Mornings With Me

Are weekday mornings as crazy for you as they are for me?

I dont know what a standard school day morning looks like in your house, but in our house it’s chaos! I feel like no matter how prepared I feel at bedtime, how early I get myself or the kids up, it is always a flustered scramble come the morning.

I recently asked on my Instagram stories for help, or tricks and tips, on ways to help make our now even earlier departure run a little smoother. And let me tell you, you all CAME THROUGH!!! So thank you for that.

The most common response to my struggles were ‘Oh my goodness, me too’. Mama, we are in this together. We are not alone. We may all be doing our own thing on our motherhood journeys, but no matter what you’re going through, you are not alone in it.

Many many many of you asked me to share the responses I received from my asking for help so I am here to do that.

I will try to summarize what people suggested as best I can. There will be a few links that people sent, and also some words of advice. Seriously, I have never felt a more outpouring of love to a problem I have spoken about about and it warmed my heart. It also reiterated the WHY I started my platform, to help other mamas remember that they are not alone.

First things first,

I want to remind you that the most common response I received was me too. ‘this sounds just like our house’ ‘oh boy my kid too’ so remember mama, we are not alone and we got this!

The next most common response was:

-Pack as much the night before as possible. So for us, that definitely means lunches. They are fully ready to go in the fridge, excluding crackers (did you know crackers go soggy in the fridge? I did not until I packed my own lunch the night before including crackers and they were inedible. I felt so bad for the kids!) ice packs are double checked so they’re ready to go in the morning to keep lunches safe.

-Backpacks are double checked. My school age kiddo is pretty low maintenance when it comes to her backpack and I have made her responsible for her own library books. I remind her regularly what day is library day and to get her books, but if she decides to not listen to me and not bring them, then that’s on her for not being able to take new books out. I do not think that is an unreasonable responsibility for a six year old, over half way through the school year. But really, backpacks usually get done when we get home that day for the next day so they’re out of my mind and that has been working for us.

Other night before tasks that were suggested included setting out their clothes for the morning so it eliminates the morning clothing battle. Thank youuuu! When I am really on the ball, together we set out their outfits for the week in their closet organizers. but that doesn’t always happen, especially with the second kiddo who really doesn’t care what he wears!

Now that we have done as much as we can the night before, let’s tackle the morning.

The NUMBER ONE thing that has helped me immensely is waking up even earlier. It gives me that extra time to attempt to drink a cup of coffee and get lunches packed before waking the kids. And while they’re doing their morning tasks of eating (that can take ages so time your kiddo accordingly) and getting dressed, I am doing my hair makeup and getting ready for work. The most important tasks are already done by that point.. meaning food! I can survive a day without makeup, none of us will make it without lunch!!

Another big win for us is timers. We use timers for so many things. Eating, brushing teeth, getting D to sit on the potty. Even past the mornings, we use timers for toy sharing, screen time, and bedtime snuggles. We really love these bubble timers for short term timing, and this visual timer for longer times.

A couple other morning suggestions included getting dressed as soon as they get up, and also brushing their teeth before eating. Also, not opening any social media apps in the morning.

I hope that helps. I know it has helped us a lot.

Is there anything else you would add to the list? What helps get you out in the mornings on time?