Every Morning

Every morning, roughly the same thing happens.  A routine, if you will.  Does anyone else out there find routines as comforting as I do?

My alarm on my phone is set for 8:35 most every morning.  (On a sidenote, I do not own an alarm clock.  I do not own a clock at all, except the ones on my microwave, oven and computers!  I do not have a home phone.  If I lost my iPhone, I would be totally fucked!)  The reason it's set for 8:35 is because on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday I have to leave my house by 9:00 to get to Zumba at the Ballroom Dance Co., even though I don't teach Thursdays (that's my friend's class, which I attend.)  Despite the fact my alarm is set, I usually wake up about 20-30 minutes before it.

At around 7:50 or 8:00, long before my alarm goes off, and while Corky is still sleeping, I get out of bed and go downstairs.  The French Bulldogs come blinking out of their crate, stretching and yawning in their pen.  Their crate's door is open, so they can go in their "courtyard" so to speak.  They crate themselves, we don't make them sleep in there.  It's funny because it's a small crate so when they sleep in there together, they're all pig-piled on top of each other.

I take the bulldogs out of the pen, and say the magic words: "Are you hungry?"  Jax and Abby immediately zoom to the kitchen and wait by the refrigerator.  They eat Sojos, a "raw", reconstituted food that sits in a huge mixing bowl in the fridge.  It looks like chunky greenish-brown glop but they love it and it's so good for them.  I scoop Sojos into their bowls, squirt Skin & Coat Supplement Oil on top (which is orange, so now their food really looks weird!) and put the bowls down on the floor for them.  Jax inhales his in about 30 seconds flat, while Abby takes much longer.  Jax is so funny because after he eats his food, he stands with his face about an inch from Abby's forehead, torturing himself, watching her eat her food.  He's lucky she doesn't bite him!  As soon as she's done, he licks her bowl too, just in case there's any she's missed (there never is.)

While the dogs are eating, I make my coffee.  I make it just the same every morning.  While the Keurig is heating up, I get a big mug out of the cupboard and put 2 Stevia packets and 1/4 cup of almond milk or almond/coconut milk in it.  (7 calories for almond milk, 9 for almond/coconut, which tastes better!)  I brew the Keurig coffee directly into the Stevia and milk.  Stir.  

By this time, the dogs have finished eating.  I leave my coffee to steam on the counter and take the dogs out to potty.  They always pee, sometimes poop.  We use this little green bags to pick up their crap.  It's pretty gross but at least I don't have to worry about them pooping in the house!  We come back in and the dogs run up the stairs to snuggle in bed with Corky.  I sit at the kitchen table with my coffee and look at facebook, my email, msn and yahoo news, and check my favorite blogs, in that order.  At 8:40, I hear Corky's alarm go off upstairs.  He usually snoozes it once.  About 10 minutes later he'll come clomping down the stairs in his sweatpants, the dogs running after him.  He makes it to the couch and snuggles under a blanket until his eyes are all the way open.  I always ask him if he wants coffee.  90% of the time he says no.  I always ask him if he wants a protein shake.  About 50% of the time he agrees to that one.  Usually he wants banana cream, sometimes a fruit protein smoothie.  Almost never does he ask for chocolate mint (my favorite!)

At 8:55 I go upstairs and change for Zumba.  If I got a late start and haven't finished my coffee, I pour it in a to-go mug and take it with me.  If I'm feeling especially sluggish (or if it's a triple-zumba day), I'll grab a Monster Zero to supplement the coffee!  Before I run out the door I run through my check list.  It goes something like this, "Keys, wallet, phone, iPod, shoes, bracelets, CHECK! Let's go!" and out the door I go by 9:05 at the latest.

This is how most mornings go in my house.  Time adjusts for different Zumba class times (like Saturday when Zumba is at either 9:00 or 9:45 depending on whose class I attend, or Friday and Sunday when I teach at 10:00.)

I don't eat breakfast... almost never.  Ain't nobody got time for that!