So for days now I've thought of many, many things to blog about... This is how it seems to go...
I walk over to the computer, tap my mouse..... 'Blink' my screen lights up.... Somehow this makes me do a corner smile (ya know the one, where only the corner of my mouth lifts slightly up)!
Once I have all of my 'needs' around me (drink, munchies’ if needed, hoodie since the draft from under our front door is freezing, etc.) I get settled into my chair... Or 'THE chair' as I like to call it (so much better then the broken down thing we were sitting in that once was Tyler’s when he was single)....
And then I begin... I get to my page; click on 'New Post' and......
Stare.
Right before this I had hundreds of ideas milling through my head. My brain was full of amazing topics, some with humor, some with tears attached.... And now I have nothing???
NOTHING??!!You have got to be kidding me....
So today I decided to have a back-up plan. I was settling in for a snack before heading downstairs to switch the laundry over when a thought hit me... I automatically ran over to the computer, did my mouse-tap-corner-smile....... Waiting for the page to load........click 'New Post' and there it is.... The white rectangle waiting for me to write my best thoughts across it....
And I come up with nothing... So I did a bit of research.... And came across this (oh just you wait! *L*), something I and hopefully a few others out there will be needing come September... Here we go!
"Morning Lift-Off Made Simple
By Stacy DeBroff
How can I get my kids out the door in the morning on time and without shouting constantly, "WE'RE LATE!!!"?
"Hurry Up!" I used to find myself constantly saying to my kids, while keeping a constant eye on the clock, and feeling consternation at the sight of spilled egg on my son's shirt which seconded as a breakfast napkin as far as he was concerned, while my daughter still lingered upstairs deciding just what counted as worthy of being worn to nursery school.
I share below my best tips for transforming your morning madness. By changing your routine in the evening to include laying out clothes, getting backpacks and briefcases ready, packing and refrigerating lunches, setting the breakfast table, and prepping the coffee maker, you eliminate the mad scramble of the morning rush. Designate a space for each family member, such as a cubby, cabinet, or a spot in your mudroom, for items needed in order to get out the door in the morning. Patterns you set in motion eventually become taken for granted by your family as simply the way things get done around your home.
INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING IN YOUR EVENING WRAP-UP:
Pack all the items you and your child need for work, school, or daycare and load the ca or place coats, bags, and lunchboxes by the door.
Designate a shelf, basket, or area for each family member to place whatever needs to go out the door in the morning.
Check the calendar in case your child needs sneakers for gym or a snack for a field trip.
Pack lunches and refrigerate sandwiches-sometimes this is easiest to do while making dinner.
Put your car keys with the sandwiches if it helps your remember to add the sandwiches to lunchboxes in the morning, or put a note on the lunchbox to remind you.
Check the weather report to plan clothing and outerwear for the next day.
Have your child pick out the clothes she wants to wear the night before, or lay out two outfits for her to choose between.
Choose your own outfit for the morning, and take five minutes to lay out your clothes the night before to make dressing hassle-free.
Make a pact with your partner to clean the kitchen and do the dishes together every night before bed.
Setting the breakfast table is a great task for your preschooler or older child.
Decide what to serve for breakfast to avoid early morning debates. Keep meals simple, and get your child to commit to a choice the night before. Wait until the weekend to make time-consuming breakfasts.Some hot items, like pancakes, French toast, and bacon can be made ahead of time and reheated.
For toddlers, keep child-size sippy-cups of milk and juice in the fridge so your child can help herself from the lower shelves.
For those desperate mornings when you or your child oversleeps, have breakfast items like muffins, fruit, granola bars, or cereal in a plastic bag that can be eaten in the car.
If you're a coffee drinker, prepare your coffee maker and set out a travel mug.
Shower or bathe your child at night.
Give your elementary school child her own alarm clock so she can start learning to wake up on her own. A clock radio that wakes her to music will better ease her into the routine. Let her pick out the style she likes best so she feels vested in this "grown-up" item.
Set clocks ahead by ten minutes to help keep you on time in the morning.
To help your toddler remember all the things you want done in the morning, take pictures associated with each activity and mount them on poster board as a visual reminder. This will cut down on the nagging you have to do, and allows your child the independence to master the morning and evening routines on her own.
IN THE MORNING
Clean out your makeup drawer: throw away the makeup that you never use and store the makeup that you wear only when going out at night or on dressy occasions. Keep just the basic supplies you need every morning readily available. Do the same for your jewelry and hair products.
Buy an alarm clock that has a back-up battery in the case of a power outage.
Wake up a half-hour earlier than you currently do, which may mean going to bed earlier too.
Before waking anyone else, grab a cup of coffee or tea, shower, and get dressed so at least one person in your family is ready to go. Then begin the morning wake-ups. Use the extra time to take care of a few household basics, such as switching a load of laundry, pulling out food to defrost for dinner, or emptying the dishwasher.
Engage your partner's help with morning tasks. If your partner begs off because he's trying to get to work on time, suggest that both of you wake up earlier so he can help you with the advance work for the day.
Banish television to avoid the lethargy that it causes and the battles that come when you turn it off half way through their morning show.
Share cereal box jokes or write goofy captions for newspaper photos with your child.
Mount an outdoor thermometer where your child can easily see it, and teach her how to read it and dress appropriately.
Have your toddler eat breakfast in pajamas to avoid staining her clothes for the day.
If getting your child dressed consumes your morning time:
Have her sleep in sweats or another comfortable outfit that she can wear to day care or school the next day. For a baby this means only a quick diaper change in the morning.
Give up caring whether anything even remotely matches.
Take your child to day care in pajamas with clothes to change into if getting dressed is always a drawn-out battle. Hopefully, a day or so of this, along with the power of peer pressure, will inspire her to get dressed at home.
Let your preschooler color at the kitchen table, giving you time to clean up after breakfast.
Make getting ready a contest: can your child beat you when getting dressed, or putting on shoes?
Put on some music if everyone is sluggish and needs some energy.
Gradually add morning responsibilities for your child, such as helping you clear the table and clean up breakfast dishes.
For the last minute out-the-door rush:
Have toothbrushes, toothpaste, and a towel in the kitchen for quick access if you are running late.
Keep barrettes, hair bands, and a brush in a basket near the front door.
Keep a basket of extra socks with shoes by the door.
If part of the reason your family runs late in the morning is because your in-home child care provider is frequently late, sit down to discuss with her the importance of arriving on time in the morning, and consider moving her arrival time to a half-hour earlier.
Set your kitchen timer for five minutes before you have to leave.
If too many incidental delays make you late most mornings, move your goal departure time up fifteen minutes, so unexpected traffic or difficult good-byes with your child will not be a problem.
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