Could you use some help with making your morning routine smoother?
Let's get into conquering the morning madness. Do you live alone? Or are you sharing a house with your partner? What about kids? What are your mornings like? Are they crazy and hectic? Filled with yelling, arguing, and frustration. I'm going to share with you what we're currently doing.
Set up an evening routine
We started having our children shower at night instead of in the morning to cut back on bathroom usage in the morning. My husband gets up an hour before me, and I get up 30 minutes before the kids.
If I need to shower or use the bathroom for an extended period, like curling my hair or something along those lines, I shower in the evenings. I will blow dry my hair and get it all set, so I don't have to mess around with any of that in the mornings. And then I finish getting ready in my room at my vanity.
Now, since all the kids shower the night before, the girl just needs to use their hair tools. The 13-year-old usually gets her hair done right after dressing and gets up about 15 minutes before her brother. That leaves my youngest, who is a boy. Who does not need much time in the bathroom besides a fresh swipe of deodorant, which he still needs to be reminded to put on since he is only 12 and not the greatest at personal hygiene yet, which we are working on. Then brushing his teeth.
My youngest still has to be told several times to get going before he actually gets going. He overslept the other week the other day and ended up waking up. About 15 minutes before the bus was supposed to be there, he was freaking out, crying, all upset that he slept through the alarm and that no one woke him up. But I used that as a learning tool for him when the alarm goes off the first three times. You can't just keep turning them off and going back to bed. Oversleep then, and you won't get everything done that you need to before the bus comes, and then you'll be missing something.
Now I do have them pick out their outfits the night before. And this started with just my youngest, as he has severe ADHD and needs a set routine and a checklist to stay focused and on task. After several months of him doing it, the girls started picking out their outfits the evening before so they could sleep a little bit longer in the mornings.
And then they get all their computers plugged in, any paperwork signed, and back in folders and backpacks the night before. And when they were taking cold lunches, they prepared those the night before and put them in the fridge in their designated spots, so all they have to do is grab them and put them in the lunch box in the morning.
They tend to fight, argue, and purposefully annoy each other. Like, "don't play that song. " "Stop looking at me." "Quit chewing with your mouth open." "I'm not looking at you." "So and so did this, and so and so did that." And then I have a ******* headache.
What my husband and I have implemented to tackle this and other behaviors that need to be changed is taking their phone for 24 hours. I know this may sound like a simple or stupid thing, but we have tried taking it for long periods, grounding them, taking all electronics away, you name it, we have tried it. Now they lose their phone for 24 hours if they have attitudes or do not complete their chores according to our expectations.
This makes them think about their actions and how they can change their behavior. When we would ground them, they would do good for a couple of days and then just give up because they felt like they would never get ungrounded. If you have kids, you may understand this. Everything is the end of the world to them.
Meal Prep Breakfasts
We have been prepping overnight oats for the week on Sundays. Since the overnight oats are good for up to five days, this is a huge help when anyone is running late or just wants to grab something quick for breakfast. Making your own oats ensures that you eat real food and some extra fiber if you add some flax or chia seeds.
French toast, pancakes, waffles, and breakfast burritos are other terrific options for making in bulk and freezing to be pulled out and warmed up in the mornings. Make your french toast, waffles, or pancakes in bulk and place them on a cookie sheet in one layer, then place them in the freezer before bagging up to prevent them from sticking together. Wrap your breakfast burritos in foil or freezer paper to store in the freezer. We pull ours out the night before so they are thawed before warming up in the microwave. The french toast, waffles, and pancakes can be warmed in the microwave or toaster.
Putting in the prep work for breakfast and packing has been a massive help with our mornings. We made a checklist for the kids to implement the prep work into their bedtime routines. After a month or two, it became second nature to them, and now we no longer use the checklist but will ask each other for the list to confirm we completed everything before bed.
If you struggle with your morning routines, try putting in some nighttime prep work to make your mornings run a little bit smoother. These free downloadable checklists can be used for all ages.
-Tina
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