Life Savers for busy mornings

Meghan - posted on 01/06/2011

I'm too groggy in the morning to let anything frazzle me. If I forget something I forget something, I am rarely late so in the event that I am it doesn't really phase me either.

Sapphire - posted on 01/06/2011

Hubby takes care of my son's morning routine since I'm already out the door between 6-6:15 am. But we have our own little "Meals on Wheels" program...which sadly/jokingly translates to "eating breakfast in the car on the way to school". It's already packed up in his lunchbox the night before. Juice, some fruit, a squeeze yogurt, or dry cereal, cereal bar, string cheese, etc. Whatever is easy to eat in the car on the way to school. It works for my son!

Bonnie - posted on 01/06/2011

I am a stay at home mom so I don't often run late in the morning, but sometimes I do. I have my 4 year old's lunch ready for school the night before and things he needs for school in his bag already. I usually have an idea what they will be wearing beforehand. I set my alarm the mornings he has school so I try not to run late. My boys like waffles so I stick those in the toaster while they eat their yogurts. My two year old seems to be sleeping in lately. I don't know if he is making up for lost time or what lol. This morning my older son had school and I had him up dressed and eating breakfast by 7:45am, but my 2 year old was still asleep so at 7:50am I woke him up, helped him get dressed and of course he wants to eat while his brother is finishing his breakfast. He isn't potty trained so there are still those times when he was just changed 10 minutes earlier and tells me he just pooped after I have just got his snowpants, coat, and boots on. So I have to take everything off to change him lol. Good thing I can just eat when I get back:-)

Stifler's - posted on 01/06/2011

I used to look after a severely autistic boy at work and get him ready for school. His mum was never organised. No school clothes were washed half the time, there was no bread for toast, no bananas, no clean glasses or plates. one time there was no body wash and I used to shower him before school. if I left him for 2 minutes to spread butter on toast he'd be in his room naked. If you're organised the day before with any bags packed, clothes laid out and lunch organised and a list of things to do you'll be right. I've never had any dramas myself with Logan except once we were about to go get a Santa photo and he crawled into the shower while I was doing my make up and tipped an entire jug of water over himself. It was only water so I just changed the suit and wiped him off but it was so funny. He's pretty easy to get out the door with and my nappy bag is always ready to go.

Rosie - posted on 01/06/2011

mine always have to go to the bathromm "weally weally bad" before we have to go. they are also very good at losing gloves, hats or shoes. i've tried to nip that by buying a shoe cubby, and hooks for their coats, and trying my damndest to make sure they actually put their items where they go. my oldest is the worst, my other 2 are learning pretty good though!

Laura - posted on 01/06/2011

My 2 year old likes to strip when we're ready to walk out the door. My lifesaver the other morning was Poptarts, I know not the healthiest but I woke up 8:30 had to have the 4 year old to school by 9 and I am 34 weeks prego. My 2 year old stayed in his jammies until we got home and we do that a lot because it's just easier sometimes. I know it's going to be interesting when I have 3 to deal with and no sleep but I know we'll find a way to make it work. Thankfully preschool is only 2 blocks away :)

Krista - posted on 01/06/2011

Yeah, a lot of it is preventative. My toddler stays in his pj's while he eats breakfast, and once he's done, I wipe his face and hands while he's still captive in his booster seat, so that he doesn't get peanut-butter and toast on my work clothes. When I get him dressed, it's basically 10 minutes before we have to leave. So I bring him upstairs, change his bum if needed, put on his clothes, bring him back down, put on his jacket, hat and boots, at which point he goes out into the porch because he knows we're leaving. I then put on my own boots, grab my coffee that my husband has thoughtfully poured into my travel mug, and head out the door with purse over shoulder, toddler on hip, coffee mug in one hand and keys in other hand. This is at 7am.

I don't doubt that as my kid gets older, or once I have two, mornings will become a LOT harder. But, if I have to get up at 5:30 instead of 6am in order to make it all work, then so be it.

Sharon - posted on 01/06/2011

Cereal. Ok I love cereal. I love all kinds of cereal. My kids do too. Some of our favorites are LIFE, KIX, Rice Chex, Honey Bunches of Oats, this pecan flax seed stuff we get from Costco, and then there are the sugary cereals - HEAVEN!

Like others - learn from past lessons... lol...

I never dressed the toddlers until we were ready to walk out the door.

Now that they're school age.... we lay out clothes the night before.

We have boxes of snacks ready to go.

Coffee could be on a timer. But its not, lol.

Things have places. DON'T TOUCH THE THINGS. LOL.

I'm not a morning person. I'm not really a night person either. LMAO. So I need things to be where I expect them to be in the mornings and its best to not talk to me until after 10am.

You get up, eat breakfast, brush your teeth THEN get dressed (now I don't have force them to change shirts after getting toothpaste drool on their clothes!), then hair, then grab snacks and bags and out the door. sorta - we have a ranchette and a lot of other stuff to do.

Now I'm off to get my shower and then put the goose in the tub.

Jenn - posted on 01/06/2011

Pretty stress free around here. I wake up around 5:30 or 6:00am and get coffee started, make Brian's lunch and get him a to-go coffee made. The kids wake up around then or shortly after and we have some cuddles then it's breakfast time. If it's a day when Phillip has school, then I'll make his lunch while he's in the bath, then we all get dressed. The kids play for a bit and then he gets on his bus at 8:20am. After that it's whatever the day brings.

Krista - posted on 01/06/2011

My lifesaver for crazy mornings is the fact that my boss has a 2-year-old, so she TOTALLY understands. If things are nutty and I'm running late, I just text her to let her know, and make up the time at lunch.

As well, I schedule myself to leave for work a half-hour earlier than I actually need to. This way, if Sam is being poky over his breakfast, or if I can't find my keys, I have that half-hour cushion of time for things like that, so I don't get as stressed out over it. And if I DO get out the door when planned, then I have an extra half-hour to kill before work, which usually results in me picking up a few non-perishable groceries (the grocery store is DEAD at 8am), which saves me a bunch of time after work.

So yeah, my lifesaver is giving myself LOTS of time, so that if we're running 5 minutes behind, it's no big deal at all.

JuLeah - posted on 01/06/2011

Let go of expectations - let go of attempting to control what I can't control - My vision of how things 'should' go, is just that - my vision. Others have their vision, my higher power seems to have one too. Mine doesn't always get to be the one to lead :)
Once, the power steering went out on this large boat of a car I was driving (yah, I was trying to get somewhere on time) It took muscle to move the beast off to a parking lot where I sat trying to figure out what to do. I checked the fluid levels (fine) I kicked the tired (I'd seen others do that) and I even told the car what I tought of it (it started to rain)
So, I got back in figuring I'd just muscle the thing where I wanted it to go -
I turned it on and, the steering worked just fine Yahhh! (I am sure it was the kicking that did it)
I pulled back on the road and took the exit for the freeway, and was stopped again by traffic - five car pile up - happened minutes prior - had I not been sitting in that parking lot, I would have been the 6th car involved; it was that close.

Mother - posted on 01/06/2011

I rarely have these morning Nicole. I'm off work right now and we homeschool. However, a few months ago was a different story. My life saver is.......learning from past mistakes. I ALWAYS have everything ready the night before. I always have an extra $10 hid away in my vehicle to hit Tim Horton's for breakie and my mindset is.........the world is not going to stop if I'm late.