Avoiding the Morning Mayhem

Do you ever feel like no matter what time you wake up in the morning, you never seem to have enough time to get everything done before you are rushing out the door?  Here are some things that we do to take the stress out of early mornings.

• Lay out your clothes before you go to bed.  This seems to work brilliantly for my husband.  He isn't awake until after his 2nd cup of coffee and since he has to do EVERYTHING before that second cup, it's good to take all the thought process away from him.  And that way if he can't find a pair of socks, he has two sets of eyes to find them at 10 pm rather than only one set of eyes at 6 a.m.  Laying out the clothes for Ethan also helps on those mornings we are rushing out the door because there is no guessing about how the weather is since I have done my homework the evening before rather than in the rushed morning. 
• Pack up lunches in advance.  I like to make extra food for dinner and after I have served the family, I put the leftovers in a container that Derek can take with him to work.  I place the container on the top shelf and sometimes even leave him a note to remind him.  This is also great for school-aged children as well.  You know that you are going to have to send them to school with a lunch so if you can get it ready to go and in the fridge the night before, there is less work for the morning.
• Have a set place for all briefcases and backpacks.  How many times have you rushed out the door only to hear the words, "does anyone know where my backpack is?"  If the kids have a routine of sitting in the same place every day to do homework, then backpacks are less likely to "wander off."  Everyone is responsible for their own gear so include your kids in regarding where they think the best place is to keep their bags in a tidy manner that is also easily accessible. 
• Keep your car keys in the same place at all times.  There is nothing worse that getting ready to go in the morning and not being able to find your car keys.  If you make a habit of putting them in the same place every single day, you take the guess work out of finding them and the stress out of having them gone when you seem to have the least amount of extra time.
• Make time for breakfast.  Experts argue that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  I know if I don't have a healthy breakfast, my day seems to drag.  Scrambled eggs are high in protein and are relatively quick to make (AND to eat).  Pair that with some toast and a piece of fresh fruit to go and you and your family are well on your way to having a healthy start. 
• Set your alarm clock for at least 15 minutes more than you think you'll need in the morning.  No one likes to sacrifice the sleep, but you'll be surprised at how much better you'll day will go if you don't feel stressed out from rushing.  Even 15 minutes can make a huge difference.

Hope some of these ideas will help you take some stress out of the early morning rush.  If you have any other techniques that your family uses to keep morning sanity, share them with the rest of us in the comments!