How to Simplify the Morning Routine

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by Renae Chiovaro on February 10, 2011

sunrise

Mornings can be tough- getting yourself ready for the day in addition to attending to the kids can be overwhelming. We have two kids, 6 chickens, 2 dogs and a cat to attend to while attempting to be on the road by 7:30 am. I have found that the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. Bad morning=rough day. No one wants to start the day out yelling- which can easily happen when you are running behind.

Tips to Simplify the Morning

  • Prepare the night before. Lay out your kids clothes and start lunches. We don’t completely make the lunches the night before but I have a general idea of what will be packed. I also make a note of any important items and lay the list by my purse. Place homework in backpacks.
  • Make a routine. Hubby and I have this down to a science. While I am in the shower, he makes coffee and prepares the boy’s breakfast. When I am done, hubby gets ready while I get the boys dressed and finish the lunches. We know what our “jobs” are and most of the time it works like clockwork.
  • Use action words. I found that kids need a lot of direction. What should take a minute to complete, takes five. Using action words tends to make things go smoother. Instead of saying “Why aren’t you dressed?” say “Get up from the table, take your jammies off and put your shirt and pants on.” Action words also reduce the yelling. Believe me, I used to be a yeller- it’s not effective.
  • Allow for a few extra minutes. I try to make sure that we have a few extra minutes in the morning for unexpected mishaps. You never know what will happen- spilled milk, dog throwing up, missing shoes or a frozen windshield.
  • If you have older kids, give them chores to do to help out in the morning. Even though our kids are young, they still help out with feeding the animals.

So what do you do to simplify the morning routine?

Photo credit Venca.

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Renae Chiovaro

Renae is a married working mom of two handsome boys. She works as a registered dental hygienist by day and blogs here at How to Have it All by night. She enjoys cooking from scratch, working in her vegetable garden and functional training.

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