How to Avoid the Morning Rush Hour

"I don't have any clean socks!" "I need lunch money!" "Where's my homework?" "THE BUS IS HERE!!"

THE MORNING RUSH HOUR For far too many of us, the morning starts like this and goes downhill from there. The whole family is so out of sorts by the time they leave home, it will take some time to settle down and concentrate on the events ahead. Unfortunately, the bad feelings may linger through the day.

Now imagine a different scenario: You hear relaxed conversation over breakfast. You see smiles reflected in the bathroom mirror and hear cheery good-byes at the front door.

THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM? You may be wondering if such a pleasant morning is really possible. The answer is "yes". You can avoid the "morning rush hour" with some effort the evening before. That's when you begin to prepare for a good morning - so get off the couch and GET ORGANIZED!

NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION I'm not an expert when it comes to organization, but I am the working mother of five children so I have some on-the-job training in this area. The following tips are not only helpful, but necessary in establishing a suitable morning routine for your family.

WHAT TO WEAR? Everyone in the house should lay their clothes out the night before, even you - especially you! Get out not only tops and bottoms, but also underwear, slips, socks, belts, shoes and jewelry. The evening is the best time to find out that the only clean shirt in your closet is in desperate need of an iron. You'll also have the opportunity get your children involved in choosing and matching their attire rather than just grabbing whatever is on top in the drawer or laundry basket.

IT'S ALL RELATIVE (HUMIDITY) Watch the weather forecast and plan accordingly. I'm an elementary school teacher, and I can't tell you how often my students have come to school dressed in shorts because it was 75 degrees...the day before. Unfortunately, they shivered all day in their summer attire as a cold front had come through overnight and the temperature had dropped 30 degrees. Also, you may have noticed that it can be stressful to search the closet floor on your hands and knees for a pair of gloves while the school bus honks its horn outside.

THE LUNCH BUNCH Seven a.m. is not a good time to discover you're out of peanut butter. If your children take their lunch to school, it should be prepared the night before. You can also make out a shopping list of lunch items you need to purchase in the near future. Have the kids assemble their own lunches. Even the youngest child can participate with your supervision.

THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY Get organized for breakfast in the evening. Running low on milk in the morning spells disaster at our house. The disaster can be averted, however, by planning an alternate breakfast menu or making a late night trip to the closest market.

In evening, when dishes are done, you can set the table for breakfast. Of course, you always wash the dinner dishes in the evening, right? Breakfast goes a lot more smoothly when you have clean dishes and flatware.

READY AND WAITING Evening is also a good time to put some thought into what you'll be having for dinner the next night. If you decide you'd like your meal hot and ready to serve when you get home from work, you may want to prepare something to cook in the crock pot all day while you're at work. I can almost guarantee you won't have time to brown hamburger or cut up potatoes in the morning before work. If you find there is nothing in your cupboards or freezer for dinner, add to your shopping list.

When your dinner has been planned in advance, you'll find you won't spend money on fast food or pizza nearly as often.

BACK PACK ATTACK School bags should be set near the front door. In fact, these items should be put in such a position that they will be tripped upon if someone tries to leave home without them. An added benefit of this tactic is that if an intruder tries to break into your house overnight by the way of the front door, they will never make it past the foyer!

The back packs should contain any necessary homework, lunch money, bus notes, show-and-tell items, gym clothes, etc. You may want to mark library day, gym day, etc., on your family calendar or on a chart to hang in your son or daughter's room. Your children should fill their school bags. They may possibly acquire the habit of organization, too.

IT'S YOUR BAG And, speaking of bags, is your work bag or brief case near the door and ready to go? Do you have enough money for lunch? Did you grab that shopping list you made earlier in the evening? Do you have check blanks, bills to mail, your work keys?

A KEY POINT Where are your keys, by the way? Always put them in the same spot when you enter your home in the evening, and you will eliminate that mad scramble to locate them as you leave the house the next morning.

THE GARBAGE MAN COMETH Will the garbage or recycling be picked up tomorrow? Get all materials ready to go out the door as you leave for work. Or, if possible, take it to the curb tonight.

ORGANIZATION ELIMINATES FRUSTRATION It sounds like a lot of work, doesn't it? But these are all things which must be done each day whether you do them in the evening or in a mad rush the next day as the sun rises. You'll wonder whatever made you think you could accomplish all those tasks in the morning. You will also rest easy knowing that you have a handle on the day to come.

IF YOU SNOOZE, YOU LOSE And one last hint...do not - I repeat - DO NOT hit the snooze button! Remember that you got organized to make your morning go more smoothly, not to get extra sleep.

Now have a great day!