Just Another Manic Monday!

Ready, set, GO! Let the week begin! The word, "Monday" is almost like a dirty word to most. It represents the end of the weekend, the beginning of the work week, and has a ring of RESPONSIBILITY! Most Sunday evenings, I find myself mentally organizing the upcoming week and switching gears to prepare for the many tasks and obligations adult life brings.

A typical Monday begins with an alarm clock going off at 5am and with much dismay, I leave the comfort of my king size bed and ready myself for the day's adventures. I shower, get dressed, get the kids up, bathed, dressed and out the door by 6:30-7am (on a good day- I do find that some days I'm pushing 8am) Thank GOD for my Keurig, I get a fresh cup of coffee every morning in less than 90 seconds and I'm out the door! I love getting to the center early so that my kids can have breakfast there. Its just so much easier!

I spend the first half hour at work in my office checking email and enjoying my coffee in silence. I know that my children are safe and happy with their teachers and classmates, and I really enjoy this time to organize myself, read emails and catch up with my good friend, Christine, on instant messenger! (I am so happy that someone else begins their day as early as I do!)

Monday mornings are usually pretty quiet until about 9am. All the children are in their respective classrooms and the teachers have all greeted one another and caught up on the weekend news. At about 9:30, the flood of emails begin. All the parents have had the weekend to collect their thoughts and plan out how they would each approach me with their questions, concerns, complaints and applauds...I spend the majority of the morning solving problems, putting out fires and reassuring parents that their child is right on track and developing great friendships, as well as progressing normally with all the developmental milestones. I don't complain about this part of my job because I realize that these parents rely on our center to help shape and mold their children into thoughtful contributing citizens! I also recognize that it is my job to inform parents of how their child does in our care...many parents only see their children for a few hours a day!

The other big part of my Monday is preparing the staff for the week. Everyone needs to know what's on the snacks and lunch menu, they need to be informed of all special events and programs, and it is important that they are given any details about students as well as who is attending and who is out for the day or week. Most of the time, they are given this information the week prior, but Mondays are always so hectic and we're all recovering from the weekend its a good idea to give reminders.

Usually by lunch time, we can see how the week will proceed. The children each come in with their stories from the weekend and we can generally feel the "mood" of the group. If we successfully complete the first day of the week, we feel confident about the remaining four days, however there have been Mondays when we are all wishing Friday could come a little faster.

So what will this Monday bring? We shall see, but I can tell you whatever is in store for us today will leave us wishing that Sunday was just a little bit longer...