Make Sure Your Alarm Is On
Don’t depend on the kids to wake you up at their usual, gut-wrenchingly early time. You never know when they might just decide to randomly catch a lie-in, leaving you frazzled and 45 minutes late. At least your alarm will give you peace of mind and stop you from having nightmares about turning up an hour late at the school gate with no trousers on.
Coffee, Coffee, Coffee
If you don’t already have a coffee maker, ask Santa nicely for one this Christmas. You can set it to start making delicious caffeine ten minutes before you wake up, flooding your kitchen with the amazing smell of roasted beans. Knowing that there is a rich cup of coffee waiting for you is also a lovely way to motivate you out of bed. Take ten minutes to wake up before the manic getting ready schedule takes place.
Get Breakfast Sorted the Night Before
Before bed, layout the bowls and cereals for the next day – it will save a few minutes of faffing around with tableware.
Get Dressed
You need your clothes on before the kids are up, as bending their ear about still being in their PJs isn’t going to work if you are still in yours. If they are already in their uniform before breakfast, place an apron over them while they eat, so they don’t get food all down their shirt before school starts.
Lunches
Food is so important for your kids’ concentration levels. If you can cook up a batch of lunchbox fillers (pasta and pesto, for example) for the week, so much the better. Otherwise, easy to slap together sandwiches should take a couple of minutes to make. Keep things nutritionally balanced but simple.
Hair brushing Stands
Have multiple areas around your house where hairbrushes and hair bobbles live. You will never be able to find them in the mad morning rush – they all seem to mysteriously disappear when you need them most.
Car Stash
For those mornings where you have all massively overslept, keep stashes cereal bars and other healthy snacks in the glove compartment, so you can quickly chuck some portable food at them, should they urgently need feeding.
Check Yourself
Glance in the mirror before you leave the house – all of your efforts may have gone into making your children presentable, but how do you look? Run a brush through your hair and check that you haven’t got toothpaste still around your mouth.