Most people dread mornings, but they are a different beast for parents. The last thing anyone wants in the morning is stress. You want to wake up, get ready for work, and prepare for what lies ahead. This is near enough impossible if you have children. Instead, your mornings are full of running around as you juggle ten different things to ensure everyone gets going on time – whether that is home or away.
If this description is your reality, keep reading to reclaim some sense of calm in the morning. Below, I’ve revealed my most practical and effective tips to help you deal with the morning rush. Just like success in most areas of life, it involves planning (and in some cases, doing) what you can ahead. In other words, a good morning starts the night before.
Get breakfast ready the night before
When you are about to go to bed, get everything ready for breakfast the next morning. If anything needs to be cut up or prepared, then do it now. In some cases, you can even make an entire breakfast ready to be eaten. The best way to do this is by making overnight oats. You keep them in the fridge, then your kids have a nutritious breakfast to take straight from the fridge. It’s simple, and you save loads of time in the morning.
Don’t forget your coffee (or tea)
It’s impossible to get through the morning rush when you’re feeling bleary-eyed and tired. So, start every morning with a cup of caffeine – either coffee or tea. Try waking up before everyone else, just so you can sit and enjoy your cuppa as well as some quiet reading time before the chaos begins. If you want to truly enjoy your drink, then the most expensive coffee usually has the best flavor. But, if you are just in it for the caffeine, then a supermarket variety or good, strong black tea
Lay clothes out before putting your kids to bed
Get your children’s clothes, and school stuff all lined up and laid out before you put them to bed. Make sure they know where everything is, so they can put it all on in the morning. This prevents the panic of running around trying to find different bits of school uniform, or looking for specific homework or books. Get it all ready the night before, and your mornings will be far less stressful. Yes, even as homeschoolers or work-at-home moms this is helpful. Getting dressed is one way to gear up your brain to start the day. Developing this habit for your children will serve them well no matter where they go in life.
Set a shower schedule
If you have older children, then you’ll run into problems with the shower during the morning rush. Everyone will head to it at the same time, so you need to agree on a schedule. Work things out with your family to ensure that everyone knows who’s going in the shower, and at what time. This will stop any disputes, and it adds more structure to the shower frenzy! With many children and one shower, some are set to shower at night, before bed.
As you read through this article, you will probably start imagining your new mornings. Think of a world where you don’t have to run around the kitchen trying to make breakfast from scratch, or you no longer need to worry about finding your kids’ clothes. It will still probably be a bit stressful, but you’ll find it way easier to cope. The more these things become a habit, the easier the mornings will be.