I love sleep. But as high school teachers, my husband and I are up before the sun, which unfortunately means our kids must be, too. We absolutely must have lunches, booksacks, 
and outfits ready the night before so we can all sleep as late as humanly possible. I have even timed myself during my morning routines in an effort to maximize the amount of sleep I can get in a single night. It takes me approximately 17 minutes to get ready, but that’s not even taking into consideration how long it takes to get my three kids up, teeth brushed, hair combed, dressed, and out the door. With all of this, our kids’ alarm clock has become our one, indispensable saving grace for our busy mornings.
Selfishly, I don’t want to wake my kids up. I love seeing their sweet, sleepy faces first thing in the morning. But honestly, they’re not always so sweet that early. They don’t get to wake up when they would like to, so they’re often resentful at having to wake up at all. Hey, I get it. If I had it my way, I’d stay warm and cozy in my bed, as well!
Which is why I don’t want them directing that frustration and resentment toward me or my husband. It’s not my fault that we have to wake up. That’s unfortunately just part of life sometimes. If you want to take out your resentment on something, take it out on the clock. It’s 6 AM. Time to get up.
But here’s the thing: they do! Every morning, our 7- and 6-year-old boys (who share a room) wake up to the alarm, potty, brush their teeth, get dressed, comb their hair, and are usually ready to go before my husband and I even make it to that side of the house! And they’ve been doing this for three years. Yes, it is a miracle-worker, and we can take no credit. The less we have to do (especially before the sun rises), the better.
We invested in a super simple, kid-friendly Lego alarm clock that can be turned off by pressing a simple button (available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon). We even made it a big, exciting thing. The day we got the clock, we had the boys set out their uniforms, shoes, etc. 
Then we set the alarm and had them do a practice run – they even had to pop out of their beds. We made it a fun game, timing them to see how quickly they could do all the tasks. We gave them a little treat if they did it independently and correctly. They were so proud to show off the next morning, coming around the corner dressed and ready.
Now, though, it’s just their routine. Which means that while they’re getting themselves ready, we can get our little girl up and ready …
… until she’s big enough to do it herself! I don’t want to get too excited here, but I already have her alarm clock picked out!
