I was chit chatting with a couple of co-workers about how I am not a morning person and telling them about how I get the kiddos ready in the morning and they said one of my “hacks” was brilliant. They were going to put the information in their back pocket for when they have kids. It got me thinking: I should share this information in the hopes that I can help even one soul have an easier morning especially with kiddos starting school and going back to school.
At night, dress your baby in the clothes he or she will wear for the next day. This was the tip that made my coworkers tell me I was a genius. As long as there are no leaky diapers or spit-ups, you’re good to go the next morning with a simple diaper change. This is particularly useful to me because now that my 5 year old has to be at school by 7:45 a.m., we all have to be ready to leave the house at 7:25 a.m. My 8 month old goes to daycare so he needs to be ready quickly in the mornings.
Pack lunches and pick out clothing the night before. This one seems obvious but sometimes we need reminders on how to make our lives easier. This is such a time saver and is a must for helping ease the morning routine.
Set out at least 10 minutes of quiet time just for you when you wake up. More if you can but I can only get about 10 in before I hear the pitter patter of little feet heading downstairs. I don’t normally see my husband when I wake up because he’s already gone off to work so It’s just me. I need time to wake up and prepare myself for my chaotic morning. I like to wash my face and brush my teeth as soon as I get out of bed. This helps me wakeup of course and I use the time to think about my day and say a few positive affirmations. I then get in a few quick stretches which really helps me feel more awake – again, I’m not at all a morning person, guys!
Have breakfast ready for bigger kiddos as soon as they wake up. I don’t know about anyone else, but my big little kid takes forever to eat. I’m constantly telling him to hurry up (but don’t chew too fast… it’s such a balancing act). He likes to eat oatmeal bars and cereal bars which he can get out of the pantry himself but for days when we have oatmeal or cereal, I make sure it’s ready for him pretty much as soon as he comes downstairs.
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Make sure you have a designated space for all of your school/work items. Think leave the backpack in the mudroom or entryway so both you and your kid(s) know where it is at all times. Make sure the lunch box is in the same place on the kitchen counter. Have keys hanging up or in a catchall and put them there every single time you enter the house. I hardly ever lose my keys because of this. My husband could follow my advice more on this because he never hangs up his keys and he does lose them on occasion, so… #AlwaysListenToYourWife if you’re reading this honey!
Do you guys have any time savers or hacks to share? I could always use more help!!
My two little people are the worse in the mornings. So one thing that helps me out is that the school opens at 7am and breakfast is free for all students no matter what. So our goal this year is to pick out clothes for the week and leave home by 7am.
Now that would work for me if I was a morning person but there is no way I'm leaving home by 7!! I may try picking out clothing for the week. Right now we just do it the night before but that would certainly be an additional time saver. Funny how kids are so slow when it comes to what you want them to do but if they want to do something – energy off the charts!!
Yes they are and they get slower as they get older!! The college freshman is finally respecting time! 😂
Thankfully I've only got one at the moment. So getting her out the door and myself is a lot easier, than what it would be with 2!
Rummaged Musings || http://www.rummagedmusings.com
One is a lot easier. I was worried that having a second would be overwhelming but it's been manageable! Different but manageable.