Tips for Smoother School Mornings
It’s already 8:00am and your daughter has to be at the bus stop by 8:30! But you are only halfway through packing her lunch and she is taking a shower for the past fifteen minutes. You run around the house asking help off every living soul for a hand and soon realize it is a futile attempt! In another 10 minutes, you miraculously managed to send off your daughter with a warm hug making the world look blissful though you are worrying about the super-messy kitchen at the back of your mind.
Some wise man had rightly said once, ‘morning shows the day’! An ill-planned morning routine with your kids can leave you fatigued and wanting to fall flat on the bed for the rest of the day. On the other hand, a well-planned morning makes your transition into the day a cakewalk and you are left waiting for the next morning sooner than later! Read on to know some of the best secrets to smoother school mornings.
Get Your Appliance Cycles Right
Run the dishwasher after dinner and make an effort to empty it before going to bed. This self-favor is more psychological than physical. Waking up with the thought of an empty dishwasher makes your day so much lighter and pleasing. Program your coffeemaker the night before and smell wonderfully brewed hot coffee awaiting you when you wake up!
The Night before a Smooth Morning
Chop, cut, slice and peel veggies and fruits before dinner and store them in zip-lock pouches. Pop them into lunches or the pan and toss them lightly to cook up tasty and healthy snacks in the morning.
Sit down with kids and choose their outfits for the morning so that you are not left running between the kitchen and the bedroom toggling between two tasks. This makes the school morning so much smoother and kids cannot change their minds at the end moment!
Packing bags the night before is another such welcoming habit that makes school mornings so much smoother.
If it’s the season of a new session and your kid is ready to get back to school, make sure all the arrangements are done the night before. Important papers, notes to teachers and homework can be neatly arranged in the bag after dinner for a smooth school morning the following day!
Make a Checklist
This might just bring about that nirvana in your life which you’ve always associated mornings with. Undoubtedly the best tip for a smooth school morning, a checklist pins quite a few tasks together. Make a smooth school morning checklist and stick copies on the soft board, in the kitchen and the washroom. Some important tasks that have to make way to the checklist are:
- Brush teeth
- Emptying the dishwasher (assuming you haven’t emptied it the night before)
- Feed dog
- Pack lunch
- Carry bags and lunch
- Out the door by 9:00
Wake Up, Mom
Wake up half an hour before your kids. This is your ‘own’ time before madness hits hard! Savor your morning coffee and browse through the morning paper if that’s one of your can’t-live-without habits. Assuming you’ve followed the above points, your morning promises to be a lot smoother if you spend half an hour with yourself.
