Morning has broken

There are too many battles that could be fought with the 4-year-old early in the morning before school: getting up at all, brushing her teeth (and then which flavor toothpaste), tying up her hair or not, what to wear, what she wants to eat for breakfast, whether she gets a book with breakfast, which shoe to wear, gummy vitamins or not, etc. We basically have 40 minutes between her waking up and us having to leave the house (yes, I've got it down to the second) and so any delay, debate, or deliberation is just going to throw our schedule off (although I sometimes question why I even bother to try keep to a schedule with a 4-year-old...) And so I've learned to pick and choose my battles and have come to accept the ones I don't care about losing: brushing her teeth- non negotiable; what she chooses to wear to school- whatever.

And so this morning, our daughter walks out of the house with clean teeth and looking like Cyndi Lauper, circa 1985 (except without the crazy hair).