With school back in full swing and as a mom of seven with kiddos ranging in ages from 6 weeks to 15, our school morning routine has to be quick and smooth! I have a 10th, 7th, and 4th grader currently in school. The high school in our district doesn’t do bussing, so I have to drive him to and from school each day.
Here are some things that we do to make it a low-stress morning:
- Pick out and lay out clothes the night before. Undershirts, underwear, shoes, and socks are all included.
- Pack lunches the night before and put the whole lunch box in the fridge if things need to stay cold (they put an ice pack in it in the morning). If possible, premake baggies or containers on Sunday for the whole week. We do this as well (fruits, crackers, etc).
- My elementary schooler has a daily log that I’m supposed to sign, and I sign it each night right before she goes to bed so that we’re not scrambling around in the morning and trying to remember to sign it.
- Homework, pencil boxes, and everything else needed for the next day is in their backpacks the night before.
- My 10th and 7th grader have school laptops so they put them on the charger before they go to bed and get them in the morning. They leave their backpacks unzipped so they remember to grab their laptops on the way out.
- We do a quick, low-mess breakfast in the morning.
- I tell them the quicker they get ready in the morning, the longer they can sleep before I wake them, so it has almost become a game of, “Let me break my previous record of the time it takes to get ready.”
- They know the mood Mommy will be in if they miss the bus, so they are sure they’re ready to go, haha!
- The schools have consequences if their students are late more than three times each month (lunch detentions, after-school detention, or Saturday school), and none of them want to do that.
What tips do you have that make your morning go smoothly?
