Back to School Routine

Is today your kids’ first day back to school?  If so, I’m sending you hugs and congratulations for making it through the summer with everyone in tact!  I might have squealed the tires out the driveway on our first day back, but maybe you have more restraint. 😉  Our son went back early, so we’re already on Week 3 and Labor Day weekend is on the horizon.Since I’m all about routines to keep our mornings running on the smoother side, I’m sharing how our weekday mornings look around here now with a first grader and six month old!  Gah! Can you believe Jordan is six months old already?! I swear sometimes I feel like I was just pregnant!

6:30 a.m.  Jordan is my alarm clock and I hear her stirring by 6:30 a.m. every morning.  I put my contacts in and hair up and go into her room where she’s already on her hands and knees peering through the slats in her crib waiting for me.  I die over the giant baby grin I get when she sees me.  The sweetest thing ever! We do a diaper change and then head downstairs.
6:35 a.m.  I recently transitioned Jordan onto formula, so now I make her a 6-7 oz bottle and feed her while sitting on the couch and wait for James to wake up.
You might remember how last year after Christmas break, we got James on a routine of getting himself ready for school in the mornings (without me nagging or losing my mind) and that has paid off! Many of you said that system has helped you too, so if you’re struggling in the mornings, check it out and see if it works with your kids.  Those morning battles can wear even the most patient parent out and is such a stressful way to start the day.
My Top Tips for getting your kids to get themselves ready are:
1) Get them to sleep early so they aren’t so tired and grumpy in the morning (that’s big for us).
2) Use alarms and a written task list for what they need to do.
3) Pick a consequence that motivates them.  Ours is no iPad after school if you’re not ready on time.
4) Let them be responsible and successful by not reminding them, hounding them, etc.  That’s what the alarms and consequences are for.
It’s not 100% perfect over here and there have been sleepyhead grumblings, “I hate my alarm!”  #totallyfeelyakid! but he does get himself ready in the morning and I can focus on getting me and the baby ready.
After she eats, I put her in her exersaucer to play while I make my breakfast (now a protein pancake). Our exersaucer is actually James’ old one (glad we kept some things), but this jumperoo really looks fun and has great reviews.  It keeps her occupied while I’m in the kitchen and because she moves around so much already, I know she’s safe and confined.
Then I’ll let Jordan play on the floor while I eat my pancake on the couch.  She’s so fun to watch.  Her baby pushups kill me!
6:45 a.m.  James’ alarm goes off and he gets himself dressed, puts his pajamas away, makes his bed and brushes his teeth.  He does a 6-year old version of make the bed, which is just pulling the covers up and making sure the pillows are at the headboard.  He’s downstairs by 7:00 a.m.

 

7:00 a.m.  I make James’ breakfast, and while he’s eating, I take Jordan upstairs so we can get ready.  James is responsible for getting his snack, lunch and water bottle (already prepared earlier by my hubby or by me the night before) out of the fridge and into his backpack, clearing his breakfast dishes into the sink and getting on his shoes and socks.  I need to start getting him to put the dishes directly into the dishwasher.
If he’s all ready before 7:35, he can watch t.v. or play on his iPad before school.  But there’s a strict no tv or iPad rule until then because he’ll get absorbed into it and lose track of time.
7:15 a.m.  I get Jordan dressed, then bring her into my closet with me while I wash my face, brush my teeth, pull my hair back, and get my workout clothes on.  If I’m feeling ambitious, I might put on a swipe of mascara.
Now that Jordan is six months old, I’m getting serious about getting back into shape, so I just started working out more and have a new meal plan.  (If you want to hear more about this, let me know!) A couple days a week, I go workout right after dropping James at school (and the gym has a wonderful baby daycare so Jordan is taken care of while I’m exercising).  I figured I might as well start taking advantage of that since making the time to workout during the day is so much harder.  This is also a good time because we are leaving the gym right about the time for her first nap. The rest of the time, I usually workout after Jordan goes to sleep for the night, except once a week when I see my trainer mid-day.
shorts (Small) | sports bra (34D) | top (XS) $45, $19.97 | shoes $130, $109.97 | socks | similar watch
p.s. These are the best running shoes I’ve ever had!  Been running in them for over two months now and they are amazing! 
7:30 a.m.  Before heading out the door, I fill up my water bottle, add 3 tblsp of BCAA, make sure I have extra diapers in my bag for Jordan and my phone/headphones/heart rate monitor.
7:35 a.m.  We’re out the door and on the way to school!  7:40 a.m. by the latest – we’ve got it timed to the minute!  What are your tricks for getting out the door on time? 

 

Have a great day friends!

 

__________________
keep in touch! 

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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

33 Comments

    1. Thanks for letting me know! I'm still working it out, but I've gotten very acquainted with My Fitness Pal over the weekend and am tracking every.single.thing in detail so I'm happy to share. The nutrition is the hardest part, but also gets the most results!

    1. Oh man, boobs big time sore for days, but thankfully no mastasis. I stopped gradually, so it was only bad for a day or two and advil helped. I'll share more on her next baby update.

  1. Would also like to hear about your new meal plan; also your experiences with using BCAA. Given your healthy diet and workout regime, what advantages does it provide?

    1. Congratulations Jennifer! Our babes are just 3 months apart! That's how I'm feeling- I've lost almost all the weight, but the muscle mass and composition is different so I want to build it back up.

  2. My daughter is 2 months younger than Jordan so I've enjoyed reading your posts about her! How has the switch to formula gone? Also, would love to read more about your diet and exercise routine!

    1. Oh how fun our babies are so close! The switch to formula was actually rough. It's a long story, but it went perfect for the first four days, then she had some symptoms so the doctor thinks she might have a milk protein intolerance. She's on Nutramigen formula and doing well now but that formula is really stinky and expensive.

  3. I would love to hear more about your post-baby meal plan and workout regimen! I have a 1 year old and I'm pregnant with my second so I never really got back into shape after the first. I would also love to hear about your decision to switch to formula if you are open to sharing that with us. Breastfeeding and the decision to stop is such an emotional thing (at least it was for me) and it's so nice to hear from other mom's regarding the ups and downs of it all.

    1. Hi Kendra, I just shared part of our formula story in the comment above. I wanted to BF for 6 months (and maybe up to a year), but she was so not into it after about 4 months of exclusive BF. I kept pumping and giving bottles + BF but I hated pumping. It was an emotional decision to transition, and I went back and forth many times, but once I made that decision, I started losing my supply very fast. We stopped BF at about 5 months or so and now she's on Nutramigen formula for a milk protein intolerance. She's doing great though now and already started on solids too. Sometimes I already miss BF but I'm also happy to be on to the next stage. You're right though, it was very emotional for me too.

    2. Ending breastfeeding totally is so emotional!!! My son is my 3rd and 3 months old and we've had issues from the start. He had a lip and tongue tie revised, fore/hind milk imbalance and worked with a lactation consultant multiple times and he still latches awful and isn't transferring well. Weight gain is low and while Im pumping and doing bottles its about too much as I have 2 other kids!! The thought to end though and not give him that makes me sad as both my girls got it but its become about too stressful that its not worth it anymore.

    3. Leah, my daughter is currently in grad school obtaining her masters in speech pathology. She has also recently attended a special NOMAS certification class. She has some suggestions to offer regarding feedings. Feel free to contact me at simplylkj@gmail.com and I will hook you up with her.

  4. You are very organized. So impressed with your son's morning schedule and how self sufficient he is at such a young age! My son's are 16 and 19. I wish I had done something similar with them when they were younger. It would have made things run so much more smoothly. Thanks for the tips.

  5. I would also love to read about your meal plan and current exercise routine. Would you attribute most of your weight loss to cardio? I struggle trying to find the right balance between cardio and weight training. I still would like to lose an additional 5-10 lbs but I plateau several months ago and nothing has worked. Another question, did you drink bcaa while pregnant or any type of protein shake?

  6. I would love to hear about your new meal plan and what kind of supplements you take and when pre and post workout.

  7. I've been following you for awhile now and always love your diet and fitness posts, they are so inspiring! I was reading the comments and saw you are using Nutramigen. Brings back memories! My 18 year old son (who I just dropped off at college last week) was on that way back when. I feel for you, it is $$$ and stinky! I remember how difficult it was to mix it up. Those days sure went by fast though. Jordan is just so cute!

  8. I would love to learn more about your meal plan. My baby is also 6 months and I am struggling with the few last pounds. I am a runner but ready to incorporate more strength training to the mix.

  9. Hello ! I have a very silly question : why does your son brushes his teeth before eating breakfeast ? In France, dentists recommand to brush the teeth after breakfeast and other meals (so the mouth is clean for hours). What is the official recommandation in the USA ?
    Your Jordan is very cute !! 🙂

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