Kids in the morning - maybe a cattle prod would work?

Maybe some mothers are lucky enought to have children that leap out of bed in the morning with bright and sparkling faces - eager to greet a new day - unfortunately I am not one of them. I am sure that mine are the biggest grumblers, grouches, pain creators and sluggards on the planet.

M at least does get up and gets dressed without much chasing - and then mooches to the kitchen - but anyone watching him to do a time and motion study as he makes his sandwiches would quickly tear their hair out! I just want to grab the knife out of his hand and spread the butter with one quick sweep! His hand lifts the knife, hesitates, hovers over the butter, takes a tentative prod and then back to the bread..... aaarrrggg! And whatever is in the fridge or the cupboard is not what he wants to eat.

S, on the other hand, wakes with a face like thunder, says some or other part of her body is sore, that she hasn't slept all night, that she is tired etc etc.... and then finally goes off to get dressed - with an exaggerated limp or holding conspicuously whatever part of her that is sore/achy that particular morning.

So, once they are up, dressed and have made their sandwiches then there is the problem of getting them into the car - they move as slowly as possible, and sometimes disappear and take ages doing goodness knows what! I, in the meantime am running around shouting, "its 10 past 6 - come on" "its 15 minutes past 6 - get a move on!!!" - having reversed the car out of the garage and then in desperation sit in it with my hand on the horn - NOTHING makes them move faster - except when I start to drive off down the path - which might make them shuffle a bit faster, but they know I won't really leave them behind...

Once they are in then hopefully we are off, until at the end of the road one may say, "Oh dear I've left my book/blazer/tennis racket/ shoes/whatever behind so we do a lightening u-turn and race back...

Its just so exhausting!