Do you ever get ready to leave the house and have to double check that you have pants on? Crazy mornings have become the norm for so many, but your family doesn’t have to face each morning in complete chaos! With a few simple suggestions, your family can be the new “norm” and get the day off to a great start.
Start the night before. Get everything ready that can be done ahead of time… clothes laid out, backpacks packed up and placed by the door, car keys located, lunch boxes on the kitchen counter ready to be packed, etc., so that you do not have to locate any of these necessary items during the morning rush!
Grab and go! Make things even more simple and have grab-and-go options! For lunches, prepackage leftovers or individual meals, have side options available (pudding cups, packages of crackers, etc.), so the kids can easily pack their own lunches. Breakfast can also be made ahead of time and taken on an as-needed basis (bagels, breakfast sandwiches, cereal cups, etc.).
Have a schedule. Set a schedule for bathroom times, amount of time allotted to get ready, time for breakfast, shoe-tying, or any other task that involves more than a few minutes! You can adjust everyone’s schedule to fit their needs, so the kid who likes to sing into their hairbrush before getting ready gets enough time for performing and grooming. A schedule will also help you to get into a routine, which can never hurt on a busy morning!
Routine, routine, routine! Speaking of routine… switching up life is great when it comes to choosing a different restaurant or wearing crazy print socks – but not when it comes to morning routine. Keeping the morning rush to get ready the same will help everyone get ready faster.
Hopefully these tips will help calm the chaos during your morning rush. You may still have occasional days when you take out the cat and water the trash, but getting off to a great start on most mornings will mean that your days are more likely to be great too!