Thanks to Chinet® for sponsoring today’s post.
The walk to the park isn’t too long, but we’ll typically pull James in a wagon because he’d be too slow or “get tired” of walking. Me, on the other hand, I love the easy exercise! And I can just put my coffee in the wagon cup holder with my Comfort Cup® by Chinet®. These cute little cups are perfect for keeping your drink hot and your hands cool. And they’re cute, which is a bonus. 😉
When we get there, James can run around and play on the playground, and we can join in, or take a break on a nearby park bench and just enjoy the morning.
Come Sunday night though, it’s time to get ready for the week and get back to the hustle and bustle of busy weekday mornings.
The mornings run most efficiently for us when we end the day with a clean kitchen and a quick living room clean up. At the beginning of the summer, we instituted a 10-15 minute “timed” quick clean up of the living room (my husband and son) and kitchen (me) where we all pitch in to get our house in order. Because my son sets the timer, there’s a fast energy to beat the clock to get everything picked up quickly. Getting everyone involved makes the work get done in triple time.
It worked beautifully and I found that I could relax better after my son went to bed with a tidied living room and kitchen. When we wake up in the morning, there’s not the chaos of dirty dishes in the sink and clutter all over the living room floor.
2 :: Choose Clothes the Night Before (Yours & the Kids)
For both myself and my son, I lay out our clothes the night before. For me, if I’m working out that day, I pick out exactly which shorts, bra, tank, and socks I’m wearing and even put my sports watch with it. When I was working full-time, I also picked out my outfits for the week. It saved so much time in the morning, instead of standing in a closet full of clothes feeling like there’s nothing to wear.
For my son, he wears a uniform to school, but I have to make sure he’s got his special Spirit Wear shirt ready for Monday (if no tardies the previous week), Mass uniform ready for Wednesday, and sometimes a “free dress” day for special occasions or holidays.
3 :: Make School Snacks & Lunch in Advance
My son might just be the pickiest eater of all time, so he takes his snack and lunch to school everyday. I prepare each of those as soon as he comes home from school and empties his backpack. I keep the packed bags inside the fridge and, in the morning, just have to put the ice-pack in each and load them into his backpack.
But, I make this process quicker by prepping all the fruit as soon as it comes home from the grocery store and I like to have him help.
4 :: No TV or Electronics for the Kids until Completely Ready
This is a big one. This year, we’ve had to institute a “no tv or electronics” until our son has eaten breakfast, gotten dressed and brushed his teeth. He’ll take twice as long to eat his breakfast if he’s watching cartoons at the same time. It’s too much of a distraction for him. He is allowed to watch if he’s completely ready with time to spare before we need to leave, but to date, that’s not happened.
5 :: Enjoy Coffee/Tea To Go
If it were up to me, I’d still be sitting sipping my coffee well past the time we have to be out the door. I’m still working out with my trainer 3 days a week, and it works best for me if I get my workout in right after I drop off James at school. I still drink a cup of coffee each day, and on workout days, I enjoy it on the 20 minute trip to the gym in my Chinet Comfort Cup.
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My trainer’s gym isn’t super close to my house and I have to fight that 8:00 a.m. morning traffic to get there, so having a hot cup of coffee to enjoy on the way is a pleasure. It also gives me a much-needed boost of energy to get through that exercise routine.
I train for an hour with my trainer, and then I might do 30 minutes of moderate cardio right after, which puts me back home by about 10:15. Then, I can get on with my day, showering, eating a healthy lunch, and getting down to business with all the things entailed in running a household and keeping up with my blog.
Thanks for sharing! I'm a big fan of prepping the night before too (especially a clean kitchen!). Do you mind sharing some lunch ideas for your son? I seem to pack the standards & do a lot of repeating for my daughter's lunch. She's picky at times too, so I'd love to know what things he's eating!
Waking up to a clean kitchen is the best, and waking up to a dirty one full of dishes in the sink is not how I like to start my day (although it happens!). I wish I could help you on the kid's lunches. My son eats the same thing everyday! He eats a variety of fruit, yogurt, cheese/crackers, granola bars. He can't take PB to school or else he would eat a sandwich.
While I don't use these cups every day, I absolutely love them for days when we're on the go. Saturday morning little league double-headers mean I'm likely showing up with one in each hand:)
They are great for taking to games and my husband has been using them for his commute too.
Love your posts as always! Just brightens my day! I'm loving how you used a cake stand to put your coffee accessories on. I'm hoping that's what it is. What a great idea?!?! Where did you get your from?
Also, with 4 kids it's like getting a small army ready for school especially when my husband leaves @630am for surgery. I started a no iPad policy during the week but this is good for older kids because I know your son is still young. They are locked away Sunday night and they get them back after school on Friday. Believe it or not, they don't complain and I've been doing this over a year now. It juste helps morning run smoothy because it can get crazy up in here!
Enjoy your day & thanks for sharing!!!
Ah Vivian, you are too sweet! I love your iPad idea, may have to steal that one for our house! You would run circles around me with your four! 😉
oh..forgot to ask…what kind of coffee maker is that? Looks fabulous!!
It's a Jura from Sur La Tab, but they sell them everywhere, including Amazon. We love it! It was our 'home' Christmas gift (in lieu of other gifts to each other) a couple years ago. It's amazing!!
I need these cups on hand when guest are over and want to leave with a cup of coffee. It's happened and our travel mug was never returned. Not a huge deal but something disposable would have been better! They would also be great for hot cocoa for the kids once it cools off!
Oh that's a bummer. These are great for giving away! I didn't even think of hot cocoa, but you're right! 😉
I completely agree with all of these! Especially picking up before bedtime. Now that I work from home, I started a small interior design business this year, it helps me not to be stressed about cleaning a messy house instead of working. And it gets our 4-year old son involved with chores around the house! And coffee is ALWAYS a must for me (and it tastes better in cute cups)!!
Working from home is so hard not to be pulled away to clean or straighten up something. You have to be so disciplined to actually work during working hours. I give myself some tv time when I eat lunch, but then back at it.
I completely agree with you about prepping the night before-I do that now when I'm getting ready to go to teach school!
xoxo, SS
The Southern Stylista
Makes a world of difference in the morning. Anytime I haven't prepped the night before, I always regret it in the morning!
WOW I like a lot how you are organized in every section, paper us for takeaway coffee are amazing!!!
Thanks for a post on time management! More would be welcome (I'm really into learning time management these days)
Sure! Have you read Eat That Frog! ? I think you'll really like it!
Why (!?) Any TV or electronics at all on busy mornings?