Hot Mess Morning Routines That Might Actually Work
Some mornings, I’m getting out of the door on time with clean, smiling, cooperative kids.
Some mornings, I’m dragging my rabid screaming racoons of children with bedhead and twenty times behind.
No rhyme or rhythm to it, either. I wish.
But, after years of trial and error, I can confidently offer some tips and tricks that have helped me get out the door most of the days unscarred. Here we go:
- Fail to prepare, prepare to fail
That is the cold, hard truth.
I can’t tell you how many mornings that go to shit due to me not preparing the night before. Preparation looks different to everyone, but this is how it looks for me right now:
- Make sure there’s gas in the tank. Because let’s be real, we aren’t getting up earlier to get gas. Get it the night before if needed.
- Lay out the kids’ clothes the night before.
- Prepare kids’ breakfasts and refill water bottles.
- Pack backpack, and place it in the same spot.
- Make lunch for myself (usually a leftover)
- Gather lunch and laptop bags, and place them in the same spot.
- Shower before bed.
It’s a pretty simple list right now, since both of my kids are in daycare right now. The daycare provides snacks and lunch, so I prepare breakfasts for them to eat there when they arrive.
- Develop a routine that works for you
My usual routine is, again, pretty simple. Simple works for me.
I will have an alarm for 5:40 am, and promptly hit snooze.
Another alarm for 5:50 am, and then I wake up for the day. I will then get ready, make my coffee, and eat breakfast. In a perfect world, I try to pack all of the bags and any extra items into the car BEFORE the kids.
Then, I will wake up my oldest first, since they do better one on one and without the distraction or annoyance of the little one. They’ll get dressed, and then they’ll “help” me get the little one ready.
Then it’s shoes, coats, and into the car by 6:50 am, for arrival at daycare by 7:00 am.
For some people, this is way too simple, and for others, it might not be simple enough. Tweak it so it works for you.
- Simplify, simplify, simplify
Lunch for me? Leftovers.
Breakfast for the kids? Usually waffles, French toast, or cereal. I’m not winning any foodie awards here. If you want something more fun or more variety for your kids, check out Yummy Toddler Food.
I wear the same outfit every day for work (go healthcare!).
Have the outfit battles for the kids at nighttime. Have them pick between two to three outfits. Don’t worry about the matching or if it looks funny. It’s not a battle worth fighting over.
- Modify according the schedule
Google Calendar, Skylight, a paper calendar stuck on your fridge.
Whatever it is, make sure it’s something you see and review regularly. That way you can prepare for the week ahead, like the bake sale coming up on Friday, or the 15 different spirit days during Maycember.
- Stick to the routine as much as possible
One thing I’ve noticed with my kids is that if I deviate from the routine even a little bit, that’s when chaos ensues.
A consistent one that comes up is with my oldest. They’re very opinionated, and love to change outfits every two minutes. Literally. So usually the clothes that were acceptable the night before, are now garbage.
Hell unleashes.
They’ll scream, stop their feet, throw the clothes everywhere, and “forget” how to dress themselves.
This is where a nice perk of my autism comes in: I dissociate temporarily.
I kind of go on autopilot, where I remain monotone, flat, and consistent. I will keep repeating that they chose these clothes, so we will wear them today. They can pick a new outfit tomorrow.
Rinse. Repeat.
At first, their temper tantrums would intensify and get pretty overwhelming. Sometimes I had to carry them out in their pajamas. But eventually, something magically happened.
They would pout briefly, then begrudgingly dress themselves.
Now, it’s a breeze.
If only my terrible turkey of a toddler would catch on to it.
I’ll be real; I hate mornings with a passion. I’m not a morning person at all (at least not until two coffees in). But hopefully, these tips make them a bit more bearable.
