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I am excited to share some great time-saving morning hacks with you!  I love to find different ways to make our morning run smoother.  Here are some time-saving morning hacks:

time saving morning hacks
1- Pack a fun lunch with your kids THE NIGHT BEFORE. 

Moms pack approximately 180 lunches over the course of a school year, so preparing them the night before is a must!  That’s a lot of meals!  It can be a challenge to think of a variety of tasty and good-for-you options so early in the morning (ones that will fuel your child for learning).

Our kids like to be involved in packing their lunches and lately, they have found out how to make “food art”, so to say.   You can make these fun turkey sandwiches.  It was pretty easy- they just spread the StarKist Kid’s Creations Bacon Ranch tuna on the bottom piece of bread, and then arranged the peppers in alternating order around the top two sides.

(I cut the peppers and they arranged them).  Once the kids got the peppers in the position that they thought looked good,  I added the top slice of bread.  I added a little more tuna on the round head piece of bread and then placed it on top of the sandwich.  The kids used cranberries for eyes (I had out raisins, black beans, and cranberries).  The beak is a small piece of pepper and a red pepper is the snood.   Cream cheese holds it in place.

tuna
.2. Use your Keurig to make Oatmeal.
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3.  Create a “need to do” checklist.  
Teach your kids what they need to do:  Brush teeth, backpacks, grab lunches from refrigerator.   You may need to give them a drawing checklist.  They are so easy to make- this one is my favorite.  My friend Kristy made the same one for her kids and she loves it!

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4. Have breakfast picked out the night before.
I ask our kids what they will want for breakfast so I know how much time they will need (example- bacon takes longer to make than cereal, so I need to be downstairs quicker)


5.   Get everyone’s outfits ready to go the night before.  

Lay them out and spray them with wrinkle release spray, because it is quicker than ironing (I never iron anymore!).

 

6.  Have a ‘day of the week’ breakfast.
This makes it easy because then there isn’t anything to think about when you wake up and you aren’t making 6 different meals:
pancake
Here is a sample breakfast plan: 
Monday Morning Oatmeal
Tuesday Toast
Wednesday Waffles
Thursday Tasty Eggs
Friday – Favorite Cereal day
Saturday – pancake day!    (I make pancakes easier by re-using a squeeze container to hold the batter) 
Sunday- bacon, eggs & toast

7. Pack once for the week!
I pack lunches one time for the entire week.

8.  No Electronics!
(We have even been known to cut out technology for a week!) 
No-technology-week-for-kids-
We always do No technology in the mornings.  Seriously!  Our kids move 10 times slower if the TV is on… its just a fact in our house.   We have to have ‘no electronics until we are ready to go.”   If they have time to spare AFTER they are done getting ready, had breakfast and have everything ready by the door, then and ONLY then can they watch TV.

9. Wait to do ‘new chores’ until the morning rush is over.  
We always make our beds and unload the dishwasher in the morning, but I don’t ask the kids to clean up their rooms or do real “chores” before school.   (making beds & unloading the dishwasher is just part of our daily chores routine, whereas a chore would throw a wrench into our system).

10.  Have a book basket.
A book basket by the door is an easy way to have everyone ready to go and waiting, reading, near the door that you will leave through.

More posts you might like… 
Helping kids get ready for school quicker in the morning (stress free)

 

Check out this PB banana muffin recipe for a go-to breakfast.
Screen shot of a banana muffin with text above it.
Here are a few FREEBIES for you, too! 
freebie websites

or you can go to the home page and see what’s new…

 

Hi there!

I’m Becky, a former elementary school teacher turned certified child development therapist and blogger. I work at home with my husband and together we are raising (and partially homeschooling) our four children in the Carolinas. I love diet coke, ice cream, and spending time with my family.

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13 Comments

  1. I love #10 – such a cute idea. I’m always running to take random books off the bookshelves for my kids to read/look at while I get last minute things ready before we rush out the door. I will be incorporating the book basket idea! Thanks for sharing!

  2. Awesome post, Becky! #8 is critical and I am even not a fan of TV in the morning. Love these ideas!

  3. Great Idea’s!! I’m starting a new job at the beginning of the year! This might make a smooth transition!! Thanks!

  4. O love the need to do checklist. Helps kids to be on their toes without need for moms to be constantly reminding them! 🙂

  5. I have been known to make double and triple batches of breakfast faves when I make them on the weekends, and freeze them. Pancakes, waffles, egg cups, etc. Then we do our evening routine (showers, lay out clothes, pack lunches, and get bags by the door), and our mornings are so great, we’ve been able to adjust the time we get up by a half hour so we all get more sleep! All they have to do is get dressed, pop their individual breakfast in the microwave, and they’re ready! Time from wake up to out the door is 30-40 minutes- depending on if they have to wait for me. Sometimes I’m the one holding them back because of their baby sister!

  6. Such fabulous ideas that will totally help in my house! And thanks for the chore chart feature!