Ahead of the Curve: Tips and Tricks to Make Mornings Easier

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Before I had kids I was a to-do list, task-oriented maniac.  I remember in college I would bust out a workout, study session, a paper, volunteer at the soup kitchen, and attend class all before noon.  I’m not kidding.  I was a well-oiled machine.  Then suddenly there was a tiny little human relying on me every second of the day and ruining all of my plans.  

I say that last part jokingly, but having kids changes things.  No surprise there!  Three children in and my routine, order-craving self has changed a lot.  I am much more go-with-the-flow with our schedule and my little ones have taught me so much about patience and flexibility.  Lately, though, I have been feeling like I am drowning in tasks.  I think most moms would agree with this one!

So I wanted to share a few simple, practical, and immensely helpful tips and tricks I have been using around the house to stay ahead of the curve a bit.

  1.  I lay out outfits the night before.  Sometimes my kiddos like to pick out their own clothes and that is A-ok with this momma, but if they’re not feeling motivated to head up the stairs and pick something out, I have something ready to go for them downstairs.  The baby has clothes ready to go for after she has destroyed her pajamas at breakfast and it is one less task to complete, argue about, or drag feet with.
  2. We have a “Get Ready To Go” chart hanging by the front door.  Every day when I tell my kids it’s time to get ready, I then find myself saying “Jackson use the bathroom.  Okay, get your shoes.  Little miss, you need socks.  Please excuse me so I can get the baby’s coat.”  Every single day!  My kids know what is required to get out the door but they have become so reliant on my verbal cues that they don’t do it unless they hear me say it.  Enter this magical little chart.  It has simple pictures (since they don’t yet read) along with words that tell them to use the bathroom/get a new diaper, get on socks and shoes, get on jackets and then sit and read books until mom is ready to go.  Game changer, mommas – I’ve attached our simple version below. It’s easy enough to make your own if your steps look different from ours!Snacks prepared ahead of time on a counter.
  3. I portion out and make snacks available.  My kids, like many, seem to be bottomless pits.  Ten minutes after breakfast they are sometimes asking me for a snack.  I find myself getting up from folding laundry, playing with the baby, or working multiple times between breakfast and lunch to get someone something to eat.  And it is sometimes a lengthy discussion about why we’re having cucumbers instead of bear crackers for the 6th time.  So now I get some snacks together at night and set them out on the counter after breakfast.  They can eat them whenever they want, but when they’re gone, they’re gone and they have to wait for lunch.  This has helped SO MUCH and I love that it is also teaching them to ration and think critically about how much food to eat at a time.

So, there you have it.  A few quick and easy things that we have started doing around these parts to lessen the day to day drowning feeling and chaos.  It isn’t perfect and there are a dozen other little things like this that I hope to implement, but they have been helpful for us, and I hope they will help you, too! 

Do you have little time savers like this that you use?  Leave your tips and tricks in the comments to encourage and support some other moms!