Simplifying Your School Morning
When it’s time to go back to school, it’s not easy to get everyone up, fed, dressed, and ready for school, especially when it still feels like summer outside. If you’re not a morning person, it is even harder to think straight when you are rushing around trying to get things done. My boys are not natural early risers. Morning time often becomes crunch time just to keep everyone on track and getting them ready to be where they need to be. What’s a mom to do?
My favorite tip for easier school mornings is to plan ahead the night before:
- School assignments ready. Make sure papers are checked, and in their designated location (backpack, cubbyhole, etc.). For homeschool, this means having everything tidy and in its place in the school room, and my lesson planner pages bookmarked and ready. It’s such a buzzkill to scramble around and waste time looking for the books we need in the middle of a lesson.
- Lunch planned. For homeschool this usually means lunch at home. I never have enough ideas for lunch variety. Pinterest is one of my go-to sources for lunch ideas, and I try to plan healthy, filling lunches to keep my boys awake and energized for the rest of the day.
- Breakfast station set up for cereal, breakfast bars, or pre-made muffins. Everyone in our house is responsible for his own breakfast, so having stuff available where they can find it is a must.
- Alarm clocks set. My teens are notorious for sleeping through their alarms. Luckily, little brother loves the job of waking them up, armed with his kazoo and accordion!
- Gas in the car. It never fails that the one time we are running late will be the one time the car is on empty. It really does pay off to get gas when you get to that quarter-tank mark (Dad was right).
- Clothes laid out or grouped together in the closet. I find it helpful to have a capsule wardrobe for each of my kids. This makes it so much simpler for them to put outfits together without worrying if everything coordinates. My color-loving boys have been know to assemble some ‘loud’ combinations–orange shorts with red shirts, 2 different plaids competing for attention. Knowing what goes with what, and having several items that can be mixed and matched, makes getting ready quick and easy.
Kids’ Capsule Wardrobe
Moms may be familiar with companies that provide capsule wardrobe choices for women. Using this technique with kids’ clothes is such a time saver. It’s also a budget saver, since it helps cut down on buying those extra items that never seem to go with anything and end up in the bottom of the drawer.
As homeschoolers, our kids spend almost as much time out of the house as in. Field trips, art classes, park days, science labs, and other activities give us good reasons to change out of our pajamas (wink, wink)! When I shop for clothes for my boys, I try to plan ahead, keeping in mind what we will be doing during the school year.
I hope our ideas for simplified back to school mornings will inspire you and make your days easier!
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