Let’s talk about surviving the morning rush. If you were to sit in the living room watching all that goes into getting us out the door in the morning, you would laugh.
There are 5 of us – and on various days of the week we’re in different locations, but for the sake of this post – of the 5 people, there are 4 different locations we’ll be.
- Z & E are at school – must be there by 8:00 am – we have to leave BY 7:45 am to get there and make it thru the crazy drop-off line.
- Izaiah is at his sitters.
- Sean – at his work
- My – at my work.
I would love to say that Sean and I wake up at 6:00 am, brew our coffee, read the latest news and chat while I make breakfast. That’d be a big fat lie. We’re night owls. No matter how hard we try to change this, it just isn’t happening.
We wake up at 7:00 am. And by 7:00 am I mean we have our alarms set and are hitting snooze and know our butts MUST be out of bed by 7:00 to make all things go.
The kids must be dressed, eat breakfast and all things must be ready in order to make this happen. While I know we could make adjustments, and this and that – the whole goal we have set for our family is to adapt to what is best for us.
To create the best work-life balance for OUR family. And for our family, the work-life balance is must sweeter when we aren’t taking medication to force ourselves to sleep so that we can wake up earlier when we are just NOT morning people!
Here are 5 Tips to Surviving the Morning Rush:
1. Make Breakfast Before Hand
Breakfast food is easily accessible for kids. This helps with the morning rush before school and work. Work-life balance people
I would love for my kids to eat a wonderful full breakfast in the morning. With all of our priorities, my goal is now to just make sure what they are eating is somewhat healthy and is actually consumed by them.
My son who is in Kindergarten has a 10:30 lunchtime, so am not TOO worried about him eating, as he eats early and has a snack 2x later in the day. My daughter who is in 2nd grade – has a 1:00 lunchtime! CRAZY! While she has a snack around 11 am, I want to make sure that she’s not having to wait that long to eat.
The kids are responsible for feeding themselves (with us reminding them of course!). In order to make this work, I make sure to have food ready for them and milk or juice on a refrigerator shelf that they can access. Pre-made muffins, packaged muffins and fruit are the favorites among my little people.
The baby is a different story, my husband usually makes sure he eats at least fruit and has his milk. His sitter does feed him a full breakfast, but giving him a morning snack let’s us all enjoy time with him before the hustle and bustle. He helps make the mornings smiley!
2. Shower and Lay Out Clothes the Night Before – Including Yours!
Taking showers and laying out clothes the night before helps with the morning rush.
Having the kids’ clothes laid out the night before is essential for us getting out the door in time in the mornings. As part of the night time tuck-in routine, their clothes are laid on either the top bunk or on the side of the bed. This gives no excuse for delay in the clothes department! If socks are needed, those are laid out – as well as belts. We take showers at night, no time for that in the morning with our schedules.
As for myself, anytime I am headed to the office, I lay everything out the night before. ESPECIALLY pregnant, I find myself in a major rut when I don’t know what I am wearing ahead of time. This leaves me second guessing and that’s time I don’t have in the mornings!
My hair is extremely thick taking hours to self-dry and a good 30 minutes to blow dry, not including the flat iron. I take showers at night, sleep with wet hair and then flat iron in the morning. It only takes a few minutes for me to do. Again, another time saver for the morning rush! Plus the shower at night doesn’t have a time limit, unless you count bed time.
3. Backpacks and Shoes at the Door
Shoes and Backpacks are placed at the front door ready to pick up and GO!
Before being tucked in, the kids make sure their backpacks and shoes are at the front door ready to roll.
Both kids still need snacks for the morning, those are packed at night.
Any papers needing to be signed or homework we make sure is done the night before. Mornings aren’t our thing for that1
4. Require Shoes On & Hair Done Before Eating
Hair brushed, shoes on feet – before hitting the kitchen table for breakfast.[/caption]
My daughter has this amazing head of hair that goes down most of her back. The great thing is it’s beautiful. The bad thing is it must be brushed regularly! Before eating breakfast in the morning, she makes sure her hair is brushed and I help her beautify with either an accessory, braid or a ponytail.
My son sometimes spikes his hair, but for the most part, it just needs that un-bedhead look which requires a 60-second brush!
Shoes must be on their feet with their backpacks in hand at the kitchen table as they eat breakfast. By putting this little rule into place, we’re all set and ready to go should breakfast need to be cut short.
5. Be Loving & Graceful – but FIRM!
I love my kids to no end. While I would love to say I’ve never broken this rule, that’d be a flat out LIE!
The stress of getting everyone to where they need to be on time is painful, but one thing I’ve learned and reminded myself of DAILY is that starting a day with yelling isn’t going to get things done any quicker.
There is no point in working myself up and getting the kids even more upset on days that just aren’t happening like we need them to.
Make sure to tell your kids you love them. Hug them tightly. But stick to a schedule and encourage with love and grace. This will not only help your day get off to a great start but theirs as well!
Being a working mom can be hard. Remember, with the key is finding what works best for YOU and your family in regards to the work-life balance. Keep finding tips and tricks to ease your schedule. While it may not be perfect from an outside perspective, it’s all about what works for you!
Make sure you check out our School Morning Checklist!
