Mornings Are Hard
This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kelloggs.
Morning is a busy time. Especially when four boys are bustling through the kitchen to get their breakfast, grabbing their lunches, shoes and backpacks, all with enough time left to brush their teeth. Here are some of the ways I try to make the mornings as simple as possible:
- While the boys could probably make it out the door in 30 minutes, I wake them an hour before they have to leave. (And why is it we still feel like we need more time?!)
- I make sure the dishwasher has been run and emptied the night before. There are clean bowls, and I’m not back-pedaling trying to unload the dishwasher while dirty dishes are coming in.
- No TV! Music OK. But no TV in the morning! (I don’t even have a TV in my kitchen.) This makes it easier for the kids to focus on the bickering and squabbles they do every morning around the breakfast table. TV would be a distraction, and take so much longer for the squabbles to run their course… we’d be late for sure.
- Backpacks and homework are loaded and ready to go, along with their shoes, by the back door.
I make sure there’s always plenty of milk in the refrigerator and cereal in the cupboard. Cold cereal is a great, fast and nutritious way to start a morning. You can learn more about the benefits of breakfast, and the benefits of cold cereal from Kellogg’s here.
What other secrets do you have to make sure the kids get out of the door on time? BlogHer is giving one of my readers a $100 gift card. All you have to do is leave a comment here to teach us how you get everyone dressed, fed and out the door on time. There are twenty five other bloggers giving away a $100 Visa Gift Card, so enter their contests too, check BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page to learn more. Official Rules can be found here. Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit Love Your Cereal.
When I’m in a rush, I grab a big ol’ banana to cure the immediate hunger and then a Pop Tart to follow it later. But most mornings I make time for Special K with fruit.
Tweeted it!
http://twitter.com/Jayne_Martin
quick bread like zucchini bread, fruit, yogurt…it helps if my 6yr old showers in the am rather than a night..
I get clothes out the night before and iron them their backpacks are packed for the next day, lunch is made the night before and have breakfast menu out for the week
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
tweet
http://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/26508653736
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
I lay out my daughter’s clothes the night before and plan out all the meals for the following day, the night before.
I try to keep waffles and/or pancakes in the freezer (I make extra to freeze). Pop them in the microwave and add peanut butter for a quick out the door breakfast.
we pack everything the night before & set our clocks for 20 min before we really need to get up so as to get a jump on the day,& eat ceral &fruit on the way out the door
we always have a to-go breakfast ready to grab and eat. our favorite are muffins. i try to make a different kind each week.
raggammuffin@gmail.com
I like to get everything out the night before, even socks and shoes. Major decisions (shower? Hair style? Breakfast?) are made the night before too!
I am the only one who gets up very early and I am out the door by the time the rest of the family gets up.
marybug2@yahoo.com
I tweeted your giveaway
http://twitter.com/marybug2/status/26611699193
marybug2@yahoo.com
I discovered Bagelfuls – easy to prepare and fun to eat!
I prepare the possible things in the evening and reheat it in the morning.
I make breakfast before my kids get up, get myself ready while they’re eating, get them dresses when they’re done eating and we’re ready to start the day.
Well, we don’t have to get out of the house in the morning because I homeschool. The only place we have to get to is the schoolroom! BUT, I do get up before The Kids so that I can have my coffee and time to wake up so that I can function better in Mom Mode.
http://twitter.com/tigergal01/status/26655693772
tweet
~eunice b
tigergal01 @gmail .com
Making a batch of baked oatmeal and then having it on hand to warm up for breakfasts throughout the week. Super easy!
~eunice b
tigergal01 @gmail .com
We try to get everything packed and together the night before – school backpacks, lunches, folders filled out, notes to teachers, clothes laid out, mommy’s work lunch made, I even lay out my jewelry – THEN I make sure to get up a little before the kiddos to get coffee made, breakfast made, etc. Of course, I have a new baby due the end of this month, so our morning routines may be a little out of whack for a while!!
My son is a big cereal eater and I also try to make things I can freeze and easily pull out and pop in the oven!
Making lunches the night before saves so much time. I’m too slow in the morning to whip out a couple sandwiches and clean up in less than 10 minutes.
We often set up spoons/bowls and cereal boxes on the kitchen table the night before, helps to make breakfast less hectic!
PREPARING THINGS THE NIGHT BEFORE REALLY HELPS; things like lay out their
clothes, put homework in backpak, pack lunches,
I just wake up a little earlier in the ams.
I get as much done the night before so we can sleep as long as possible. Then we do quick breakfasts like cereal & toaster waffles.
My husband wakes my son up. When I wake him up, he has some ailment that he is sure should keep him out of school. When my husband wakes him up he is as healthy as the day he was born. We get his clothes ready the night before and makes sure he knows where they are at. He is 11 now, so it is much easier to have great mornings because he realizes a cranky mother isn’t a pleasure to be around.
We lay out clothes at night time and pack the pack backpacks in the car at night too.
ceral and fruit for breakfast.
tcogbill at live dot com
My kids are pretty self sufficient for breakfast. They love yogurt cups, so that is a no brainer. What I do do that makes life easier for them is pre-cut the English muffins and bagels. My older son is old enough to toast them himself, but I don’t quite trust his knife skills yet, so if they are already cut, it’s one less thing we have to worry about.
[...] here’s another chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card from Kellogg’s… how do you run your mornings? Related Posts:Two Box Tops For LunchAdvent, Day 9: So Far, So [...]
i try to avoid the morning rush by waking up earlier than the rest of the family and getting things done so i can head out the door before anyone wakes up. so my husband has to take care of getting the kids out of the house. i just hope it’s in time for school!
No kids, but to get myself out the door on time I always make sure and have everything laid out and ready to go – keys & cell phone together, lunch packed and stuff for the gym ready and waiting!
Prepare whatever you can the night before. That will speed up the morning routine.
The first key for me is to have myself ready then moving everyone else is not so bad. I used to drive the kids to school so that always helped to get them out the door.
gmissycat@yahoo.com
Tweeted giveaway here!
http://twitter.com/gmissycat/status/26729844619
gmissycat@yahoo.com
We don’t turn t.v. on…it makes them zombies! We make sure they eat first thing so they don’t get grouchy.
leahforlove(at)aol(dot)com
I prepare most things the night before so that our mornings run more smoothly. I make lunches, prepare bags and place them by the door, pick out clothes, clean up, etc. We also usually have a “quick” breakfast of a cereal bar, cereal or toasted waffles with peanut butter
Forcing myself not to hit the snooze button usually helps our morning rush!
We eat something quick–like cereal and milk! thanks for a chance to win!
kmassman gmail
I don’t have kids, but having some good, ready to eat breakfast foods on hand help my guy and I get moving. I always keep bananas on hand, and usually something baked and ready to eat like muffins or danish.
I keep cereal and fruit on hand for busy mornings.
We avoid the morning rush because I prep everything the night before! For breakfast, we eat cereal, grits or bagels because they are quick and easy to prepare!
thanks
bleatham*at*gmail.com
tweet
http://twitter.com/#!/sleatham1/status/26820226984
bleatham*at*gmail.co
I don’t have kids, but it’s hard enough to get ME out the door on time! Prep the night before helps! as does a sense of humor and some upbeat music.
tweet! http://twitter.com/LAMusing/status/26825132875
My daughter is grown now, but when she was young I remember laying out clothes, schoolwork and having lunches packed the night before really helped. Also plenty of sleep!
When my step-daughter was school aged, I made sure she got up in plenty of time to get ready and have a good breakfast. We always organized her clothes and back pack the night before so she could maximize her morning time and get off to a good start.
http://twitter.com/#!/fostertam/status/26875894421
I get up early and do my chores before I wake everyone else up
bepoia(at)hotmail(dot)com
I pack the kids backpacks and lunches the night before. I also lay out their clothes so they don’t spend time looking for something to wear.
If I am in a rush its hot or cold cereal for us.
http://twitter.com/sodahoney/status/26887929824
Lay everything out the night before – breakfast dishes, clothes, etc. Make sure everything they need for that day is in their backpack and it is by the door along with their shoes. Keys on the counter – searching for keys when it’s time to leave makes everyone cranky!
susitravl(at)gmail(dot)com
I wake up before the kids to get the day started. We have everything laid out. cereal is fast for the morning
floatingonabiscuit at gmail.com
I make quick cook oatmeal…or if I’m in a big hurry I throw dry cereal in a baggie to go, or take a cup of yogurt (I always end up with spoons in my car though!).
We try to do as much as possible the night before. We get their snacks ready, put their clothes out. Most importantly, we get a good night’s sleep the night before.
pauleyd68 (at) yahoo (dot) com
I like to pick out the day’s clothes the night before and stick to easy breakfast foods like cereal, yogurt and bagels.
Challenges! Put one against the other and see who can do something faster, and try to make everyone get a chance to win.
Having items like frozen waffles, Pop Tarts, cold Cereal–and even that pre-cooked bacon–on hand makes things go much easier in the morning.
HobartsMama {AT} AOL.COM
I posted this on my blog.
http://jennaiscorner.blogspot.com/p/kelloggs-moms-breakfast-club.html
HobartsMama [at] aol.com
My biggest tip is to have everything ready the night before. Then, to have easy to prepare breakfast iems around, like Kelloggs Cereal, Pop Tarts and Eggos! Saves so much time and energy!
Pudyqat2 {at} aol.com
I’m lucky now. My family all has staggered wake/leaving times so each person has tranquility as they prepare for their day. This isn’t possible for most people, I know. It sure makes it easier for us.
When we do all have to be out the door as a group I make sure I get up and ready before everyone else so I don’t become frazzled. If I am calm I can lend my calm to anyone else who needs it.
We avoid the “morning rush” by fixing lunches, packing back packs and laying out clothes the night before. We also have lots of cereal, yogurts, and fruit for a fast and easy breakfast.
Our mornings are pretty easy, we set the alarm to allow plenty of time to get dressed and eat. Generally it is something like cereal, poptarts, toast etc. Simple and Quick
sweokgrl@gmail.com
I tweeted
sweokgrl@gmail.com
http://twitter.com/bdiane34/status/26988076500
We’ve always done as much as possible as night, but the best thing I ever did was train the kids to write on the white board on the fridge whenever they need stuff signed, bought, or a check written. That way, we don’t have to deal with it as we’re rushing to make the bus.
I also go with the no television in the morning…..if cartoons get turned on, they are totally distracted from everything else!
tweeted: http://twitter.com/KerryBishop/status/26994060406
Prepare everything the night before saving you time to get everyone dressed and breakfast taken care of!
tweeted! http://twitter.com/DeeGee13/status/27003212590 Thanks again!
TEACHING YOUR KIDS TO MAKE THEIR OWN BREAKFAST IN THE MORNINGS IS A BLESSING IN DISGUISE kytah00@yahoo.com
SECOND ENTRY TWEET (AS IN THE OFFICIAL RULES) http://twitter.com/#!/kytah00/status/27023344384 kytah00@yahoo.com
I cook breakfast before the kids get up and pick their clothes out the night before.
we luckily have pm school..so it’s not too harried in the am…but i do get his bag and clothes ready the night before
nannypanpan at sbcglobal.net
The morning rush is really not an issue for us (heaven knows, we have enough other ones!). We just know we have to get up and get moving, so we do so in plenty of time.
That’d be my tip….to get up in plenty of time.
I make sure my daughter’s clothes are laid out the night before, her backpack is completely packed, and her snack is packed as well. Then in the morning she just has to get dressed and eat. Saves a ton of time, which is good because getting up at 6:30 is no fun for any of us.
We lay out clothes the night before and get up a little earlier than we have to. That way, a small glitch in the morning won’t make us late.
The official rules made it sound like you could enter twice (once by tweeting) so here’s my tweet. If I wasn’t supposed to, please delete. http://twitter.com/#!/rmgm/status/27058240113
set the clocks 10-15 min early so you really have that extra time
I make sure my granddaughter’s backpack is packed the night before. That way we’re not running around looking for a book or homework in the morning.
Tweet.
http://twitter.com/mgoss123/status/27067328828
My son is older so he doesn’t need a lot of help, but I always make sure to get up at least 15 minutes before him to make sure he gets up in plenty of time so he doesn’t have to rush!
Tweeted
http://twitter.com/jillyrh/status/27071911427
Thanks so much
when my daugher was young we always made sure to lay out what we were going to wear the night before, plan ahead and eat a quick breakfast like cereal or cinnamon toast
tweeted!
http://twitter.com/bellows22/statuses/27083281355
The kids eat breakfast at school so they get a good breakfast and while they may be running late for breakfast they are never late for school
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