UNrushed School Mornings!

It's back to school season, so I'll apoligize now for all of the school related posts!

Our kids are into their second week of school already, and I wanted to share what's been working for us to have the 'not-quite-so-rushed' morning routine:

1.  Lunches are packed the night before.  Every. Single. Time.

I usually wash out their PlanetBox lunch boxes as soon as they get home from school.  Then right after we finish supper, I pack their lunches.  If they're taking some leftovers, it's the perfect time to pack them up--before they ever make it to the fridge!  

 (P.S. That's not an affiliate link--these lunchboxes are just *that awesome* that I wanted to share!)

I mean seriously, how good does that look?!  

All one piece: easy to pack, easy to wash!

2.  Everyone is bathed at night.  

This is an absolute must.  There is certainly not enough time to wake up AND wash off in the mornings.  Ever.

3. The youngest wears her clothes to bed.  For real.

When I tell people this, they usually have one of two reactions:

They either look at me weird--or they say "That is SUCH a good idea!"  

Our daughter has to feel comfortable in her clothes.  If something doesn't feel quite 'right' she has to change.  Sometimes more than once.  This does not make for a speedy morning routine.  So, after she gets out of the tub, instead of pajamas, she puts on her clothes for the next day.  I have less laundry to wash, and she's ready to go as soon as she stumbles sleepily out to the kitchen for breakfast!  Win-Win!

4.  I get up WAY before the kids (as in at least an hour or 2),  

and have breakfast ready and waiting on the table for them.

This helps keep things moving--there is less temptation to get sidetracked by Legos when breakfast is ready as soon as they wake up!  This also helps make sure they can get a hearty breakfast in their bellies, since we're not just grabbing something as we run out the door!

These are a few things that have helped our family the past couple of weeks.  Sure, we still get rushed in the mornings--if I can't stand to wake them up when I should, because they're sleeping so soundly!  But for the most part, this is working out nicely--and hopefully it can help you too!