Managing Morning Madness

Getting your kids ready for school before you've had your morning coffee and while they're still sleepy can quickly turn pretty crazy if you aren't properly prepared for it. There are several ways you can navigate morning madness without going crazy and even possibly avoid it all together. Between making breakfast, getting yourself ready, getting the kids ready, packing lunches, helping with last minute homework, trying to prevent post-morning mess (what your kitchen looks like after everyone has eaten and left), and putting the finishing touches on that project at work... you've got a lot to do. Here are some ways you can decrease and even eliminate morning madness.

Plan ahead.
Fail to plan, plan to fail. That should be your mantra. Think of all the things you need to do in the morning the night before and get as many of them done as possible. This means packing lunches the night before, having your kids lay out their clothes for the morning, and even picking out your own clothes for the next day. This can also mean putting things you want to remember right by the door. Nothing is more frustrating than having to turn around because you've forgotten something.

Be an early bird.
One of the best things you can do to be prepared for the morning is to get up early enough. Wake up early enough to give yourself time to get completely ready before you wake up the kids. If you're totally ready you won't be running around the house at the last minute looking for that missing shoe. If you're ready you'll be able to focus on getting the kids ready and even making breakfast.

Have a routine.
Creating predictability can make your morning go a lot smoother. If you know that after you wake up the oldest child they're going to help get the youngest ready you can focus on other things that you need to do. Many times a routine goes beyond the order of things. I know a family where all the children have assigned seats in the car. That way there is no arguing over who gets "shotgun". Your routine might be simple or it might be incredibly complicated, depending on how many things you have to do in the morning. Some parents take the morning time to get laundry done or walk the dog. Just make sure it's all a part of your set routine.

Be flexible.
While having a routine can be very helpful, you also need to be flexible. You never know when one of your kids will wake up sick and not be able to help others get ready. I've learned that one of the greatest strengths of almost every parent is improvisation. Just stay calm and realize that every thing will soon be back to normal. Unexpected events are a part of what creates morning madness. If you approach an unexpected event calmly, with a level head, and determined logical, it won't be but a small bump in your day.

With these tips you should be able to get through your hectic mornings. Use these tips as you see fit and make up your own!