22 Sep 2012 Organizing your morning
by Ashley Carson
The transition from summer life to school life is a tough one, particularly the mornings. Seemingly all too soon, the lazy mornings of June and July give way to the shock and awe of regimented 6:30 a.m. wake-up times. But take heart; it doesn’t have to be such a struggle every morning.
The key to reducing the amount of stress and anxiety of these early mornings is to get organized. Of course, I can’t guarantee the moods of the little ones you’re trying to corral, but what I can promise is that YOU will be better equipped to deal with the meltdowns with a little prep the night before. The key to leaving the house on time and hopefully, in a good mood, is planning for your morning the night before and having several important areas organized and ready. Let’s take a look at three areas that, when visited the night before, can greatly influence the following morning.
Ready your command center
Whether this consists of an entire home office or simply a calendar on the refrigerator, every organized home needs to have a designated hub of information. This area is where everyone’s activities can be kept in order. Ideally, this is where you can sort mail, update the calendar and keep office supplies. Many crisis situations can be averted in the command center: scissors available for those loose strings that need to be trimmed and pens neatly organized for that permission slip that needs to be signed. All these things can be taken care of in an orderly fashion if the appropriate supplies are conveniently available.
If you visit your command center every night before bed and see what’s in store for the next day, you can prepare in advance for what needs to be readied for the next morning. Hope for the best, but plan for the worst!
Plan your escape
A few small improvements to your entryway or mudroom can transform this from a panic area to a problem solving area. Here are a few tips: keep your keys on a hook and train yourself to leave them there each evening. This simple routine will cut down on the number of times you send everyone searching frantically for them!
Next, assign a place where you can store your purse and the kids’ bags. The idea is to keep everything in one place so that the night before you can quickly check to make sure that bags are packed and everything is in order. This helps to avoid those early morning hunts for the science book or the trip to the attic for an umbrella.
Another big issue in the morning seems to be the whereabouts of everyone’s shoes. Rather than storing their most often worn shoes in their bedroom closet, find a cute bin to stow them and place it near the door. I think you will be shocked at how handy this will be and how much time it will end up saving.
Armor your car against flip-outs
Many would think that by the time you’ve made it to the car, it’s too late. The reality is, however, if your car is organized, then it can be a place where problems get solved, not just fretted about.
For example, start by keeping a supply box with a few things like extra shirts, wipes, snacks and additional supplies like pencils and notebooks. The more prepared you are, the less possibility of a catastrophe.
So, the next time Mikey forgets to eat breakfast, has somehow escaped wearing his dirty shirt from yesterday and is crying because his brother threw his pencil out the window, you’ve got it covered!
Here’s to a good morning!
