The flow of the morning can set the tone for your entire day. This is especially true on weekday mornings when getting where you need to be, whether it’s work, school or the bus stop, all depends on what time you get out the door.
In our house, the morning routine falls on me. My husband leaves the house shortly after 5:00 before anyone else is awake. So that leaves me, my 2-year-old son, and my 6 ½-year-old daughter. In order for our day to start off right, we need to be out the door by 7:10.
My daughter has to be at the bus stop at 7:30. And it’s very important that I have her there on time because I have to be at work at 7:45.
We open enrolled her to Center Point-Urbana, so if we miss the bus I will have to drive her to school. Her school doesn’t unlock the doors until 8:00 and it’s 15 minutes away. And like I said, I have to be at work at 7:45.
So for us, getting out the door on time in the morning is very important.
But mornings can be hectic. Getting not only yourself ready, but your kids ready can be stressful. Especially if you’re on a time crunch. But it can be done!
Here are my go-to hectic morning hacks that help us get out the door on time.
Me First!
Even though it means waking up early, I make sure that I am 100% ready for the day before I wake up my kids. This is huge for our routine because trying to get myself and two kids ready at the same time just doesn’t work. It stresses me out. When my husband wakes me up to tell me good-bye it’s my cue to start my day.
Hair Drying Spray
A good friend of mine introduced me to this Blow Dry It Quick Dry spray a few months ago and it’s been a game-changer for my mornings, especially on days when I may wake up late.
Self Timer Coffee Pot
My husband preps the coffee pot each night before we go to bed and sets the timer. Each morning, the coffee starts brewing and is hot and ready so I can simultaneously enjoy a hot cup of coffee in a quiet house while I’m getting ready for the day.
Cue the jingle: “The best part of waking up is coffee in your cup.” (I may have changed the words a bit only because we don’t drink Folgers.)
Prepping Outfits
On Sunday afternoons my daughter and I pick out her clothes for the entire week. I also pick out my outfit and my son’s outfit for the next day in advance as well. This saves so much time each morning and the closet organizer makes it so easy to do. I’ll be getting on for my son’s closet very soon now that he’s getting older.
Pre-made Breakfasts
Making sure I feed my kids a good, healthy breakfast each morning before we leave the house is very important to me. But doing that each morning can take time, so on the weekend I’ll make batches of breakfast items like pancakes, muffins, and scrambled eggs that we can use throughout the week. I’ll also have fresh fruit washed and sliced to go along with it. We’ll also do toast, cereal, bagels, and yogurt parfaits, all of which are not very time consuming to make each morning.
When the flow of our morning maybe isn’t going well and sitting down for a good breakfast isn’t always an option, we turn to Belvita Soft Baked Bars. Yes, it happens. And it’s okay. Our favorites are Mixed Berry and Banana Bread!
Staying in Their Rooms
This can be a challenge at times, but I’ve learned that having my children stay in their rooms until they are ready for the day keeps us on track. They wake up, go to the bathroom and then go right back to their bedrooms. For my son, I make sure to have him fully dressed before we come back out because he gets so distracted by playing that if I don’t dress him right away it becomes a battle. My daughter needs to get dressed, put her shoes on, make her bed, and brush her hair. Then, it’s breakfast time and out the door!
I’d be lying if I said these will guarantee you’ll never be late. Confession: we just missed the bus a few weeks ago. But, I do know they have helped our morning routine flow more smoothly which allows us all to start the day off right.
What helps your family get out the door on time each morning?
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