life, we lived in the suburbs of Chicago. My parents lived 5 minutes away. My in-laws equally as close. Our 100 year old remodeled and massive Victorian home held a lot of laughter, parties and memories. Last summer though, we took a leap of faith and accepted a job transfer out east. We landed in the Philly suburbs, temporarily renting a 3 bedroom townhouse that showcased perfectly in 1994 when it was built. Our mornings are an eclectic assembly of sorts…most weekdays, my hubs is traveling or already at the office by 6:00 a.m. (our waking up time.) I can get myself ready for the day by Elsa’s coronation. I drop in for a visit with Bunn, that provides me with caffeniated power. Then, I turn into a personal assistant and short-order cook, providing somewhat matching outfits and an assortment of nourishment to fuel Karadactyl, Thunder Pup, and Tiny Tim’s day. Bento lunches packed, Pokemon cards confiscated from back packs, hugs, tears when Frozen gets turned off, feed the portly gerbil, and requests for more toast from the humans. By 8:00 a.m., 2 of the 3 are off to the bus stop. 1 remains. The day has only just begun…”need more coffee, Bunn.”
Oops… Forgot – girls go to a nearby public school, we live in a single family house, summer will have a baby sitter and I will work a 4 day week to have a little extra time with my girlies.
I live in the mountains of Northern Arizona (@2 hrs from Phoenix so maybe you can consider me for grouping with a Phoenix shoot?!) because flagstaff, Arizona is this super cool hippy town sitting at 7k feet (near Sedona and Grand Canyon). Just the location alone should get you here…right?!? I have two boys, Zane just turned 5 in March and Van who was born Dec 30th. My 72 year old and very capable mother lives with me and my husband Jake (of 12 yrs). Mom and I come from jersey originally. She moved in with us 8 months ago after her partner died unexpectedly. We just moved into a big house (she has the furnished basement to herself) but she watches Van for us during the day while Zane goes to preschool. It’s awesome. I also work at home for a large healthcare company as a marketing manager. I travel occasionally. My husband works for a painting company. Start our day @5am when Van wakes us. If Zane not in my bed (ha!) he wakes up @7. I start work sometimes as early as 6/6:30 often working alongside my 5 yr old watching 4×4 trucks on YouTube and sometimes joining my conference calls and bouncing baby in my knee. Fun! Hubs leaves @7:30. My mother helps us tremendously. Life is crazy but we laugh a lot.
My husband and I live in Fort Collins, CO (an hour north of Denver), with our two boys. They both have birthdays in a few weeks and will be 3 years and 1 year old. I stay at home, and my husband leaves for work between 6:30 and 7 a.m. My husband gets our older son out of bed when he wakes, and I’m usually in charge of the baby since he’s still nursing. After we wave goodbye to Daddy, the boys and I have breakfast and get ready for the day. That’s usually an activity with friends or an exercise class for me. We live in an average sized house and have an awesome 9 year old Boxer dog.
My name is Kat and we live in Butler, PA (about 45 minutes outside of Pittsburgh). We have 2 girls: Julianya who is 3 and Karolyne who just turned 1 on Easter.
My husband Jon and I both work full-time; he is the store manager at Pepboys and I am a special education teacher with the IU.
Our Monday’s are the day I am in charge… alarm goes off at 5:30 and Jon is out the door by 6:30. I try to get my life together and pack lunches for myself and the girls before getting them up and moving. Anymore though, Juli is already up with me as she’s Ninja Toddler and sneaks into our bed every night. Around 7 I get the girls moving and we head to the sitters a bit before 8. Typically they go to a sitter on Monday and Friday, the grandparents on Tuesday and Thursday and stay home with Jon on Wednesday.
We just moved from a 2 bedroom, 1 bath ranch style house to a 6 bedroom, 2 bath 3-story Victorian in town. We’re not totally unpacked yet and we’re finishing the kitchen… cabinets come tomorrow and hopefully we will have a sink again by the weekend! Do you know how hard it is to NOT have a kitchen sink!? Suffice it to say that our days are incredibly hectic!
I’m so conflicted! I would love to be apart of this because the pictures are so beautiful, but I don’t know if I want the world to see that I feed my kids corn dogs and fruit loops for breakfast while they watch their iPads. Here’s a little info…
– We live in San Diego, CA.
– Daughter (5) and Son (2) go to school and daycare full time.
– Husband and I work full time from 8-5.
– I get up at 6 am and shower before waking everyone else up at 6:30 am, if they aren’t up already.
– My husband and I tag team getting them dressed and feeding them breakfast. Sometimes we forget to brush their hair and/or teeth.
– We are out the door by 7:30 am.
– We just moved into our house a few months ago and are slowly remodeling, so it’s a bit of a mess.
Thanks for considering us!
a) Framingham, MA (20 mins outside of boston)
b) 18 month old son, I’m 5 mos preggo, due in September. We (hubby, baby, and I) share our small condo with 2 cats, one of which is OBSESSED with our son (it’s very mutual)
c) we wake up around 6. I still nurse, and then we get going. Hubby and I both work outside the home, and leave by 7. 3 days a week our son stays home, (my mother comes to watch him) and the other two days he goes to daycare. Either way, the mornings are hectic, sweet, fun, and hectic.
I love this piece and the glimpse into other moms’ mornings. I would love to have my morning documented. I feel like I may wake up one day and not remember any of these moments as they all go by so quickly!
1)Westwood NJ
2) Stay at home Mom of 4 kids ages 6, 3 and twin 10 month olds
3) My Husband commutes to the city leaving around 7am
4) Most days involve me feeding, dressing and packing up 4 kids to drop off at two separate schools. Mornings are always hectic and I’d love to have some documentation of this time.
I live in Boston – sorta. The metro-west area in the town Dedham.
We have one child who is 9 months and have an almost 3yr old (going on puppy) black lab mix
I’m up at 4:30am to feed our dog and take a shower. Then, I get ready and walk the dog. Then at 6am I wake my husband and get our son nursed and dressed while my husband starts to will himself out of bed. I’m usually running out the door at 6:36 to catch my 6:46 commuter train into the city. With any luck while I’m in the mad dash to the train I will not suddenly realize
I’ve forgotten pump parts or my train pass or my house keys. Then still at the house my husband puts on music and finishes getting ready while our son plays in his pack n play or bouncer before the drive to the daycare (fulltime 5 days a week). The time the two boys share at home is most of their quality time for the work week since my husband is often not home for pick up and bedtime.
1. Fairfax county va
2. 3.5 year old girl and 3.5 month old girl
3. It’s just me doing the morning routine since my husband , who is a police officer works nights. Sometimes he makes he oldest breakfast when he first comes home and I the the baby fed and dressed.
This is such a wonderful concept and I would love to be a part of it!
Would be thrilled for a visit!!
I live in Charleston, SC ( daniel island to be more specific). I have 3 children. 2 boys ages 6 and 2.5 and a 9 month old little girl. My husband is a medical resident at MUSC, so his hours vary every month. He may have one week where he works 90 hours and leaves the house at 5 am and one week where he works 45 to 50 hours and leaves the house at 730- it all just depends on the service he is working on that particular month. We are so fortunate to live in an absolute paradise. I walk my son to school every morning- unless it is raining in which case, my mom or dad ( who live less than a 1/4 mile from our house) bring the golf cart over and I drive him to school. This is the best neighborhood I have lived in and is swarming with children. Would love for you guys to see it!!
suburbs of chicago, illinois! I have a ten months old daughter. I’m a stay at home mom and my husband has his own business. After a few years of infertility and lots of disappointing failed treatments we have our baby girl! I savor our mornings together, even though I am not always happy about the early morning wake up call. I usually bring Addilyn into bed with us and nurse her. This is the only nursing time she’s cuddly and sweet. My husband doesn’t leave for work until later around 8, so we get to hang out in bed for a little bit. Even if it means passing her back and forth and giving her anything to entertain her with. Her current favorite the empty box of ear plugs I keep on my nightstand. (snoring husband). I bring her out into the kitchen, fed the dog together, make a cup of coffee and drink it while I follow her newly crawling self around our house. I fed her breakfast and we play for another hour before her nap. Always both in our pajamas. It’s my favorite part of the day.
absolutely *LOVE* the monday morning series!!!!
A) We live just outside of Boston, MA
B) 3 y.o. boy/girl twins!!
C) I work full-time at Children’s Hospital and my husband is a firefighter and SUPER-dad! Fortunately, his schedule allows him to spend a great deal of time with the kids during the work-week. We live in a small home in a cute, new england town just outside of Boston. Mondays I do not have to leave super-early, so I usually try to squeeze in a little more time with the kids before launching into the busy week…
Would *LOVE* the opportunity to be involved in this fabulous series!
We live in Austin, Texas…live music capital!
I have two babies, a 22 month old boy and a 4 month old girl.
My husband and I are both currently not working, although my husband is working on an invention/business idea. Having two kids under two is complete chaos! The first 3 months were especially rough, but it’s getting better. Every time we bring out something for the baby (bouncy chair, swing, exersaucer) my two year old reclaims it as his, yes, even the exersaucer! We get through each day with a sense of humor, because I’m pretty sure otherwise we might fall apart! 🙂
1) Mineral Point WI (3 short hours from Chicago)
2) We have a 18 month old daughter, and baby # 2 scheduled to arrive in November
3) My husband Todd, daughter Hayden, and I live on a little farmers (20 acres) with our yellow lab Jack. My husband leaves about 45 min before my daughter and I. We strive to leave the house by 7:10 to do daycare drop and get to work on time. Our mornings are unpredictable, sometimes quiet and Hayden sleeps in and snuggles when she gets up….other mornings she is screaming for Mickey Mouse before she is out of her crib ( or our bed:)). Some mornings we eat pancakes, other mornings she has apple slices and cheese in the car. We feed the cattle and try to water the garden before we leave in the morning.
I loved the original series, and looking forward to seeing more of it!
a) We live in a single family home in Brisbane, CA (just outside of San Francisco)
b) Three kiddos! 4.5, almost 2 and 5 months…all boys!
c) We just moved into our first home in February, just after the baby was born and just after my husband started traveling Mon night-Friday night for work. Ugh! House is awesome (2700 sq ft, tons of sunlight, beautiful view), new routine is not as much. I work part time (Mon-Wed) and on my own for getting myself and kids out the door to my in-laws (sometimes they come to me). We don’t have to get up too early (7:30am). The day starts with a shower/bath for me and the two oldest (the tub is my babysitter), getting dressed, then upstairs for breakfast. Pack bags (don’t forget the toys!), and loading up the car. My nearly 2 year old wants to do EVERYTHING for himself, so that’s a bit of a challenge…especially since he also always wants to do what his older brother does. The baby just kind of hangs out…for now. Since my husband began traveling, I feel like I’m being pulled in every direction around the house and mornings are when I seem to feel it the most (don’t know how single moms do it!). I would be honored to participate and (hopefully!) see another side to those mornings.
We live right outside Boston MA. Both my husband and I work full-time; I work as a lawyer and he is a consultant. His schedule involves a lot of travel so he is often not around in the mornings.
I have two boys, ages 11 and 9. I would love to see the series include a family with slightly older kids since those issues are slightly different. It’s still chaos but of a different kind —
Is the homework done? Do you have the violin? Which permission slip/sports equipment/school activity do we need to be prepared for? I feel so lucky that my boys still want to enjoy the mornings with me. It feels like it’s slipping away as they get older and it would be amazing to capture this time. Good luck with the series; I’ve really enjoyed it so far.
Megan, age 27. Married with a 2 year old daughter, Leila Sue 🙂 Live in Otsegp, MI (midway between Kalamazoo, MI & Grand Rapids, MI.
We currently live with my parents (so far, nobody has killed each other!) while we complete the sale of our previous home. We’ll be here until mid-October, so our routine is a little crazy and rushed in the mornkng. My husband and I get up at 5:45am to get ready. This usually means passing a sleeping Leila off to my mom while I have 30 minutes to get ready, pack my items for the day – and then wake her up to get dressed. Then my husband and I carpool for our 1 hour commute to work. We drop him off at his car, I take our daughter to daycare (where I get 15 leisurely minutes of nursing her in the lactation room at daycare, and letting her slide on the gym before dropping her off in her classroom. I get to work at 7:45 every day.
I would love to see our a glimpse of our life from the outside looking in – especially at this juncture in our lives where our routine is a little pieces together and our family has been a little uprooted. My parents are wonderfully helpful, especially in the morning when Momma and Daddy are so tired and Leila Sue just does NOT want to wear clothes that day 🙂
Thanks for the consideration!
This is absolutely amazing. I love how beauty is captured in the “normalcy” of these pictures.
a)we live in a suburb of Tampa, FL called Wesley Chapel
b)we have one daughter, Charlotte, who will be 1 on June 18th
c)our mornings feel quite hectic. we wake up around 5:30 to get our day started. my husband and I both work full time. He works from home and I work in Tampa. Charlotte leaves for daycare near our house at around 8:00. I feel like we are always rushing in the mornings, but absolutely cherish the small moments with her…feeding her breakfast, getting her dressed, and having a few morning snuggles.
I am SO excited to see the finished project 🙂
Boston, MA
One 16 month old
Both the hubby and I work and we just switched over from daycare to a nanny.
We live in a high rise apt right in the city.
Please come here! When I first saw this series, I wondered how you could make my ragged hair and tired face morning face look good, especially while pumping and trying to answer work emails. Ha. We are now in a different stage of parenthood but it is still hectic and unpredictable.
Actually, come after work – the hubby works late and it’s even crazier then!
Oh, I didn’t even mention our routine – up around 6am so we can try to get in a work out, kid is up sometime between 6:30 and 7:30, and we are out the door whenever we can do it….8:30, 9, sometimes 9:30. In between I make breakfast, answer work emails, play with the kiddo, etc.
1. Mahomet, IL ….. 2.5 hrs south of Chicago….turn left after the 800th cornfield and we’re the fifth house on the right!
2. I have a 4yr old motor-mouthed son and a 20month double pig-tailed, double clenched fist ball of fire.
3. I’m a SAHM who was born a true city girl who was suddenly transplanted into the hill-billy hell of Central IL after her NYC musician husband got a tenured position at the university of Illinois. He works long hours and tours with a band during the summers so my summer job is SINGLE SAHM who is trying to keep her shit together while everything balances on the brink of chaos…. Oh did I mention that we thought it would be fun to add a crazy 9month old puppy to the mix?
Hi, My name is Michelle. I live in northern San Diego. I have a toddler, jude who is 18 months old. My husband is an art teacher at a local charter high school and I am a pilates instructor for Club Pilates San Diego. Monday mornings are one of the only mornings we have together, it’s such a lovely time as a family! Jude is up bright and early so we usually have breakfast together and play, then hit the park for a walk right before hubby has to go to work. Most other mornings my hubby does this all by himself and he’s awesome! 🙂
A. Tualatin, OR – about 10 miles south of Portland.
B. 1 Boy – just over 2.5 and 1 Girl almost 1.5
C. Stay at home Dad. We just moved from MN about 7 months ago and are soaking in everything we can on the west coast. We live in a 2 bedroom apartment. I (Mom) leave for work around 7AM each day and commute by bicycle. Dad gets up with me to put together lunch and pulls my bike out of storage to help me get on the road. We chat briefly, a kiss goodbye and I hit the road for a short ride into work. Kids wake up right around the same time- but I leave before they see me otherwise it’s a bit more difficult to get out the door. Dad gets them up, watches a couple episodes of Curious George, they eat, play and head out the door to run/play/visit the library or whatever floats their boat for the day:)
a) We live in Henderson, Nevada
b) Two kids, ages 3.5 and 5.5
c) I am a SAHM. Kids are out of school for summer until the older starts Kindergarten and younger starts preschool in late August/early September. My husband works outside the home.
a) santa monica, ca
b) 3.5 yr old daughter and 14 month old son
c) we live in a condo, i leave first for work then my husband takes my daughter to preschool when our nanny arrives.
First off, I thought your “Monday Morning” series was absolutely beautiful and I’m so excited you’re extended this opportunity to moms across the country. I’m a 28 year old mother of two (Tyson, 3 & Mila, 2 in July). We live in a 1400 sq ft townhouse in San Jose, California. My fiancée and I both work for Costco as managers and put in 45-50/week. We have opposite schedules which requires him to go in at 345am, leaving me to frantically get the kids ready on my own most days. Monday mornings are especially hectic Bc we wake up a little earlier than usual to take our 7 year old nephew to school. Then both my kids are dropped off with my aunt who babysits them from 930-2, when their dad picks them up. Here’s the thing, we all love out sleep in this house (maybe mostly me?) so I squeeze in every last second I can, which leads me to rush my routine. My poor kids probably hear me say “hurry, we’re going to be late!” A little too often. I actually might be embarrassed sharing what a chaotic mess my house is with two toddlers and a dog!
First off, I loved your Monday morning series and I’m excited your extending this opportunity to families across the country! I’m a 28 year old mother of two (Tyson Phoenix, 3 & Mila Corinne, 2 in July). We live in a townhouse in San Jose, ca. Their dad and I pretty much have opposite schedules and he leaves for work at 330am and I start work at 10. This leaves me to frantically get the kids ready solo most days. There’s lots of “hurry, we’re going to be late!” Due in part to the fact that I love my sleep and try to get in every second I can, which leaves less time to get everyone ready. Most Monday mornings I’m tripping over our dog and/or toys. As if our house wasn’t chaotic enough, Monday mornings we get up a little earlier to take our nephew to school. After that’s done, my two toddlers feet dropped off at a relative who watches them until dad picks them up at two.
Philadelphia, Pa
two boys: Skyler Cooper age 6, Liam Hudson age 3
Wake up at 5am to get a workout in, husband wakes to get work done.
Coffee, breakfast, juicing, make lunches…bathed, dressed and out the door by 7:55am
I live in Arlington, VA (just a few miles outside of Washington, D.C.) I have 9 month old twin girls, Elizabeth (Ellie) and Victoria (Vickie). We also have a 5 yr old dog Goldie, who of course also demands attention in the morning. I am an attorney in DC and my husband is a police officer in Arlington. He works midnights, so on a work night, he gets home at 6:30am. Vickie usually wakes up around 6 and it’s mommy time until daddy gets home. Then daddy plays with her while I get ready for work. Ellie wakes up between 7 and 8 usually. Her routine depends on the timing. I leave and our neighbor arrives around 8 am to watch the girls so that my husband can sleep for a few hours. Getting out of the house for me is always a scramble in the morning!
Please come to visit Philadelphia! I am currently a SAH mom but am looking to get back into the work force. My husband and I have two daughters, 4 and 1, and although our mornings tend to be predictable, obv when dealing with children I that can change in an instant. My husband walks our oldest to preschool a block from our home and if you don’t live in an urban environment where this isn’t the norm, there’s nothing sweeter than seeing the dads clad in their business suits dropping off the kiddies at city schools. Love love this.
Thanks!
We live in West Chester, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia. My husband and I have one daughter who is 17 months. Besides always running 10 minutes late, our mornings are actually very routine and peaceful (that probably just put us on the do not pick list, and jinxed me for life!). We get ourselves up and ready around 6 and make sure we are totally ready before getting our daughter up. We work together to get her dressed and ready, and the crazy mornings are when we get up and realize her diaper wasn’t big enough the night before and we need to do a tub as we are running out the door. The hardest part of our morning is remembering where we need to be because our daughter splits her days with family and daycare. We have always managed to get her to the right place so far! I am a teacher and by the time people get chosen for this contest, it may be summer break, but then you can just see us adjusting to a new routine, which is the story of parenthood!
a) Columbus, Ohio
b) two children (and 1 dog friend) a boy who is almost 3.5 and a girl who is almost 1.
c) My husband and I both work out of the home, me just a quick 5 minute drive from our home to work. To make the most of our days I get up around 5:00 to 5:30 to pick up, make lunches, get myself ready, and leave for work by 6:50. This is so I can get off at 4:00 and have enough time in the evening with the kids. Because of this, though, my husband is the one who gets everyone dressed and ready to go and out the door. I kind of would like a window into their mornings since I am not there while everything is going on! Our son is usually awake for me to kiss him goodbye, but our daughter sometimes is awake and sometimes is not. Thanks!
a) Philadelphia, PA
b) Just one kid — Milo is 18 months old. (Milo also has a sister-dog, Tundra.)
c) My husband and I are both civil rights lawyers (the kind that work a lot, love our jobs, and don’t make much money). We live in a classic Philly rowhouse in Northern Liberties that the previous owner (an architect) overhauled to have a more modern, open feel. Milo is in daycare. Our mornings are flexible/unpredictable — we aim to be out the door just before 8 and usually make it out the door around 8:25.
I live in small but fantastic two bedroom apartment in San Francisco, CA, have a four year old daughter and expecting another any day now. Our morning routine is about to be turned upside down, I’m sure of it. But I can guarantee this: someone will wake up earlier than any of us are ready for, someone will get fed, someone will throw a tantrum, someone will projectile poop on someone else’s precious something, someone will wake up looking like death warmed over, someone will drink copious amount of coffee, someone will have to drive someone to kindergarten in another city ACROSS THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE, someone will cry, beg or barter to get what (s)he wants like a lollipop for breakfast, someone will get hugged, someone will kissed, someone will smell like baby crack. And that’s all I know for sure.
This is amazing — I love the idea of distilling and capturing those moments we may miss in the rush of getting out the door. Plus i feel like i’m never in any of the pictures because i’m always the one with the phone/camera.
We live in Center City, Philadelphia, PA with our 17 month old and 2 cats (1 friendly, 1 aloof). We live in a modern (but messy) row home with about 1600 sq feet. When our routine starts depends on when our toddler wakes — anywhere from 6:30 to 7:30. My husband and I trade off — we are still nursing, so I take care of that and pick out clothes, then DH does diaper and dressing while I finish getting ready, and then we try to get out the door to get baby to day care and mom & dad to work. We are a no-car family, so going to day care/work means a 15-20 min walk with the stroller through 2 parks and right past Independence Hall and
the Liberty Bell. We are usually out the door by 8:15.
Best of luck with your project and thanks for shedding light on these lovely moments!!
This is amazing! It gives me such a new perspective on our hectic mornings.
We live in Philadelphia, PA with our curently potty-training, almost three-year-old boy/girl twins. The kiddos go to daycare, I work as a resident at a local hospital, and my husband is a graduate student in history.
We are all usually up by 6:30 and attempt to be out the door by 8. Usually I take the kids to daycare on my way to work.
Best of luck on this amazing project!
a) Seattle, WA
b) 1 human born 12/25/13, 1 puppy age 2
c) I work from home part of the week and also work at the office the rest of the week, which is pretty new for me. Managing a baby while working from home is sort of impossible, but I’m trying. My husband leaves at the crack of dawn (5:30AM) and baby wakes up around that time too. We have a nanny on the days I go to work. Our house is teeny tiny.
Looking forward to seeing the series!
I absolutely love this series! It is amazing to see how the little moments are caught!!
A) Ashland, MA (just outside of Boston)
B) one son, Matty, who will be 8 months old on May 16th who has a best furry dog friend Gunner
C) Both my husband and I work so we leave the house around 7:15 every morning and Matty goes to day care. Every morning Matty and I have to wake up Daddy in order to help him get out of bed. We don’t have a very long morning routine but I love the time it takes to get Matty fed and ready to go. The mornings are so important because I don’t get to spend time with Matty during the day. We would love to have our little moments captured!
This may be too late but worth a try 🙂
a) Wilmington, DE (outside of Philly)
b) Sienna, 2. Baby girl #2 due August 23.
c) We get up around 6 in our house. Our 2 yr old usually wakes us before our work alarm at 6:30. My husband leaves around 7:30 while I leave at 8-8:15ish. Our nanny or my mom usually come around 8-8:15 also- making it a super quick hand off. Sienna stays with whoever takes care of her for the day at our house. Our house is a 3 br split level, so not tiny but umm not a mansion either. I am a pediatric psychologist an work with kids coping with chronic illness. Hubby works for Capital One 360 (what used to be ING direct).
Our morning usually consists of stale cheerios crunching under my feet in my room as our toddler watches a few minutes of TV and plays in our room as I get ready, dirty dishes in the sink that stay there, and a valiant though sometimes failed attempt at blow drying my hair before heading off to work.
a.) I live in Morgantown, West Virginia.
b.) I have 2 little boys. My oldest is 4.5 and my youngest will be 2 in July.
3.)My husband and I both work full time jobs so our mornings start very early around 5:00am. Our boys are up by 6am and we are all out the door by 6:30am. They go to daycare nearby our home. My husband is in the US Army and is gone many days/weeks sometimes months out of the year. When he is home he is able to help out with the morning routine but when he is away it is just myself and those 2 ornery boys and 3 attention demanding animals! We don’t have sit down breakfasts, nor do we run around and play in the morning. It is quite choatic and sometimes rushed to get out the door on time but there are many moments of joy and smiles before we all have to go our separate ways for the day.
Love seeing the families and their homes – such different surroundings and people.
a) Westfield, Indiana (Helloooo suburbia)
b)three kids: 5, 3, 1 (Quentin, Josephine, Emmett)
Quentin and Emmett awake with sunshine pouring out of their chubby little bodies. Josephine, though, would make Ursula, Cruella de Vil, and Scar look like (insert the nicest woman you know – not the perfect mom, but that lady that ALWAYS looks on the bright side of things and never has a bad thing to say about anyone).
c)On Mondays, I get up at 4:45, ready to greet the week and do anything that I can before the kids wake up. Lunches have been packed the night before, the kitchen is clean, and I am able to grade a few papers before the kids wake up. My husband works downtown for more hours and farther away, so I do the kid routine in the morning. By Friday, I barely wake up by 6:45 and frantically rush around, trying not to trip on the many piles of clean, dirty, or semi-clean-and-not-sure-what-to do-with-clothes. The kids’ lunches consists of a few goldfish, a protein, and fruit snacks. I consider it a victory if the kids are in the car with matching shoes on. I barely make it in the doors of the elementary school by 8:00 to greet my 22 lovely third graders. 🙂 I also live in a modest two story home; new construction. Last thought – most of my husband’s friends are childless and single (by choice). Rob and I became parents after 3 months of marriage, do the math, and have never looked back. With his friends starting to inch closer to the parenthood thing, he always amazes me at how much of a pro he is. When Quentin was born, he had never held a baby. One fraternity brother, an out of towner, met with Rob to have drinks recently. He sat down and exclaimed, “Dude, you have THREE kids!” and proceeded to laugh for minutes. So did Rob.
This is so fun! I would love to be a part of this photo series. My husband and I live in Los Angeles, CA with our two daughters Stella 2.5 years, and Goldie 4 months. We both work from home, (I have a line of baby swaddles covetedthings.com, and he has a creative agency.) so we spend our mornings balancing, handing off, and taking turns with both kids. It is an interesting concept for people to see both parents highly involved in raising their children. We are a bi-racial family, which is also very interesting to people for some reason 🙂 If you want to see what we look like, my instagram is @CovetedThings xo
a) Hillsboro, OR (Portland area)
b) 1 girl, Chloe, will be 2 years old in June
c) I’m a SAHM (former teacher) with baby #2 due in October. It’s been a financial struggle, but I cherish my work in the home. Chloe usually wakes us up around 7, and it’s daddy’s job to get her up and changed while I make coffee and breakfast. He usually leaves for work around 9, but it’s flexible and sometimes he has a hard time dragging himself away. I think he’s the most excited of all of us for the new family member. Our house is about average size for this suburban area, roughly 1600 sq ft, two stories. Chloe is pretty shy around strangers, so I’m not sure how she’d react to a photographer in the house, but I would really, really love a chance to have these everyday moments documented without one of us always having to be behind the camera. 😀
What a wonderful project! We would love to document our beautiful, hectic, and all-too-brief mornings!
A) We live in Philadelphia, PA
B) We have twin boys, Linc and Teddy, who turn one year old on May 17th!
C) We wake at 6 in order to get ourselves ready before greeting the boys at 7 (or 7:10, when I am typically running morning bottles up two flights of stairs after rushing to make my lunch, make sure the boys have food for the day, and starting the coffee pot…and desperately wanting one. first. sip…). My husband and I each grab a boy and do bottles, change diapers (one on our changing table, one on a couch :)), and put on clothes (except now L likes to take off his clothes, this can be a fun battle of wills. FYI: your will is never stronger than a 12-month-old’s). We come downstairs and get a little playtime/book time and lots of kisses before I rush, always late, by 7:40. My husband stays with the boys, playing and feeding breakfast, until 8:45 (I would love to see those pictures. He is an amazing, loving, and super fun dad!). All of this with twins in our teeny Center City home 🙂
So beautiful!
We would love if you come to Philadelphia, Pa. We live in a south Philadelphia rowhe me with our girls ages 4&2. We both work full time and mornings are never the same. Some mornings I work out while my husband gets breakfast. Some days we all eat together. Some days we wake up and realize we both have morning meetings. Yikes. The girls eat breakfast at school those days.
The best part of the morning is the walk to school – the giggling, chasing and smelling the flowers sets an awesome tone for the day.
This is such a wonderful project! My husband and I have a little girl who just turned a year old, and we live in Nashville, TN. Both of us work full time and share “baby prep” responsibilities in the morning. She goes to a daycare close to home starting around 8:15 or so. The vast majority of the time, I leave the house sans makeup and put my face on in the parking lot before work. But we get it done, and somehow she is the happiest little girl I’ve ever seen. No matter what’s going on, she has big, wide smiles for everyone and lots of sweet hugs and kisses. I’m excited to see how the project develops!
a) Chicago, IL (lincoln park)
b) 3 kids – Alana (7), Risa (3.5), and Ava (7 months)
c) Our mornings always feel very chaotic and rushed to me! we live in a 4 story townhome, but most of the activity occurs in our bedroom or on the 2nd floor in the kitchen. Our kids usually wake up around 7 or 7:30, my husband is usually out the door between 8 and 8:15, unless he takes our oldest to school by 8:30-8:35. I am out the door by 8:40 to drop off our oldest at school, and sometimes to take our middle to preschool and then head to work. We have a nanny that arrives at 8:00 am monday through thursday; I am off work on fridays and have all 3 kids to get to school etc. Our middle child goes to preschool 3 days a week by 9:00 a.m.
I totally agree with you. My husband is the one who get sup and gets the kids ready for school most every morning, so I can sleep an extra 45 min utes in the morning.
a) Evanston, IL
b) 8 month old baby girl
c) My husband travels for work Mondays-Thursdays so I am a SAHM. We live in a small 2 bedroom apartment in downtown Evanston. Our morning routine starts at 7 when she wakes up and consists of feedings, diaper changes, and lots of playtime at home!
Hi Shaneka!
Can you please email me? ilana@mommyshorts.com. Thanks so much and I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Hi Kristin!
We don’t have an email address to reach you…but can you please email ilana@mommyshorts.com as soon as possible? Thanks and we look forward to hearing from you!
Hi Kristin!
Sorry, I should have mentioned that we would love for you to be part of the Monday Mornings series and just need an email to contact you. Please email ilana@mommyshorts.com. Thanks!
I love this! I cannot wait to see these!
a) Huntersville, NC (next to Charlotte)
b) Boy, 15 months (with two dogs and a cat^_^)
c) My husband and I work together for the same company, so we all get ready and leave together. We are a great team and it’s fun and easy to be on the same schedule. Our day really begins around 6am and we leave for work at around 7:15am. Our little boy goes to daycare, which also makes it fun that both of us are there to say good-bye when we drop him off.
Now you need to make this international because you have fans overseas, too! Wanna come to Australia? 😉
Howdy from the ROWDY twins!
A:) We live in Loxahatchee, FL (West Palm Beach)
B:) I am a stay at home mom with 8 month old mono mono twin girls who share an incredible bond that is already undeniable.
C:) We live in a comfortable 3/2 in the middle of no where. My husband travels a lot for work so we are blessed to have a lot of family and friends who have helped me with the girls. We have been through it all: 8 week hospital stay before their birth, 11 days in the NICU, colic, reflux, gas issues, and now we are working on teething and separation anxiety at bed time 🙂 to say things are chaotic would be an understatement, but it’s a whole lot of love and I wouldn’t change it for the world! It helps that the girls are absolutely beautiful 🙂
When my husband is at home, he leaves the house by 6am for work, and the girls wake up sometime between then and 7am. They get their reflux medicine in the mornings as soon as they wake up and play with each other before breakfast. 2-3 hours later is the first nap of the day. Would love for someone to be able to capture the beautiful chaos that is my everyday that ends in “Y”.
Brittany Twist
Wow! I guess I missed out on this! It’s kristindavenport10@gmail.com. I’m so sorry. I see you’ve already announced winners 🙂 I’ll try to email you
These photo shoots were amazing! My mornings are crazy and I can’t imagine having someone capture that. It would be fun to try though. My name is Nicole Wilson. I have 4 boys (14,12,8,5). My husband leaves for work before anyone else gets out of bed. I’m a teacher at the elementary school in our very rural community of Cathlamet, Washington. We live in a beautiful area right along the Columbia River. My mornings are crazy. I get all 4 boys ready for school and daycare by myself. My youngest will be in kinder this year and my oldest in high school so those will be 2 new changes to our routine. My 12 year old has cerebral palsy and is completely dependent on me for help, so it makes the morning routine especially important. I do a lot of night time prep work to make the mornings run smoother, but there are always glitches. We live in a 3000 sq foot home that my husband designed and built to help with the care of our son. My biggest nemesis is making lunches, which I make 5 of every night!
Megan – I live near CoMo. It’s a great town with lots to do with young kids.
a) the city/state you live in:
Sacramento, CA
b) the number and ages of your kids
21 month old baby boy, Elton
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.
I am a FT working mom with an inside/outside sales position. Elton stays home with Dad and our cat Fairbanks. I do my best to make the most of very minute at home and am lucky enough to come home most days for lunch but always feel frazzled, guilty and anxious (since I almost am always running late) when I head for the door. I would welcome an outsiders lens to shed some (hopeful) beauty into my hot mess of a morning.
I love the concept of finding something beautiful out of a monday morning, or any morning actually. I live in chicago in an old condo loft building. Our neighborhood converts from a sleepy odd haven on the weekends, to a bustling market and commerce area on weekdays. I think there’s a psychological connection to this use change and my mood actually.
We have a 22 month old daughter and we share a nanny with our neighbors down the hall. We swap weeks back and forth at each other’s apartments, which works quite well.
Our space is reasonably sized, but open-concept, and many mornings we tiptoe to keep the lass in her bed just a little bit longer. Although i am not a morning person, she is my alarm clock, and i wish i could embrace the hour as happily as she does.
Both my husband and i work outside the home. Depending on work assignments, he is at times in charge of getting her up and ready. At other times, it is a mixed bag as we both rush out the door between 7:50 and 8:15.
The one wish i have is to get up a little earlier and sit with her without multi-tasking. Maybe next monday…
[…] “Monday Mornings” aims to prove there is beauty in every mother’s morning, even if we need an outsider to see it. Thanks to a partnership with Allstate, I am flying lifestyle photographer Raquel Bianca across the US to document the morning routines of twelve mothers in five different cities. This is our first stop in Houston, Texas. […]
Great idea! And huge kudos to Allstate for supporting families, moms and bloggers (in that order)!
[…] • Allstate agreed to sponsor my "Monday Mornings" series […]
We have Joseph, (6) Allie (4) and Brooke (2).
Brooke is the first person in the house to be up in the morning on Monday. She goes to every room and jumps on everyone’s stomachs. While we’re waking up, she’s watching Curious George in the T.V room.
Joseph gets up next at 6:45, (Brooke is up at 6:30) and joins Brooke in the T.V room. I make the requested breakfast (A toaster strudel or Looney Tunes ceral) and Joseph eats in front of the T.V. Brooke also eats in front of the T.V, but eats in a highchair so she won’t spill.
By the time breakfast is done, it’s 7:00. Joseph picks out his own clothes, and brushes his teeth and combs his hair.
Joseph gets on the bus at 7:15, and is at school by 7:20.
Then my hubby and I tag-team getting Brooke dressed and ready for playgroup, which begins at 8:00.
Then we have to wake Allie up. Allie has an early birthday, so she’s four and still in preschool. She’ll go to Joseph’s school next year.
Then we tag-team getting her ready. Allie is really cranky and whiny in the morning, so that takes a while.
Brooke’s playgroup carpool arrives at 7:50, which is good because it takes ten minutes to get to playgroup. (Brooke is the last person to get picked up)
Then at 8:00, Allie’s bus arrives. She clings to us, and there’s many love pats and hugs.
Then we rush off to work.
Crazy morning.