Weekday mornings are crazy, right? We’ve got just over an hour to get four people dressed, fed and looking decent out the door. Homework has to get in the right folder and the folder has to get in the right backpack. Vitamins have to be taken. Teeth brushed. Marci’s hair has to be done which means we have to track down a hair clip.
Have to find the perfect hair accessory
I’m still not sure why we can’t ever seem to find the clip we want.
Mornings are busy enough but today we had an extra-crazy day. Today is field trip day. That may not seem like much but there are additional things to get done in that short amount of time. Brown bag lunch for Marci plus an extra lunch for Chaperone Daddy, bags for pumpkins, picking up the car for friends who’ll ride with them, and an outfit that doesn’t result in her new favorite phase “fashion faux pas” with her purple rain boots.
As soon as I tucked the kiddos into bed and turned off the lights, I knew we were in for a morning with the potential for meltdowns from one of us. Maybe me. So we did a little planning. It took all of eight minutes to:
- set their places for breakfast (napkin, spoon, glass)
- prep for breakfast (we’ll do yogurt which is super quick – bowls,granola and cereal ready)
- pulled out school lunch gear (lunch bag, Thermos food jar and pumpkin muffin are out on the island)
- staged food in the fridge (I won’t have to hunt for yogurt or lunch in the morning, it’s all together right in front)
Ready for Breakfast!
Ready…set…go!
Hurry up, Marci!
I’m not sure why we don’t do this more often since it was so quick and easy, and has the potential to save time in the morning. Do you prepare lunches or breakfast ahead of time? What’s your secret for busy weekday mornings?
And to my in-laws who are coming into town that afternoon, the house is kind of messy…enjoy the kids and love us all anyways.
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I always make lunches the night before, since I know I’ll be dragging in the morning… It helps and gives me peace of mind
I am completely incompetent before 10am every day, so I set up as much the night before as possible. I don’t enjoy spending a few minutes of my evening this way, but the price the next morning for not doing it is too high.
Unfortunately, I can’t set out the breakfast dishes the night before or the cats will check them overnight for food and get them all hairy. But I do set up lunches the night before, so usually all I have to do is load it into the lunchbox. Today was a school lunch day which means I didn’t have to pack. Sadly, I forgot that I should still pack an afternoon snack. (Lunch is at 10:45 am). We are still working on choosing clothes the night before (we did last night because today is picture day). We do get the homework into the backpack before bed each evening. Every little bit helps.
We still do everything in the morning, but so far we have the routine down pretty good that we haven’t had too many meltdowns. I think the key for us is allowing enough time to get it all done. Luckily my husband is very hands on with helping out!
I LOVE the staging, that is perfect and something I am going to try doing!!!! Great post and super helpful tips!
I will admit that getting some things out the night before really helped us out. Since my husband takes care of breakfast while I assemble lunch, our get-out-the-door routine isn’t too bad most mornings. But there’s certainly value in prepping the night before.
I bet the kids would love extra hugs, a push in the swing or reading a book with a few extra minutes in the morning.
We have only 30-45 minutes each morning before the bus comes, so I always (OK, usually) prepare my daughter’s lunch and snack the night before. I also make a batch of smoothies.
Then, in the morning, all I have to do is combine the refrigerated/non-refrigerated items in the lunch bag, add an ice pack, heat anything that needs heating, pour a smoothie and help my daughter get ready.
It’s so much less stressful for everybody this way. And we usually have a little extra time to snuggle and talk on the porch while waiting for the bus.