The lazy days of summer are officially over and the new school year has just started. Which mean that mornings are a whole lot busier. Saying that weekday mornings are hectic during the school year is a bit of an understatement. Trying to get yourself and your family ready for the day and out the door on time can be incredibly stressful. Especially when you’re trying to transition from your summer morning routine to your school moring routine. But luckily there are a few simple things you can do to help reduce that stress.
As cheesy as it sounds a good morning really starts the night before. After a long day, it can be incredibly tempting to just crash on the couch instead of getting ready for tomorrow. But trust me, taking time in the evening to prepare yourself for the next day really is the key to a stress-free morning. Here are 6 simple things you can do at night to help your school mornings a little less stressful.
1. Set out clothes for the next day
Setting your kids clothes out the night before means one less thing you need to do while you’re trying to convince your toddler to eat oatmeal instead of gummy bears for breakfast. It also means that you w
This is an easy thing you can add to your kids nightly routine. Before bedtime or story time take a few minutes and have them help you get their clothes laid out. As they get older they can start doing it by themselves, freeing you up to take care of other things.
2. Pack lunches for the next day
Packing lunches for the next day might be the last thing you want to do after you’ve cooked and cleaned up after dinner. But it’s way less painful to spend a few minutes at night packing lunches instead of trying to get it done in the morning while cooking breakfast AND trying to get everyone dressed AND out of the house on time.
Not only do I pack school lunches but I also pack a lunch for my husband to take to work. One trick I use to help make packing lunches a little easier is that I cook enough dinner to pack up leftovers for my husband’s lunch. This not only saves me time in the evening but it also saves our family money. Check out how our family saves over $200 a month by packing lunch instead of eating out!!!
Get your kids involved and have them help get snacks and juice boxes out of the pantry or fridge. Once they’re old enough teach them how to make lunches on their own (if you cant tell I’m all about teaching your kids how to take care of stuff on their own).
3. Put things you need to take with you by the front door
How many times have you been rushing out the front door only to realize you don’t know where you put our keys, sunglasses, or your child’s backpack. The easiest way to keep this from happening is to make sure you have everything you need is right but the front door night before! Keeping your entryway organized and having a place to store everything helps to make this even easier to do.
Some quick and easy entryway you can organize your entryway are
- A Key basket for your keys
- A coat rack for jackets, backpacks, and purses
- An entryway table or coat rack with a shelf for sunglasses, cell phone, keys, and any other small items.
- A bench to store shoes under
And none of these things have to be complicated or expensive. I was able to build a super simple coat rack with a shelf and a bench for under $50. Now I have a place for everything. Which helps keep my small entryway organized and gets me out the door much quicker in the morning.
If your child is old enough assign them with the responsibility of making sure that their shoes, jack, and backpack are by the front door before they head to bed.
4. Review the next day’s schedule
Use a planner or calendar to track all of your upcoming appointments and check it nightly to make sure you haven’t forgotten about an early morning appointment or meeting. Planners do not have to be complicated or fancy, in fact, I think when it comes to planners the simpler the better. I use this basic Academic Planner
to keep organized and I love it.
If planners aren’t your thing then check out google calendars. Its free app that allows you to share your calendar with everyone in the family. My husband does not like paper planners so I also use the google calendar app on my phone to keep us both on track. It allows both my husband and I to add appointments and other information to one shared calendar. Its been beyond helpful and keeps us on the same page.
5. Give your house a quick pickup
Take 15 minutes to give your house a quick pick-up before going to bed. Even if it’s something as simple as quickly picking up your kitchen, running the dishwasher, or starting a load of laundry. It’s one less thing to worry about the next morning.
I’m a big believer in getting everyone in the family involved with the nightly clean up. After all, you don’t make the mess all on your own, so why should you be the only one cleaning? Assign your kids one or two age-appropriate chores before they head to bed like picking up their toys or giving their bedroom a quick pick up. The more people helping the quicker everything will get done.
6. Take a shower
As a stay at home mom with little kids, showering during the day can be a struggle. Waking up before your kids with enough time to shower is not always possible and trying to find time during the day to do it be downright impossible.
Shower at night after your kids go to sleep not only guarantees you an uninterrupted shower, but it also is a great way to relax and unwind after a long day.
What are the ways that you prepare for school mornings? If you have any other tips or tricks that help you have a less stressful morning I would love to hear about it in the comments below!!!
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