I have recently started working 2 days a week and it has upped the level of intensity during the hour between wakeup time and off-to-the-bus time. However, I do find that I try to streamline that hour a little bit more since I like very much to come home to a decent looking house (not one that looks as if a tornado had passed through). For your information, my children’s ages are 7, 5, and 3. I realize that every age group is at different levels of independence and self-sufficiency. Here is a list of things that we try to do to get ready in the morning.
- Set my alarm for 6:30. Children are not allowed to come out of their rooms before 7 a.m.
- Get a shower. Get dressed in the clothes I laid out the night before.
- Check email. Respond to urgent matters.
- Hustle everyone downstairs at 7 for breakfast. Start load of laundry.
- While children are eating cereal and fruit, I am emptying the dishwasher. Steal sips of coffee.
- While children are dressing, I am preparing entire family’s lunches.
- Pack backpacks with snowpants, sneakers, water bottles, and lunch bags. Try not to forget homework, library books, and show-and-tell on the appropriate days.
- Put clothes in the dryer and add another load.
- Turn off space heater and put Baron in the basement.
- Begin the 5-minute process of donning winter coats, snow boots, hats, scarves, and gloves. Leave for the bus stop at 8 a.m.
Whew! I’m exhausted just writing that. And just think, tomorrow morning I get to start it all over again! What do you do to make your morning routine a little smoother?
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I think that Santa Clause has it down...A few live-in midget "workers" would be quite useful for this type of situation. Not only are they quick and relatively inexpensive, they seem great with children and small animals. Maybe they'd also do a few household chores, yardwork, snow removal, laundry?
I try to get as much ready the night before as I can. I do the lunches, fill coffee maker, sometimes even put sugar in the hubby's thermos, lay out clothes and I load my washer with clothes and soap. When my hubby walks out the door, the washer gets started. I may not get it in the dryer until I get home, but it is halfway done.
I have also gotten into the habit of making a short list of "to do's" or calls and correspondance that I want to get to the next day right before I go to bed. Then I won't keep myself awake thinking about them- they're already written down.
While reading this I realized I left laundry in the washer - again! You are a much better multi-tasker :)
Definitely make lunches the night before! Or do a batch weekly and freeze them. It's too much of a rush to do everything in the morning. Same with the backpacks. Get everything ready before bed, add lunch on the way out the door.