The life of being a mom and getting ready in the mornings can be very hectic, especially when you are not the most "organized". Hey! no shade... sometimes it is hard to wrangle the little ones, get dressed and manage to squeeze breakfast in the mix. When I became a mom, the need to be organized was crucial to getting a handle and balance of my new-mom life. We all strive to be as organized as possible but oftentimes it isn't as easy as it looks. We are superhuman for our children but without organization, motherhood can get quite chaotic.
Take a look at these tips to help you stay on top of things.
Get Yourself Together FIRST and Then Everyone Else
Think of it like this, when you are on a plane and the flight attendant is going over safety instructions they always tell you to put your mask on first before helping others. This also applies to getting ready in the morning. Nine times out of ten when I am running late it's because I spent too much time getting my son ready or trying to do other things around the house. Always, always, always get yourself ready first!
Wake Up Early
I know I have said this before but waking up early is essential to any morning routine. Mornings can be tough and some days are easier than others. But I cannot tell you how much better I feel when I wake up at 6:30 am versus 7:30 am and have a whole hour to myself. My toddler is still sleeping and I can catch up on emails, meditate, pray, or just enjoy a cup of coffee and sit in silence before putting my mom hat on.
Follow the 5-5-5 Rule
I kind of made this rule up but literally, this helps me save so much time in the morning. I call it the 555 rule because I use it for 5 days out the week. In short, I define the 555 rule as 5 mom outfits, 5 toddler outfits, and 5 breakfast meals pre-planned. How I apply this to my life you may ask? I choose to pick my clothes out, my son's clothes, and our breakfast meals out for the entire workweek. So literally we just wake up, eat, get dressed and head out the door. Doing this literally has shaved 30 minutes off the time it usually takes to get my son and me out the door.
You also might like: 9 Easy Ways to Become More Organized
Do laundry on Sundays
Do this! Do this! Do this! Please I am begging you do not wait until the middle of the week to decide to wash clothes, in most cases those clothes will never get folded. I always do laundry on Sundays, with no exceptions! In my experience, doing laundry on Sundays ensure that the clothes actually get folded and is an easy transition to picking yourself and child's clothes out for the week.
Identify a Morning Routine that Works For You
So I like the 555 routine for my mornings because I am a working mom. But each person is different and has a different circumstance. So I listed a sample routine from Parents Magazine below to get you started.
A Sample Daily Toddler Schedule 6:45 a.m. Wake up, play in the crib or your bed 7:30 a.m. Breakfast 8:00 a.m. Get dressed, brush teeth 8:30 a.m. Read books and play 10:30 a.m. Morning snack 11:00 a.m. Arts and crafts 11:30 a.m. Listen to music 12:00 p.m. Lunch and cleanup 12:30 p.m. Naptime 2:30 p.m. Afternoon snack 3:00 p.m. Outdoor play/walk 5:30 p.m. Dinner 6:00 p.m. Playtime and cleanup 7:00 p.m. Have a bath/brush teeth 7:30 p.m. Pajamas, storytime, lullabies 8:15 p.m. Bedtime
Don't live your life by the clock. Having a steady sequence of activities is important, but don't stress about precise timing. You may also like: 5 Reasons to Establish a Toddler Routine
Use a Calendar and Get The Whole Family on Board
Getting yourself, your co-parent, and child on one accord can be downright impossible without a set schedule. This is a big part of keeping everyone on the same page. Using a calendar has aided in fewer communication problems with my child's co-parent. Not only has our communication improved but we have created a consistent schedule that we both agree to and can follow and our son love it! My favorite calendar tool to use is Google Calendar it easily syncs with my phone, easy to share and edit as needed.
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