Are you tired of all of the nagging and
shouting in the morning that happens as you try to get everyone out the door on
time? Mornings do not have to be that way. You and the kids will
both be in better moods and under less stress if you find a way to smooth out
the morning routine so that everyone can get out of the house on time with
minimal drama.
- Make lunches the night
before. Keep the lunch boxes in
a designated spot and have the kids get into the habit of putting their
lunch boxes away every night when they get home. When you bring home
food items like grapes, wash and bag them into individual serving sizes so
you can grab them quickly. Do the same thing with chips, crackers,
pretzels and any other dry snacks. Know what you are going to put in
the lunches the night before and put it together in the fridge or on the
counter so that in the morning all you have to do is add a freezer pack
and toss everything into the lunch box. If you make the lunches the
night before then you’ll know if you have run out of something and will be
able to run to the store then, instead of realizing that you’re out during
the chaos of the morning.
- Lay out clothes ahead of
time. It seems that a lot of
time in the morning is spent trying to decide what to wear. With
your child’s help, lay out an outfit for the next day. Give her
small choices like, “Do you want to wear the red shirt or the pink
one?” Don’t overwhelm her by giving her a choice of everything in
her closet. If she helps you choose the outfit, it should eliminate
her not wanting to wear it in the morning. She will be able to get up and
get dressed in what is laid out and you may not even need to help.
- Create a routine. Type up a routine and post it on the mirror in the bathroom or some
other place that is easy to see. Your kids can look at it to make sure
they have done everything they need to do to get ready for school.
Include everything, because some kids just can’t remember that they need
to brush their hair and their teeth in addition to making their bed and
grabbing their homework. After a couple of weeks the kids probably
won’t need the routine chart any more, but it’s nice to have it just in
case. You may need to add various things at different points
throughout the year, like grabbing a coat once it gets cold out.
- Get up earlier. This may seem silly, but sometimes all it takes is an extra 15 minutes to alleviate all of the stress and chaos that ensues in the morning. Make sure that the kids get to bed early enough so that they are well rested when it’s time to get up the next morning. If you have to fight to get your kids out of bed in the morning it is going to take that much longer to get everyone ready to go.
- Keep backpacks on a
hook. This doesn’t pertain to
just backpacks, though; it’s much easier when everything has its own
designated spot. If his shoes are where they are supposed to be
there will be no drama because he can’t find them. Make sure that he
puts his homework back into his backpack once he’s done so that you don’t
have to waste time looking for homework in the morning. Go through
the binders or folders the night before to make sure you don’t need to
respond to anything. This will also allow you to make sure that all
of the homework has been completed and is back in the backpack ready to go
to school.
You will not believe the difference in
everyone’s mood when you don’t have to rush around in the morning.
Everyone will be much calmer, the kids won’t be at each other’s throats, and
you won’t be stuck wishing you were already at work. Give these tips a
try and see how they work for your family.
Source: Part time nanny
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