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Monday, March 12, 2018

How to speed up your morning when you have kids


When I first started working 10 years ago--I was meticulous about being early for work each and every day so that I would have time to get get myself prepared. I am one of those people that just needs my time when I first get to work to read emails and prepare for the tasks at hand that day. THEN I had my daughter--and there was a definite learning curve.


Now that she is a big kid, there are days when her moods can really slow the process down in the morning. There are times when she just doesn't want to get out of bed, doesn't like what she is wearing, doesn't want to brush her hair etc. But I still have to get to work. What is a mom to do?

There are a few things that I have found that help keep us all on time in the morning.

1. Shower at night.

I know that a lot of people hate showering at night,but it is a great way to save time the morning. I like to shower at night and dry my hair a little bit before bed. Then when I wake up I can run the curling wand over my hair and it is good to go.

Obviously bathing my child at night is the only option I will even consider at this point. We would have to get up at 4:30 in the morning to fit in a bath for her.

2. Lay out everyone's outfits the night before.

This one step is an easy one to forget, but it really does save me a bunch of time and I am trying to become a lot more consistent with it. When I lay my clothes out the night before I am able to save myself so much time in the morning thinking about what I am going to wear. It also gives me the chance to iron anything that needs ironing.

For my daughter I usually lay out two options. Since she wears a uniform top--all I do is lay out to pants options. This helps to avoid fits over what she is going to wear. She feels like it is her choice, and we all win.

I would also suggest laying all parts of the outfit out including shoes and jewelry for a one stop shop.

3. Make lunches the night before and possibly even on the weekends.

This is usually something that my husband takes care of. He makes salads for every day of the week on Sunday night and I just pick them up in the morning to bring with me to work. My daughter's lunch is included at school (for now) so that is not a problem, but in 2 more years--We will probably make her lunch each night before bed as well.

4. Pack book bags/work bags the night before

Before going to bed I make sure that my laptop and other school items are already in my bag, and that my daughter's book-bag is prepped and ready for the next school day. This is imperative to make sure that things do not get forgotten--that can really put you behind.

5. Pick your battles

There are going to be those days when my daughter fights waking up or doesn't like either of the choices for outfits, and you just have to decided which battles to pick sometimes I just let her pick a pair of pants in those cases...even if they don't match. I mean, who really cares?

6. Divide and conquer.

My husband and I tag team the operations in the morning when we are both available. There are times when he is out of town and I have to do it myself, but it is rare. He get's P dressed most days while I finish up my makeup and hair. I then am responsible for her hair, brushing her teeth, and making sure she uses the bathroom before we leave. I think that it is key to be a team. When you specialize in just a few jobs everyone gets out earlier!

What you are noticing from this list is that it makes for a much later night for you, but I would rather go to bed a little later and sleep in awhile longer.

What are your hacks for morning time in your household?

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