There are three things that qualify (ha!) me to talk about successful morning prep.
First, I have either been going to school or sending people off to school in the morning for the last 29 years. Ben has either attended school or worked at a university our entire marriage. This is Sam's third year of attending school everyday out our elementary school. Keep in mind, this year he will be in Kindergarten.
Second, I hate mornings. I am the World's Person Least Likely to Love Mornings and mother of the first runner-up.
Finally, I'm super lazy. Not lazy in the fact that I don't do things, lazy in the fact that I like to do nothing so I like to do things as quickly and efficiently as possible. More time for sleeping people.
The only way I could be more qualified is if I were a teacher or had 3+ children. Since neither of those things are going to happen anytime in the near future, you'll just have to deal with my (un)qualified opinion.
Prepare and Prevent
I don't function too well in the morning. I just don't fire on all cylinders. I am much more productive at night. If I can have things prepared the night before I prevent a lot of disasters.Before I go to bed, I try to double check backpacks, layout clothes, find library books, sign permission sleeps and prep lunches. This gives me more time in the morning to wrestle my
Up and At 'Em
As much as I hate to admit it, getting up a even 20 minutes before my kids makes the morning go better. It is easier to get myself going if I'm not trying to snuggle children into consciousness while I'm doing it. If I'm not planning on exercising in the morning, I realize that this might be the only opportunity I'm going to get to take to shower during the day. For kids, I like to stagger getting them up. Especially when I had a newborn, it was easier to get my son ready without trying to balance feeding and changing a baby. This doesn't always work but it is worth a shot.
Put On A Happy Face
While Ben's peppy early morning nature tends to get on my nerves at time, I've found that it makes a huge difference in how our morning is going to go. Crabby Mom = Crabby Kids. If I can get Sam out of bed sweetly and softly, he has a much better morning. Also, a couple of minutes for a snuggle never hurt anyone.
Unplug Your Morning
If a screen is involved, the morning is guaranteed to be a bigger fight at my house. Our love of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is detrimental to morning routine. Just forgo it entirely. You can check the news or weather later on your phone.
Grab Your Toolbox
At my house, I keep all of the kid's hair gear and dental hygiene stuff together (But separate. Hair in the toothbrush? No, thank you.). We just get the bin out and get it done. No more searching for toothbrushes, combs or bows. It is all kept together and mobile just in case someone's "legs are broken" and they are incapable of standing up. It happens more than I would like to admit.
Keep an Eye on the Prize
Morning prep is not time for checking email or Facebook. Don't think you are going to pound out a blog post either. Just as I don't allow the TV to distract the kids, I can't let my stuff keep me from the task at hand. Dishes can wait. Do you really need to reply to that email or can it wait 20 minutes until the kids are gone? By focusing on the task at hand, you encourage a smoother morning and therefore a smoother day. Teachers will thank you. Your kids will thank you when you aren't rushing them out the door like a raving lunatic because Pinterest put you behind. Most of all, you will thank yourself when you are able to focus on your own day without the remnants of school-rush adrenaline.
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