While we’re still pretty new at this whole “kids in school” thing, I’ve already noticed a few things that make all the difference in how smoothly {and calmly…and happily} our mornings flow.
Thought you might want to know. So here we go. Yo yo! <--- notice that stellar poetry?
* We prepare school lunches, together, after the chaos of dinner has subsided. This helps me not scramble late at night – or early in the morning – to toss something healthy together, and they love taking ownership of this part of their school day. One grabs the lunch bags, the other grabs their little sandwich containers. One grabs juice boxes from the fridge {which is a treat in and of itself, as this is one of the few times they drink juice}, the other grabs fruit and veggies from the fridge. We always pack a special treat – be it fruit snacks, a fruit stick, a granola bar, or a little packet of jellybeans – for “dessert”. Doing this together is the perfect opportunity to draw them into discussion about healthy food choices. We usually try and pack a protein {sometimes leftover chicken, chopped up, boiled eggs, hummus, etc.}, a veggie, a fruit and some whole grain bread or crackers. Love notes are always a plus! You can snatch up some cute printables right here.
* We set out clothes, underwear, shoes & sweaters the night before. This lessens any drama that may occur over morning wardrobe malfunctions, and dramatically increases the possibility of experiencing the miracle that is getting to school on time. Without yelling, “move, move, move!” {bonus points}. I’ve noticed, too, that it helps if I give some thought to what I’m going to wear {the night before} so that when it’s time for them to be up and moving, I’m already dressed and ready.
* We prep breakfast the night before. I strongly believe that one of the best things I can do to help my kids thrive during their school day is to fuel their growing bodies properly. You just won’t find refined, sugary, colored crap in our breakfast bowls. 8 out of 10 mornings, we eat steel cut oats. By request! The best part is…they’re cheap {we buy it in bulk at the health food store}..and they’re easy to prepare, in fact, my 5 year old does most of the work. We simply melt a little coconut oil in our rice cooker (about a tablespoon), dump in 1 1/2 cups of steel cut oats, a sprinkle of salt, and about 4 cups of water. It’s fool-proof. Sometimes we throw in a little cinnamon or allspice. Simply leave it to soak overnight, and then plug it in and turn it on as soon as you wake up. In about 25 minutes you’ve got a healthy, warm breakfast. We throw in chopped apple, nuts, frozen blueberries {great for cooling down hot oatmeal}, a splash of coconut milk and a drizzle of agave nectar. They’ve been known to eat it plain – and cold – as well. We save whatever leftovers there may be and reheat it the next morning. Our kids LOVE this stuff! And their mommy LOVES that they do. We also set out bowls, spoons and water cups – anything we can do to make the morning less stressful – the night before.
* We’ve established a routine…and it’s fun! I heard a song by Mandisa & TobyMac on the radio a while back, called Good Morning, and just knew that it needed to become a part of our school mornings. I ran home, purchased it on iTunes and promptly burnt it onto a CD that plays every morning. It is their call to action…and it {usually} brings them out of bed smiling. We usually have a dance party somewhere between their bedroom doors and the kitchen. Now for the shocker: I’ve started sneaking a little piece of candy under their pillows {YummyEarth has some great natural – Vitamin C boosted – options} as a sweet “surprise” when they wake up – all inspired by stories of the tooth mouse I shared from my childhood. The school mouse apparently likes my kids, wants them to look forward to waking up, and prays they brush well. Being the sugar Nazi that I tend to be, I wrestled with this idea for a while, but came to the conclusion that the fun factor far outweighs the ghastly fact that I’m putting a little sugar in their systems before their feet hit the floor. Sometimes I simply use a vitamin C & zinc lozenge…it’s all the same to them!
* Don’t underestimate the power of ‘The Cuteness’. Maybe it’s just me, but I adore fun/cute/pretty things. I love my kid’s school bags so much that I stuck hooks up on my kitchen wall just so I could look at them. Okay, so maybe it was to give them a “home-base”, but the fact that they’re so stinkin’ adorable helps. Their lunch bags just happen to match {happy sigh}. So naturally, when I stumbled upon bowls that matched their school/lunch bags {gasp!}, I practically did a happy dance right there in the aisle. More cuteness to shower upon our school mornings. yes, I do suffer from chronic dorkiness, but I really think that when things are ‘set apart’, and made special…like their “school breakfast bowls”… it generates excitement about the simple things. And heaven knows, if I can get them excited about a school morning, I’m gonna go for it! And yes, I do realize this theory will probably not hold true with your 14 year old, but it works for my wee tots.
In essence, all 5 things can be summed up in one sentence: Prepare ALL you can {preferably, the night before}!
We are blessed to only live a mile from our school, so I take the kids into school every morning – skipping the school bus buys them an additional half hour at home {and in bed in the morning} on either end of their day. We’ve started picking up our neighbor’s little guy, who’s in Kindergarten too, and just knowing we’ll be picking him up on the way adds accountability for me {time wise}, and excitement for them. It’s also a fabulous opportunity for us to bless our neighbors in a practical way!
So that’s it. We go to school sans drama {insert wild applause here}…hope it helps!
