Getting Out On Time: Making It Out of the House with Your Kids & Your Sanity

kids
The yelling, the tantrums, the lost shoes! We’ve all been there. Yes, it’s back to school time and we are all a little bit out of practice with how to get out of the house on time without being reduced to a hollering, frantic, sweaty mess. However, with a few changes in your routine and a lot of night time prep, you will be on track for getting everyone to school on time and maintain your sanity!

Post a schedule. Having a schedule or a checklist of five items that must get done helps remind my kids of what they need to do each morning. Part of our routine is that as soon as the kids wake up, they have to pack their backpacks and have them ready by the front door. They do this while my husband or I makes breakfast. They also know that after eating, they have to brush teeth, get dressed, and brush their hair. For the first week, you might need to review your schedule with your kids each night to really get it to sink in (remember, practice makes better).

Do as much as you can the night before. Make sure outfits are laid out (including those missing shoes), lunches and snacks are packed (you can always do everything except the sandwiches if you feel like they get too soggy packing them the night before), have the coffee pot ready (a MUST!), and any other tasks you can get done the night before to save time. If we have to be somewhere extra early one morning, I will even go as far as scrambling the eggs and putting them in Tupperware to throw in the pan the next morning or have all of the smoothie ingredients in the blender in the fridge so all I have to do is blend them in the morning.

Teach your children tasks they can do by themselves. Any small thing that your child can do herself will save you time in the morning. Practice having your child dress himself, put his own socks and shoes on and brush his hair. Two of my kids are old enough to start brushing their hair and teeth alone, then having me finish the job. They can also help you by getting out the milk, setting the table, or emptying the dishwasher.

Set your alarm 10 minutes early. I find that this helps me psychologically. Even though I know I have an extra 10 minutes, it wakes me up and gets me going. I also know that if I hit the snooze button and sleep the extra 9 minutes, it really pushes our schedule back to the frantic “we are going to be late!” faze.
Get everyone, including yourself, to bed on time. It is much easier for everyone to wake up after a great night’s rest. Getting to bed too late will be an excuse to hit the snooze button in the morning. Give yourself enough time for a good bedtime routine – bath, jammies on, teeth brushed, stories read and any other nighttime rituals you have. You should be able to get all this done and still have your kids make it to bed on time.

Hang in there! With a little bit of practice and patience, you will be there on time!
 
 
Meet The Bella Behind the Blog: Kristen Farley is a mother of three and a domestic goddess. She is a former teacher who enjoys spending lots of time with her kids, healthy eating, volunteering at school, and mommy blogging for the masses.

Be on the lookout for more of Kristen’s expert advice and brilliant tips!

Author: Kristen Farley

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