On Time, Every Time! Getting Your Kids to School!

Whether your children ride a bus or you drive them to school, every minute counts when it comes to getting your family up, dressed, fed and out the door. The chaos and speed at which things have to happen, can make you feel like you're running your own pit crew. Even if you do get them out the door on time, doing it with a great attitude and in a loving manner can be a challenge.

Your days of morning madness are about to end! Follow the tips below and watch your mornings turn from total chaos and stress, to a time of day you actually enjoy. No more tardy slips or missed buses. Implement these easy techniques and your kids will be on time, and your whole family will start the day with a lot less stress.


On Time, Every Time:

1. Early Bedtimes. You've heard it before, but it's because it's so true. Getting to bed at a decent hour helps everyone wake up on time, and in a much better mood. If you have difficulties getting your children to bed, analyze your evening routine. You might be doing things you're not even aware of that sabotage your efforts to get your kids to sleep. For example, don't let them watch TV or play video games before bed. These are major stimulants and make it harder for kids to fall asleep. Some people might realize this fact with video games, but believe that the TV will help their kids wind down in the evening. Studies have proven that watching TV actually makes it more difficult for kids, and adults alike, to doze off. (Yes, I know that some people fall asleep in front of the television, but when you're tired enough, you can fall asleep during anything.) Make sure to turn off the TV and the video games one hour before bedtime. Substitute reading, working on a puzzle, playing cards or playing a board game. These are great ways to have some quality family time and wind everyone down for bed. A warm bath can also help younger children relax for bedtime. If you have older kids that you want to get to bed, have them give you their cell phones and make them study ahead for future tests. You know that will put them to sleep for sure!

2. Lay Out Everyone's Clothes the Night Before. I can't say enough how important this is. Your mornings will be much smoother by ensuring everyone has what they need to wear. This goes for the parents too.

3. Set the Alarm Clock 15 Minutes Earlier Than You Normally Do. It takes more time than you think to rise a sleeping family, get them dressed, fed and out the door. That's why so many people are late or overly stressed trying to get where they're going. Allowing only 30 minutes or so to accomplish all that needs to be done in the morning, is a difficult task. No matter how much time you allow, if you're finding yourself late or if you feel overwhelmed and frazzled by the morning routine, set the alarm for 15 minutes earlier to give yourself more time.

4. When You Wake Up, Turn on the Lights and Put on Some Music. It's proven that bright lights help people wake up. Open the blinds and throw on the light switch so your children can begin to wake up naturally while you get yourself ready. Doing this will make it easier for you to get them out of bed, and make it so you don't feel like you're waking the dead. (Before implementing the "bright light technique" I have literally had to pull my kids completely out of the bed before I could even see a sign of life.) Consider purchasing a timer for a bedside lamp for you and your children. Setting it so it will turn on about 5-10 minutes before the alarm clock goes off, will help your whole family wake up a little bit easier. Putting on some music that your kids like is another great way to rouse them from their sleep, and can help put them in a good mood. An alarm clock radio or CD player is great for this. I like to set my CD player/alarm for a song I love, because it puts me in a good mood right when I wake up.

5. Establish a Load Time. Knowing when you have to pull out of the driveway to get to school on time is important, but knowing when you need to start loading the kids in the car is just as critical. This "load time" concept is what saves me! Based on the ages and how many children you have, establish what your load time is and base everything you do off of that. I personally have to allow for an extra 15 minutes from when my fours boys and I walk out of the door, to when we have to be pulling out of the driveway. During our push to load the car, I know something unexpected is going to occur, and it usually does. With this extra cush time however, I'm still on time to where ever it is I need to be. I learned this trick when, without fail, one of my kids would have to make an emergency bathroom trip or I would discover that someone had a poopy diaper while I was buckling them in. Use this technique for everything you do whether it's getting to school, to church or a doctor appointment to help you get there on time.


Try these 5 easy tips and watch your hectic mornings turn into - you won't believe I'm going to say this - an enjoyable time of day. Why start off the day rushed and frustrated, when you can do a few easy tricks to help the mornings go smoothly and get to where you're going on time?

One step closer to an easier life!

Simple Kitchen Tip!

This is an easy tip to help eliminate one of life's little frustrations in your kitchen - what to do with your rubber gloves! Rubber gloves are a must when cleaning to help protect your hands against harsh chemicals and soapy water, both of which can leave your hands and nails extremely dry. The downside to this kitchen essential is they're a mess to store and many times, difficult to find. They're usually wet so you don't want to throw them under the sink or in a drawer, and they can be an eyesore if you leave them on your kitchen sink or counter. Also adding to the problem is the fact that for some reason, you can never find them when you need them and for me, it seemed like I always had two of either the left glove or two of the right but never one of each. I never understood that, but I guess it's like the missing sock syndrome - we never know how or why it happens, but somehow it just does.

Finally I found a solution that has made my life a little bit easier. This solution is SO simple, I can't believe I never did it before! All you need to do is take a wooden clothesline pin and with a strong adhesive such as Super Glue, glue the pin to the inside of your kitchen sink's cabinet. Once the glue has bonded, just fold your gloves over and clip them on. Follow this tip and you'll never search for your gloves again or have them cluttering up your kitchen while you wait for them to dry. It's so simple yet such a great idea to solve one of life's little problems.

Another tip: Learn from my mistake and make sure that you glue the clothespin towards the middle of the cabinet so you don't get the gloves caught in the door when you close it.

It might not sound like much, but it's one step closer to an easier life!!!!!!