Mornings can be a crazy time of the day. There are backpacks to get ready, kids to get dressed, hair to brush – the list goes on and on.
Here are a few things that you can do to make mornings a little less hectic.
1. Pick out clothes the night before. It’s nice to just get up and grab my clothes before I head into the bathroom to shower. Just one less thing to think about. Pick out the kids clothes too or have them do so. It will save time and headaches in the morning.
2. Make lunches the night before. This saves you not only the prep time in the morning, but the time of figuring out what you are going to take.
3. Make sure all homework is done and packed and all necessary papers are looked at, signed, etc, and ready to go in the morning.
4. Get the kids up a few minutes earlier than normal. This gives them some time to maybe watch a quick cartoon or something and wake up a bit before you begin the hustle of the day. I started doing that over the winter and believe it or not, the mornings went a bit smoother.
5. Keep simple things on hand for breakfast such as frozen waffles or granola bars. Let’s face it, not all mornings go smoothly and there isn’t always time, so a quick breakfast in the car on the way to the sitter’s or to school is sometimes necessary.
photo credit: el clinto
I've also found that getting everything ready the night before is a real life saver. Even if you oversleep you're still ahead of the game because all you have to do is shower, dress and grab your things. Great points!
I like the homework tip. My twins often forget to put their homework in their backpacks. I have to check at night and again in the morning, just to be sure they didn't take it back out while looking for something else.
I usually have a fairly non hectic mornings, possibly because I home school so I am not rushing to get kids out the door or myself. However, we do use a lot of these awesome tips too. Getting clothes ready the night before and simple breakfast items are the main ones.
There are days the kids or I move slower than usual and these two things do make it easier to stay on schedule on those particular days, that's for sure.
Great tips, Laura. Our mornings get pretty crazy – seems like the kids need you the most when you're the busiest, you know?
Another suggestion I've heard is to have a basket by the door that holds all of the things that you need to get out the door.