Back to School Resolution: No more frazzled mornings!

As you prepare to go ‘Back to School’ this fall… get together with the family and plan a routine that gives you a stress-free start to the day! Include your child in the decision-making.

No one likes arguing about every detailed thing with a cranky, tired child in the morning, so make your morning routine as predictable and ‘ready to go’ as possible!

• Get enough sleep
• Set a consistent bed & wake-up time and stick to it… even when you all want "just one more minute" of sleep or to watch just “one more episode”.
• Lay Out Clothes the Night Before
• Make it a fun part of the bedtime routine. OR on Sunday night put together hangers labeled M, T, W, Th, F for each of your kiddos. Don't forget socks and shoes!
• Schedule Breakfast
• These are fun to plan in advance as well. Set up a schedule where each kid gets to eat his or her favorite meal on a certain day of the week. Its great if you can make it predictable so when your kids are whining and demanding you turn into a short order cook you can respond and say, “sorry, we agreed Wednesdays are oatmeal day!” If you know Mondays are toughest for your family make Mondays cereal day! :)
• Weekly Lunch Prep
• On Sunday, divide your favorite lunch treats five ways and have it ready to grab and go. It’s funny how much kids love dividing their chips and fruit into little containers for the week!
• Give everyone a job!
• Don’t take on all the tasks yourself! Let your kids learn some responsibility while giving yourself some extra time to put on some make-up and do your hair! :)