Little time savers for our little humans.

So you’ve got yourself ready. You’ve put time, energy and thought into what tomorrow will look like. You’ve prepared, and are ready for a strong start the next day.

But there’s still the kids….

Here’s a few tricks I’ve learned to make the morning run smoother when you have young kids at home.

1. Get up earlier than they do- In my house this is easier said than done. Some mornings we still have sleeping children at 7:00am. Other days, some punk kid will come rolling out of their room at 5:45am. It’s unpredictable, uncertain, and unwelcome. What is consistent is how I feel when I’m up before them. Even if it’s only 15 minutes, the time alone gives me an opportunity to start the day in an intentional, positive way. I use this time for prayer and gratitude. But whether that’s your thing, or you just need a hot coffee and time to reflect on how you’ll use your day, the 15 minutes is well spent on you. Is this possible every day? No. Does life sometimes have me up 4 times in the night singing the words to every nursey rhyme ever written? You bet. But practicing this consistently, and when possible, has made a big difference in my overall outlook each morning.

2. Get kid clothes ready FOR THE WEEK- You heard me. Think you’re a brilliant and well-organized mom by putting out clothes the night before? It takes almost as much effort to pull one outfit out of the drawer as it does to get 7. Hear me out. Get yourself an organizer with 7 compartments. These are less than $20, and can be found at Walmart, IKEA, or any place where they sell home organization solutions. On Sunday fill each compartment with one set of clothing (I.e. one days' worth). For my older kids this includes underwear, socks, a dress, etc. For the baby it involves a diaper, and whatever he’s wearing to daycare. Now I hope you’re sitting down for this key piece of the puzzle…. YOU DON’T NEED TO USE THEM IN ORDER. If you’re someone that likes to pick their clothes out depending on your mood, there’s still choice in that 7 outfit contraption! In a transitional season where it’s warm some days and cool others? Take that into account when you’re putting together the 7 outfits! It’s not rocket science, but putting the time into this on Sundays saves me significant headache during the week. Also. It makes it easy for my husband to get the kids dressed. I hope you’re reading the subtext here. Whatever your laundry routine during the week, make sure you end Sunday with at least outfits for each kid to get you through the week. If you just can’t find the time to do laundry mid-week, you’re still covered.

3. Pack back-packs and lunches the night before- I get it. I’m too tired to do this at night too. But every single time I pull up my socks and get it done, I’m glad I did. Packing lunches while trying to leave the house is stressful. Just don’t do it.

4. Keep breakfast simple- It takes some of my kids 30 minutes to eat breakfast, and they’re not even big eaters. It’s a race between sloths, and I end up the looser. The thought of adding cooking time to this dilatory meal is a bridge too far for this mom. So I don’t cook in the morning. Cereal and fruit that I’ve already cut up is a fan favourite. Pancakes can be taken out of the freezer and toasted within a minute. Breakfast burritos that you froze last week can be warmed up in the microwave within 90 seconds. Know what you’re serving for breakfast the night before. Have it ready to eat. Keep breakfast simple.

Have anymore tips to help wrangle kids on the way out the door? Share them below!