Back to school routine

It always seems to take a few days/weeks to get into a routine again after summer vacation. I’m always looking for new ways to make things easier for all of us when it comes to getting ready and out the door on time. Last year I started using cubbies to help the kiddos find their clothes in the morning. That has proven to be very useful in reducing our morning stress. Nonetheless, I still need a little more help.

I find myself yelling every morning; “Are you done getting dressed?” “Did you brush your teeth yet?” “Hurry up and brush your hair!” Then it never fails that we are headed out the door and someone has to run back in to go potty or we’re at the bus stop and I realize that someone has a milk mustache.

So in the hope that I could reduce the amount of yelling I do and get all little people organize on time I made a chart.



I made a table in word and then used google images to give each item an icon. I taped the paper to an old cookie sheet. And I used yard sale stickers to color code some magnets for each of the girls. The trick is keeping little man from moving their magnets around. (Boy, that really bugs them).

The first day it was a novelty and they spent extra time running back-n-forth to move their magnets over but now it seems to be streamlining their routine and keeping them on task without my yelling. WooHoo!!!!

Got any other helpful hint I could use????

Manic Monday

School daze…
Getting our little ones up, fed, dressed and ready to go out the door can be a real magic act. One trick I found helpful, and something that I implemented the first month of kindergarten was a clothing cubby. Getting 3 kiddos out of bed, on the potty and seated at the breakfast table was my morning work out. Up the steps…down the steps…up the steps…down the steps. OK, running up and down the steps was getting out of hand. In an effort to reduce the number of times I chased my tale helping my little dependants and to make my overall planning-ahead job easier, I started placing a weeks worth of clothes into clothing cubbies. For around $20.00 from a mail order catalog, I cut one of my jobs from the morning “to do” list.

Each week, as I put the laundry away, I fill Monday thru Friday with completed outfits. I make sure that each bin gets socks and undies as well as the right clothing for the right day. Sweats and sneakers for gym class, the new shirt for casual day and a sweater on the day that the trusty weatherman is calling for a drop in temperature. Now, I can stay down stairs feeding the baby and coaxing the 3 year old to finish breakfast while the older one is up getting dressed independently. I think next, I’m going to hang a small picture of books as a reminder on the day that library is scheduled.
The best part is how easy it was to incorporate into our daily routine. I pulled the day of the week cubbies out of the delivery box and wrapped the Velcro hanger around the closet rod. Step one…DONE. I explained that it was something she could do “all by herself” and she couldn’t wait for the next school day. Step two…DONE. On Mondays she needs to get the step stool out of the bathroom to reach the top bin, but it barely even slows her down. This one gets filed under one of my best ideas ever. If only I had invented the day of the week cubbies….Ahhh that would be nice.
Let me know your manic Monday, “make life easier” ideas.