By this time of the year, the children are tired of waking up early in the morning. I have to yell their names multiple times, deal with missing clothing articles, notebooks, bookbags, dragging feet and then there is the toddler who just wants to cuddle. This can be is frustrating to do 5 days of the week and it usually doesn't get better until the last day of school. At that point, there is another set of frustrations that include children having little to no routine.
So, for the rest of the school year, I have set myself up to have better mornings. Please share your routine with me! I always love to hear what other families are doing to have routine and less stress.
For the Kiddos
1. Encourage my 6-year-old child to lay her clothing our the night before. She not only likes to drag in the morning but loves to have fashion shows and debate about every article of clothing on her body. If we do this the night before, there is no issue in the morning I have found. This is also for me because if I missed laundry day, I can fix it with a quick wash and dry. She also takes the bus so we are on a strict time schedule in the morning.
2. Remind both big girls to pack and set their bookbags by the door to grab on the way out.
3. Remind my 13-year-old child to set her alarm clock. She likes to spend a lot of time on her hair, so if she wakes up later than planned the whole morning routine has to pay. I take her to school so pulling her off the mirror can be challenging
4. Pack lunches the night before
5. Now that my 1-year-old son is sleeping longer, I plan to wake him up last or else he takes up all my time and attention.
For Me
1. Have coffee before I wake the kids up
2. Put my keys where they belong, on the hook by the door. I have moments where I spend time looking for keys that should be in their home
3. Make sure I have gas in the car the night before
...and dont forget to let the dog out!
