Getting out the Door in the Morning

I get this question all the time: "How do you get out the door in the morning?" It's usually followed by something like "I can't seem to get out the door with 2, how do you do it with 5?" Well the answer to that is simple: I plan ahead.

Now weekdays and weekends are drastically different in terms of "getting out the door" and certainly each week night faces it's own challenges, so let's start there. On a weekday morning we generally leave the house at around 7:30 am...well, my husband or myself often get a run in before that, but let's just talk about the kids. The trick is preparing the night before. So to get out the door by 7:30 am, and not being a morning person, I do as much as possible the night before. So, clothing for everyone is layed out the night before. Lunches...including dad's, are made the night before. Homework is put in backpacks and papers are signed the night before. All showering for the kids is done the night before. Seeing a pattern here? So the only thing the kids need to do in the morning before school is get dressed, eat breakfast, comb hair and brush teeth. That's it.

Now throw a baby into that mix and it is a bit more challenging. When you have a baby at home as well as children that need to "be" somewhere it takes two. Yes, it works best when dad can pitch in a little more than usual and fortunately for me my husbands schedule allows for that (he is self-employed). But once your baby is getting up in the morning at a predictable time, you should have no trouble getting where you need to go. Just add packing the diaper bag to your list of things to do (drumroll please...) the night before.

Now there is one more piece to the getting out door puzzle I should mention. I generally do not shower first thing in the morning (remember, I'm NOT a morning person...can't do the 5 am workout followed by 6 am shower). I shower at night once the kids have gone to bed...it helps me relax and honestly, I feel so filthy by the end of the day that a good rinse is necessary! So I do give my kids full attention in the morning. I found that when I was trying to get myself showered and ready at the same time the kids were preparing to leave for the day it was disastrous! Not that they needed my help dressing per say (any child above 3 can dress themselves in a timely manner....more blogs on that to come) but knowing that I am available to them is huge. And you'll find that if you are available too, and not rushing around yourself, your kids will be much less stressed out in the morning and they will have a better start to their day.

Having trouble doing all your tasks the night before? Enlist help. I have found that husbands are more than willing to help especially if you are clear about what you need. Sometimes us moms try to do too much on our own so that it's "done right". You can double check the lunches and diaper bag in the morning if you have to. Now go take a bath.