// COVID UPDATE//
I know some of you moms are still dealing with remote learning, so this is for you. We did a good chunk of school at home this school year too. Remote learning changed our mornings a little bit. We weren’t rushing out the door, but instead starting school meetings online at a certain time each day. We tried to keep our morning schedule similar to school days since eventually we’d be going back like normal. Even if your school mornings aren’t as chaotic as a normal school year, i’m sure you can apply some tips to help make them a little easier for everyone.

Most of us are not morning people in our house. The biggest one being me, MOM! As much as I’d love to get up early before the kids, I can never seem to make it happen…but, it’s something I’m working on! Since my kids have started school, our mornings can often be rough. Most days we’re rushing around getting ready, filling our bellies and getting everything packed up.

But, then there were those magical days where things weren’t so stressed and I wasn’t running around like a crazy person yelling at my kids all morning to get dressed…brush teeth…eat their breakfast. I soon realized the big difference in those two types of mornings. Read on to find out how a little prepping can really make a huge difference in your busy mornings!

I’ve put together a list of tips to help make your busy mornings a little less stressful and get you out the door on time. When I take the time to prep and keep these tips in mind I’ve found that IT IS possible to have easier and happier school mornings, so here goes:

The night before:

• Get the kids (and your) clothes all laid out and ready. Your kids can do this! The easier it is for them to get up and get dressed on their own the better and one less thing parents have to do!
  
  
• Gather any school homework that needs to go back to school and put it in each child’s backpack. Also, if needed, charge any devices they may need for school.
  
  
• Library Books. Set a reminder for the night before library day so you can track down those books ahead of time. It can often be tough to track those suckers down once they’re mixed in with all of the other books. You could also have a bin near backpacks or by the door so they’re always accessible in the morning.
  
  
• Lunch. This one I despise…seriously, DESPISE. For some reason, I find that making lunches is the biggest chore on earth. But, when I take 10 minutes at night to get them put together, it saves me so much headache in the morning. And, if you prep fruit and veggies each week ready for easier lunch making, you get 100 bonus points! When I make time to do this, assembling the lunch goes much faster.
  
  
• Prep any breakfast you can. My youngest likes chocolate milk every morning. I don’t usually do it, but the times I have gotten the milk all ready in the fridge for the next morning, that is one thing that my daughter can grab herself when she gets up.
  
  
• Get those masks ready. With COVID happening, my girls have to wear masks while at school. If your kids do as well, make sure they have masks ready and washed so you’re not tracking them down each morning. I also keep an extra in their backpack in case something happens to the original.

The gist of this list is that ANYTHING you can prep the morning before, the easier your morning will be. Once you get in the habit of it, it gets easier because it’s the same things over and over. If you’re not a morning person like me, this is SO important.

In the Morning:

Again, these are things that work for me and my family. They are things I keep in mind each morning when getting everyone ready.

• Not letting my mood affect the kids. It’s not the kid’s fault that I got up later than I wanted to and now I have to rush. I often find that when I am rushed in the morning, it has a direct effect on how I react to the kids. When I can get myself up and get my own needs out of the way, I can be present for when they’re up and needing help in the morning. Everyone is happier and less stressed.

• Waking the kids up with plenty of time to not have to jump out of bed. My older daughter has an easier time getting right to her morning tasks when she wakes up. But, my younger daughter likes to have some time to “wake up”. It takes her more time to get going. She likes to have some time in bed to drink her chocolate milk and just lay awake before starting her day. I let her have some time doing this before I start nudging her to get going, which does much happier when I’m sensitive to her needs.
  
  
• Make it clear WHAT tasks need to be done each morning. My older daughter thrives with list-making when she has things she needs to do. We have a chart that has all of the tasks she needs to do each morning. She can check them off when she’s done and know what is left.
  You can make it individual to each child and they can take accountability for themselves. My kids love to do things themselves and feel so proud when they accomplish all of their tasks.
  
  
• Add some fun to your morning. If you spend any time in the car on the way to school, play some fun music on your drive. Or, if you’re doing school at home, blast some of your family’s favorite positive tunes while you tackle your morning tasks.
  
  We have been loving this lately. It changes the mood if we have been stressed in the morning and just creates a happy vibe before they walk into school. And make sure they get a hug and an “I love you”, especially when the morning has been rough.
  

Maybe you have your rhythm during that school week and your family runs like clockwork. But, maybe like me, you don’t have it all together. I’m not an expert by any means, but I do know that when I take the time to incorporate these things into our routine, our family has a much smoother morning. If I could only follow my own advice every day!

And, this doesn’t just apply to school. We use these things when we have an early morning to be anywhere so that we can ensure we’ll leave on time.

What things do you do with your family that helps make easier mornings?