We’ve all gone through it. That morning rush with the kids. One of the best things to do is to create a morning routine that works for you and your family. Seriously, just a few changes can make a huge difference for your entire day. You might even think that you’ve tried it all, but honestly if something isn’t working there has to be a way to fix it. ( Well, at least most of the time.)
Here are my tips to get your mornings off to a good start!
1. Set up a bedtime routine and stick to it. Nobody functions well in the morning without adequate sleep. (not even parents!) This might included evening baths and reading time to slow down.
2. Have your kids prepare their clothes the night before to eliminate tears in the morning over a favorite shirt being missing or only finding one shoe. ( We don’t do this one. I have 2 boys and they are easy breezy when it comes to get their stuff together.)
3. Do snack prep on the weekend. In addition to snack time my son also takes his lunch every day. (He’s a vegetarian.) He usually takes a thermos filled with a hot lunch. So, in order for me to have time for that I pull together snacks for the week in containers then I just drop them in his bag in the morning.
4. Get your kids involved. By the time your child is ready for school they are capable of dressing themselves and pouring their own drinks and getting cereal. Try to have your child do as much as they can for themselves. (Even pack their own lunch) As they get older they will be able to do more and help with any younger children in the house.
5. Make sure all homework is finished the night before and backpacks are full and ready to go.
6. Speaking of backpacks…designate a place for them, jackets and shoes. These items should be in that spot and ready to go in the morning. I bought some inexpensive cubbies that we keep by the front door and when the kids come in that’s where their things go.
5. No electronics in the morning! Unless you are ready to go there shouldn’t be any iPods, phones, TV or computers on causing distractions. ( Personally, I always keep the radio on in the morning and have my laptop opened on the counter. It’s not a distraction for me, but it can be for some and especially children.)
4. Find your kids have time? Add a small chore to be done in the morning. My boys take care of the pets and unload the dishwasher.
3. No phone calls! Going out or coming in! Establish mornings as family time. ( I take phone calls from the husband and my Ethel in the morning because I don’t know when I’ll get to talk to them again. That being said, you know yourself best.)
2. Wake up before your kids! ( My favorite time is that moment of coffee and silence. I check my emails and wake myself up so I’m not the cranky one.)
1. Just remember, if something isn’t working for you try to sit with it and think. You know what your best solution is and no one can answer that one for you. If it’s not working, just try something else. You’ll get your groove. ( Then they get a little older and you’ll have to find that groove again. Vicious cycle!)
Every night, my mom used to have us prepare everything for the morning..it saved us time and frustration. She was also very committed to schedules: lights off, wake-up time, etc. We would always get to school on time. 🙂
I just try to have everything done the night before that I can – homework, lunches packed, clothes laid out, etc.
Yes, yes, and YES. I have to make sure to do many of these things in order for things to “flow” well! It’s so easy for things to get chaotic and out of order with kids lol.
Over night Prep and no Electronics ( T.V included ) are time savers. There might even be time to work out once these 2 are done
Son is real good about making sure everything is ready the night before. In the morning we only have to dress and eat breakfast.
Every morning for the past couple of years I swear I’m going to start a new routine that will cut the chaos out. But I never do. Well I do make sure that socks are picked out ahead of time as I LOATHE trying to find socks while chasing kids around and working.
Prepping as much as possible the night before is definitely key to keeping the morning chaos-free! Clothes ALWAYS get laid out the night before.
I have always gotten up early to have my m time and that all important cup of coffee.
These are all great tips. I don’t miss that morning chaos now that my kids are grown.
I am in tears you are the best 🙂 Wished I called you this morning as our morning routine has become undone and so has Mommy!
One of the things we used to do when the girls were little was picking out the clothes the night before. Now that they are older there doesn’t seem to be the rush.
Mornings can become really hectic when nothing is prepared. These are great ways to avoid that.
agree with so many of these, I wake up 30 mins bf the kids and start my coffee and feed the dog
I have to reset my routine regularly. We get off track easily. We fall into a haphazard routine until we hit a bump. Your post is funny because you break half of the suggestions. lol
Preparing the night before is definitely a must. I pull out my kids clothes, snacks, etc. Time savers for sure.
This is so important for a smooth morning. I need to get more snacks ready over the weekend to help get lunches ready faster.
My kids are teens and we still get everything prepped at night! They hate getting up in the morning and so do I. So the less we have to prep in the morning, the better.
These are great tips. Many of them I follow already. I love getting up just a little before the kids, it does give me some time to complete some work before their day get started.
I love getting up in the morning before my kids. If I do, I find that our days go much smoother! By the time they wake up, I’ve had my coffee and breakfast and am ready to get the day started!
Oh those are great tips! I always wake up early too so I can get myself ready first…then wake him! We try to prepare as much as we can the night before!
Great tips and I learned some new stuff thanks for sharing this one.