morning routine reminders

[darlene]

Hi all. Just wondering how you all get through your morning routines with getting kids/dh/yourself off to school/work? Most mornings run smoothly around here, but I am getting sooooo tired of reminding the kids to get dressed....asking what they want for bfast....brush your teeth....pack your lunch....make your bed....turn out your lights...etc. I am sure if I didn't say even one of those things, that they would end up going to school in their pj's! LOL Any suggestions on how to get through the mornings WITHOUT having to remind them of everything?

[Diane]

I always try to do as much as I possibly can the night before so we won't have to worry about it all in the morning. Try having them pick out what they're going to want to wear to school BEFORE they go to bed, making their lunches before going to bed, even deciding what they're going to have for breakfast... packing the backpacks... If you get them into the routine of making their beds as soon as they climb out... brushing their teeth right after they've eaten, etc... it "should" become routine. Easier said than done... LOL but a lot of good thoughts anyway. NOTHING always goes as planned and nine times out of ten, something will happen to screw up your plan... no matter how good it is. LOL Good luck, I hope you find something that makes your mornings run more smoothly. LOL (When you do share it with us)

[Leigh]

I also try to do as much as possible the night before. Also if you have some sort of designated spot by the door, you won't have to look for book bags, lunch boxes, etc. in the morning. You can just grab it as you are walking out the door. If you have something in your lunch that needs refrigration, then get in the habit of putting it in the lunch box by the door right after breakfast.That way you won't forget it either. I hope this helps, at least a little.

[AnnW]

I don't have any great secret, but I do make sure the kids get up in time so that I am not constantly saying "hurry up, hurry up, hurry up". We have it sort of synchronized that they know they should be at what part of their morning routine at what time...ie..wake them at 6:45, ds bathes till 7:00, dd dresses till 7! LOL by 7:10 they need to have their beds made, 7:15 out of rooms for breakfast..walk out the door at 7:30...I just tell them the time if necessary. While they are doing their stuff, I am making lunches while the coffee perks. I also cut out any tv watching till all thier other stuff was done..it's great, I get to see the Today show every day!!! LOL

[MK]

My post will probably be the least helpful, especially since most school days I am not even home (I get up in the middle of the night to go to work). But dh has a palm pc with alarms for everything he has to remember (he calls it his brain), including when to take his medication, and which ones to take, when I work, when the kids get out of school, etc. Our kids are pretty easy, too, in that, when the alarm goes off we don't even have to get up right away. We just holler sleepily, "Christopher..." and he yells back, "I know, I know, I'm getting up." Then he wakes his brother and gets him going. lol. The kids are pretty much trained to have their clothes picked out the night before, without reminding. They eat breakfast and lunch at school, so we don't have to worry about that. The only thing we have to remind them is to brush their hair, and ds#1 his teeth (ds#2 brushes at preschool), and make sure ds#2 has his glasses on. And if it's Thursday I may or may not remember to remind ds#1 about his assigned reading bag, but he is excellent about that himself. (He's a great kid!) If I'm home that morning I wait with ds#2 at the corner for the preschool bus in my bathrobe and slippers. Very casual. No rush. We like to take our mornings slow and easy.

[MaryL]

We also have the morning routine down to a science. I always get up first...shower, dress, etc. Then I wake up dh and boys. I have their clothes out the night before...ds #1 wears a uniform (style of clothes...not military LOL) so that makes it simple. The tv stays off at our house until everyone is dressed, fed, teeth brushes, hair combed, backpack by door. I eat quickly (usually a SlimFast), and then go upstairs to "get beautiful" while dh sits with the boys to finish breakfast. I always make lunches the night before...and anything going to school (work) has to be by the door. The boys and I leave our house by 7:00...and then dh gets ready for work. (My school starts at 7:50... kids enter at 7:40) I drop off ds#2 at our family daycare, and then get to school by 7:20. Ds #1 waits on the playground with the other kids, and I try to get organized for my day! It's sounds crazy...but is amazingly efficient for us! (7:40 school start probably sounds early...but we end at 2:35! Which means that I am usually home by 3:30! I love that!)