A Case for Illiterate Children!

Just in case you thought things were a bit too cheery around here, I thought I would share a typical school morning with you. This particular morning took place today and was even better than usual, so it is still fresh in my memory:

6:50 Wake up the girls. All three have had URIs and did NOT want to get up. Three little crabs appear at the breakfast table with scowls. As they eat, I lay out clothing. I hear Joanna yelling at Abby about being too messy. (Ignore.)
7:15 Nathan is told to get out of bed. He says `okay,' but both of us know that he is not getting up. All three girls head for the bathroom (the very narrow room that everyone tries to squeeze into at once). Two dogs join us. Nathan finally gets up and heads for the sink. Everyone's hair has rats in it, and no one is very happy about life in general.
7:30 Three girls are dressed, faces washed, and teeth brushed. (Nathan is on his own!) Girls are told to make bed and clean room. The cash register rings, and they are told again to get busy. Five minutes pass, and nothing has been done. I am packing lunches and getting a little flustered at this point.
7:38 I tell the girls to get busy and run downstairs to try to get ready in seven minutes time.
7:45 I hear the sound of Nathan taunting someone, and soon Ruthie is screaming. Girls are told to ignore Nathan and put their lunches in their lunch bags and get them in their backpacks. Ruthie continues to yell something about Nathan. (Ignore.) Joanna runs downstairs to tattle on Nathan. (try to ignore) Abby tells me that Nathan is being bad. Yell at Nathan and tell him to leave Ruthie and the other girls alone. Nathan denies any and all misbehavior. I know different but don't have time. The girls say they haven't made up their bed. At this point, we have to go!!! They are told to get their coats while I get dressed.
7:50 Nathan leaves. Girls are horsing around with no coats on and lunches not in backpack. Joanna can't find a dry pair of gloves. Ruthie is complaining that her backpack is really too small, and Abby decides to not wear her coat today. (Yes, you will! It's 9 degrees!) Mom is NOT a happy camper at this point. Dry gloves found - get in that car!
7:57 Finally in car. Small town, but HEAVY school traffic dominated by all the other moms who couldn't get their kids to move! In-town roads are still icy, and cars are going very slowly.
8:03 We arrive at car drop-off lane for Joanna's school. With two minutes to spare, who would have thought that the line would be a quarter mile long?! Mother ahead of me kisses each child before they exit the car. The children forget something and return to car door to chat with Mom. I am screaming inside - we are LATE!
8:06 Joanna is out of the car. Only one minute late, and at this point, I am celebrating. Now for Ruthie. Her school is only four miles away, but like I said, the traffic is awful, and there is no other route for the first two miles. We are really bottlenecked.
8:20 Pull up to Ruthie's school (behind all the other slow moms and kids) and tell her to run. School starts at 8:20, but lots of kids are still going in, so I breath a sigh of relief and drive off.
8:21 I drive away from the school and suddenly realize that my neck is stiff and sore. Hmmm... could this possibly be stress?