Oh, school mornings. Fun, right?
Okay. I have to admit. I don’t really hate school mornings. I like a bit of routine and schedule. Okay, OKAY. I actually really love routine and schedule. So school mornings are okay for me because it helps my little fellas get back into a routine… and my spirited children always seem to do better when they have a little bit of rhythm to their day. And honestly, while I adored the first half of summer and I wasn’t even really thrilled that they’d be returning to school so early, once again, I was still, somehow, ready for them to be back in the flow of things {although, I think the baby greatly disagrees}.
So what are some things that are working for us? What makes school mornings pretty easy peasy, not rushed, and a lot of times {dare I say it} enjoyable?
Here are a few things that keep us in our groove…
1. Backpacks in one place.
A lot of people have mudrooms these days — you know, the beautiful spots with specific placement for shoes, belongings, and such. We do not currently have a mudroom but we do make sure that the kiddos hang their packs and such in one central location after they empty them post-school each day. And even though this area is not currently “in order” as we are still mid-move {to clarify… we are still trying to sell our other casa so all of our real furniture is at our other house. Of all the things in life that are fun, let me tell you, this tops it} at least they know where to locate them, every day.
2. Standard bedtime. Standard wake-up time.
Really, school mornings start the night before. As such, we have a pretty standard bedtime each night and wake time each morning. I am a huge proponent of sleep for our kiddos {which might actually be due to my need for sleep} so we keep on a pretty consistent weeknight and morning schedule to keep the wheels greased appropriately. The olders have a Time To Wake clock in their room and it works like a gem to both get them out of bed, and on the weekends, keep them in… and has no loud noise that might wake other sleeping beauties in the house {namely, the babe}. Also of note, due to the ridiculous tantrums one of the three of our children has been having off and on pre-bedtime {I will not divulge which one…}, we have been making bedtime even earlier for him. Because sleep is like gold, people.
3. Dishes accessible to kiddos.
With our recent move, I decided it was the perfect time to give the kids a bit more independence. With that in mind, I put all of their cups, bowls, and plates down in a low cabinet that they are able to access. This helps them be able to assist as I empty the dishwasher and it allows for them to assist in getting plates ready for breakfast. And, it makes mama feel like maybe they won’t go to college wondering how to do their own laundry. Win/win.
4. Lunch box and snacks easy to reach and select
Much like the kiddos dish cupboard, I also have made one section of pantry “kid-friendly” and prepared lunch box items and after school/daytime snacks in different containers to make them easily accessible. The Oldest knows where his lunch box is every morning and then picks out a milk and two items from the “lunch shelf” on the days he is taking cold lunch. It isn’t always flawless, people, but again, it feels like a step in the right direction. {And yes. Those are fruity pebbles. Because the baby thinks it’s funny to sprinkle bags of cereal like fairy dust all over our floors. It’s fantastic}.
5. Calendar planning ahead
Each month, the lunch calendar is available for the Oldest’s school. He and I will look at the calendar together and he will let me know his lunch preferences for each day. Then, I write them on the calendar so each morning, I have all the info I need for the day in one central location. We also put any info for preschool, and for the Oldest’s “specials” on the calendar, too. Right now, we only have one in pre-school and one in elementary. Their schedules will only get busier as time moves on so I find the all-family calendar to be crucial and necessary. Without it, I would be referencing 80 different lists and notes every morning {okay. not 80… but you get me}. Regardless, friends, I. Love. The calendar {and yes, I buy this one for the stickers.}. {Also, you may recall that I am a huge proponent of the wipe board. Ours is still at the “show house” but when it comes to join us, I will update it every evening to reflect the date, the weather, lunch info, and the like}.
Other things I would love to say we do include:
– Putting shoes in the same place every night
– Eliminate clothing fights by laying them out the night before
– Prepare homemade breakfast every morning
But the reality is:
– The shoes end up on all ends of the earth no matter what attempts mama makes to corral them appropriately
– The boys do pick out their clothes the night before and lay them out HOWEVER the middlest almost always comes down in some variation of what he picked… and most of the time, we just let it fly. Except when he’s wearing pants and a long sleeved shirt in July. Then we have “words”.
– Most of our breakfast lives in a box. In the freezer. And can be microwaved. Or toasted.
Additionally, the baby is less than thrilled with the whole being-carted-around-for-dropoffs situation but we get ‘er done…
Because you can’t win ’em all, people. In fact, school night bedtimes are currently kicking our bums over here because the child with the tantrums is “easing” into the transition with a bang. As in, banging on the door, throwing things, screaming, and so much more behavior that encourages my drinking habits nightly. But school mornings, those are good.
So those are the things that we do… the things that make our mornings pretty painless. Nothing groundbreaking, but I do think that having some sort of regular process to it all makes for happier participants. I want you to tell me what goes on at your house in the AM. Are school mornings stressful or easy peasy mac n cheesy? What works at your house to keep everyone on the ball?
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