I need suggestions

[baxjul]

What do you do to make your mornings run easier? I need suggestions, it seems like the mornings around here are terrible getting everyone up and out the door by 7AM. TIA

[slowtypinwoman]

We have clothing ready to go. The ironing and picking out of outfits is done the night before. Lunches here are usually left overs from the night before. When doing dishes, they go into the container and in the fridge all togther. Dd luch tub is ready to be heated up and have hot food put in it. Assignment books are signed the night before.
Sometimes it seems like all I do from the moment we get home from school is work and get dinner ready. Then we get things ready for the next day. It really does make things so much easier for the following morning though.

[Sara Noel]

Same here. Backpacks, lunches, and clothing is setup the night before. I just need them awake, eating and brushing teeth.

I often leave the sandwich until morning to make or wait until morning to heat up hot food for his food jar.

[lilk]

The children get baths before bed, and we pick out clothes the night before. Backpacks are ready. We have cold cereal, or muffins and juice for breakfast, doesn't take long and they can help themselves. On weekends we have special homeade pancakes or waffles. I hope this helps.

[nodmicks]

I have everyones lunches packed the night before. The boys aren't pickey on clothes so I don't lay them out the night before. Breakfasts are very simple like cereal, oatmeal etc .
The night before I have them load their back packs and anything they need for school. If I work the next day I put all my needed stuff by my purse.

[Mom23boys]

I do the same as everyone else. I make sure everyone has what they need the night before. Folders, papers, etc. are signed. Lunches are decided on the night before. If having leftovers for lunch it helps to place them in the right containers when putting everything away, so all you need to do is grab the container and go.

[canadian gardener]

night before. I am past this now (oh thank heavens!!!! they are grown and gone but this little samba still lives green in the memory from before homeschooling when I was a working mum).

REALLY important concept: MUM DOES NOT DO IT ALL!!!! Dads and kids NEED to learn this one well. Whiteboards list chores, who is responsible for what cleaning/cooking/laundry etc and whether it got done.

Mum is the referee for overseeing that chores get done. She is not the slave. Kids are! LOL

that said here is what works

Night before:

decide on dinner while cleaning up-- gives time to defrost overnight ready to shoot into the crockpot in the morning, gives time to defrost even a pan of chops in fridge for frying up tomorrow at supper and also gives time to make a fast grocery list of stuff to pick up on the way home from work if your plan breaks down a little midweek.

pack lunches-- while doing kitchen clean up from supper and supervising the homework happening at the kitchen table under a watchful motherly eye. great use for leftovers in lunches btw.

check homework-- while clearing up kitchen from supper prep, deciding on tomorrows dinner and putzing around packing tomorrow's lunches.

assist in packing of knapsacks for tomorrow when homework time is done (kids work faster if there is no TV till it's done and checked to be done by dad or mum) leaving only the lunches out in the fridge till tomorrow.

If the kids play with toys and mess up the living room in the evening, kids are responsible for cleanup. Toys get picked up into a put away basket by the kids. (keep it simple no major fiddling around to figure out which blocks and barbies go where, slosh them into the pickup basket-- set a timer or whatever works for the kids to do it)

Bathing of kids, reading stories, as you put them to bed double checking their clothes for the day tomorrow

I used to use a hook on the back of the door system with their school uniforms hung on it to air out. They changed into play clothes, which kept the school things nice.

However it's useful to remember that getting 2 or 3 wearings out of a set of school clothes is a REAL timesaver. You can then pick out socks and undies for days of the week, leaving 2 or 3 outfits to last the whole week.

hence pick out clothes-- yours as well as the kids. (this can be done in advance for the week using cubbies, dishpans, special hangers labelled or baskets perchance on a Sunday afternoon)

Bathing can be done the night before if you wet the hair well in the morning to deal with the ironed in weirdness of bed head in you and kids. Mousse and gel stick down stubborn spots.

Having a routine saves a lot of tears and tantrums and gets you thru the evening without getting too exhausted.

I used to have to stick reminders for the kids on the front door that they read on their way out. Got housekey? check, Got glasses on your face? check Asthma meds? check, Lunch Check.

People always fuss that having a pattern is not spontaneous or it chills the fun but it frees mum and kids and dad up to be spontaneous instead of dealing with crisis after crisis and tired kids meltdowns.

[canadian gardener]

forgot. Load a day keeps the dr away.

Run a load of LAUNDRY thru when you come home from work, put it in the dryer and deal with it as you go to bed. A load a day is easy to keep up to and put away as a routine habit, but backed up laundry is a killer.

I had to keep up, I was oncall and on 12 hour shifts.

RUN ANOTHER LOAD A DAY

the DISHWASHER.

Who cares if it's not jam packed full to bursting?

That just means it's easier to unload and the dishes clean better. This is a plus!!!! LOL

I did my dw load every evening, unload when getting coffee and breakfast ready in the morning in between microwave beeps and coffee perking.

Finally taking the garbage out at night is something to give to dh, but if you can talk him into emptying the trash around the house into the kitchen gbg bag on his way out to the garage bin then life is so much tidier and better.

[momof42003]

I too try to have as much done the night before.. Clothes, backpacks, shoes and such... Last year it took me almost to the end of the year to figure out that this is what helped the boys get ready for school the most. It saves all the hassle of last minute runnig around in the AM... With my one son being diabetic, I need to make especially sure that he has his shot in the morning, has his snack at school, and has all that kind of stuff done too.. I allow my kids to eat at school for both breakfast and lunch , but this has kept my sanity in the morning as well. I know it costs alot, but it gives my kids that chance to hang out with their friends more, and if they don't like the breakfast or lunch, I do make it for them.....

[momof42003]

Oh ya, and ds is suppose to take out the kitchen trash every morning before school and the whole house on Saturdays... A load a day is a great thing to do as well.

[Jerseygirl]

I throw dh out 45 minutes earlier than the rest of us! really helps having one body out of the way. I do what all the others do as far as night before prep and I have found that once the kids are past a year and a half old, I've been able to breakfast on the run or at daycare. I give them a blueberry waffle and sippy cup of milk in the car on the way, then they have yogurt and a piece of fruit when they get there. If they get into the kitchen I lose them. My kids know now that there are no toys etc. in the a.m. They get up, potty, brush teeth, wash face, dress, straighten their rooms and get their hair brushed, as each is finished they go to the downstairs hall and wait for me to get their drinks and school bags and we go. I try to get up at least 1/2 hour before them to be closer to ready prior to dealing with them. My kids are all under 5 and I find that this really structured routine is the only way to manage our schedule.

[graci42]

I set up the coffe pot and make lunches after dinner. Back packs are at the front door ready to go as soon as they've completed homework (right after school).

Haven't got them to set out clothes in pm...am working on that habit w/ myself...lol

I was having a problem getting ds to put his shoes on. Usually, he would wait 'til the last minute, but then I out-smarted him...hehehehehe

I put the dog out as soon as I get up, before I even go to the bathroom! Ds gets up about 15 minutes after I do. Once he's dressed and comes into the kitchen to get cereal(in his socks), I tell him to bring the dog in...hahahahaha after a lot of moaning he went and put his shoes on to get the dog. He finally caught on after day 3 when he realized he wasn't getting yelled at for not being able to find his shoes (because he was wearing them...lol)when it was time to leave for the bus stop!

Ya gots to be smarter than the average 10 year old...



Graci

[bamamomto4]

LOL@Graci


I put Steve's on and make lunches the night before.Clothes are laid out,if not we can't find a shirt with these shorts or socks to match this,so its easier to have Katies clothes laid out. And she never picks out what she wants I tried it one morning...she had pink socks,a red shirt, purple skirt and sandles..I kid you not lol Backpacks and signed papers are also ready to go.

Now Ashley is a different story..That child is 16 and acts 12 sometimes I swear. She gets up at 5:30 and they go out for the bus at 6:40...she's buttoning pants,shirts,holding earrings,watch necklace,belt, shoes untied...handing you a paper that has to be signed and returned THAT day because it'd already late,and she'll need money I have no idea what she does back there.She is SOOOO slow...

Jackson and Jayme get up whenever unless I have to be somewhere.Jayme gets a diaper change,clothes on and her and Jackson eat breakfast
Jackson runs around in his underwear half the day because " HE is superman and can "
I usually get a about 8 or later.I try to sneak and shower so they dont flush the in the or run off with my towel while I'm in there

Then I start my dad


shewww...hectic around here!

[bamamomto4]

I mean I start my DAY...not dad

[canadian gardener]

ROFL Tammy and Graci, heheheheheheh.