Let’s face it school mornings can be the most chaotic part of the day filled with a lot of tears and running around. Some days it’s hard to get the kids up and going, but it should run much smoother than what it does. I created a system that really works for us, and I find that I’m not sweating like I was by the end of our mornings. I know this is a much longer blog than I usually do. I kind of combined several blogs into one, but I promise you it’s worth the read and will SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE ten fold!!! Here are some things that I have found that work for us. Hopefully some of these ideas will help you and your family!😊
1. SNACKS
Let’s talk a little about batching. I batch most of my dinners (which I will blog about later), lunches and snacks. It seems like everywhere they go they are supposed to have a non perishable snack. I will buy a big box of snacks and divide them into bags like these for the whole family. Some of their favorite snacks are homemade trail mix, pretzels, goldfish and graham sticks. I buy the bulk nuts and dried fruits to make my trail mix. That way I can customize them. Audrey hates almonds and Shawn likes them (that sort of thing). Sometimes I pop a bunch of popcorn in the air popper for snacks. I keep all the bagged snacks that I’ve divided in a little bin in the pantry. I also keep a plate of fresh fruit by the back door for healthy grab and go snacks. Every day after school (even Fridays for the following week) Audrey is responsible for putting a new snack in her backpack. She can choose any one of them she likes and then there’s no trying to remember “Did I pack a snack?” It’s in there ready to go AND Audrey is learning some responsibility.
2. LUNCHES
Once again I batch. When I get home from the grocery I wash and cut all my fruit and veggies and place them in these small containers. I also buy large tubs of yogurt and divide it out into containers. Way cheaper that way! I then make up all the “main courses”. I have this salad container that divides out the veggies and dressing from the lettuce so it doesn’t get soggy. Genius product!! Audrey likes homemade “lunchables” which are basically ham, some kind of cheese, olives and crackers. I use reusable cupcake liners as dividers inside a sandwich box. The other lunches they like are homemade corn dog mini muffins, pasta salad, sushi roll bowls and barley bowls. I go ahead and assemble all those lunches and put them in containers for the week. I will tell you I don’t pack sandwiches very often because you can’t make them up days ahead like the other things I listed and that just defeats the whole purpose of batching in one day. I reserve sandwiches for Monday’s since that’s my grocery/batching day. I like to have ALL lunches done and in the fridge at the beginning of the week. That way all I have to do is pop a lunch, fruit and veggies and an ice pack into their lunch box in the morning. No fixing lunches in the morning and trying to figure out what to pack. IT’S DONE!!
3. Central Location
This may sound simple but having a central location for coming and going is key! As soon as we come in this is where coats, shoes, backpacks and purses go. You can see that even the dog harnesses and leashes go here. I keep lunch boxes in the pantry for easier lunch assemble though. That way we’re not running around trying to find this item and that item. GRAB AND GO!
Now I realize not everyone has a perfect cubby like this or even a laundry room space to put things in. It doesn’t have to be fancy. It can be a simple hook rack behind the front door and a small rack with shoes. Just as long as it’s the family’s central location with everything they really need.
4. Outfits
I put together an outfit for every day of the week and hang them together. Shirt, skirt, leggings, etc. I put them in order in the front of her closet (Monday-Friday). Sounds psycho organized but its SO worth it! She has gym on Mondays and Thursdays so I put together something gym appropriate for those days. Also, do you guys have those weeks when they’re supposed to dress in a certain color or style each day of the week? Like pink day or crazy sock day? We have them often and this is super helpful for those weeks. No searching around in drawers to find something to put together. I also find that we have a lot less tears and stalling in the morning when she knows EXACTLY what she’s wearing each day. Cuts our time in half. Seriously. I then put the outfit she’s wearing the next day on this command hook I hung in her closet. When her alarm goes off she grabs the outfit on the hook and gets dressed for the day.
I really hope some of these tips help your mornings go much smoother. It seems like a lot of work, but it’s all the things you do every day anyway. All you’re doing is getting things prepared at the beginning of the week so the rest of your time is much CALMER. It may take a week or two to adjust to a different way of thinking and organizing but you’ll be glad you did! 😄
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