::dusts of laptop::
Hey guys! Remember me? It’s ok if you’ve forgotten. I haven’t been around much the month or so, but for good reason.
Friends, meet Reese. Born 7.19.2012 weighing in at 7 lbs, 3 ounces.
With a new baby, an {overly} adoring 4 year old big sister and a working maternity leave? My hands, and my heart are full!
If you can believe it nearly 6 weeks have passed since that photo was taken and I’m getting ready to head back to work. I’m completely ready, but totally not. If that makes any sense at all. My first day back for my month of part time is Tuesday the 4th. I figured I’d better start to see how are mornings are going to shape up once I’m back at work so one day last week I had a “dry run.”
Oye.
At this point in order to get myself and 2 girls up, fed, dressed and out the door and still make it to work by 8 AM I may have to be up at 4 in the morning. OK, so I’m being a little dramatic but still, I am not looking forward to this!
What I am looking for though? Are your morning routine time saving tips!
I figure I can shave at least 25 minutes off my typical routine just by doing things like choosing my outfit, pre-programming the coffee maker and getting my lunch/snack stuffs together the night before. But there’s got to be more minutes to save/shave somewhere in there so whadayagot for me!? {and PLEASE don’t say shower the night before because I’ve tried that before and I just end up a greasy itchy mess by 1:00 the next day. Gross.}
Now if you’ll excuse me, while you give me your best tips, I’m off to promote bad napping habits by enjoying a few more days of cuddle naps before I’m back at work.
DAMN YOU POST STEALER!!!!!!
Brandy recently posted..Murphy’s Law
Twitter: mannlymama
Love you too! xoxo
Katherine recently posted..Today.
Twitter: lilmissrysmama
Brain dump as I’m not sure how long your commute is:
- Pack up everything for the kids the night before as well – bottles, baby’s bag, clothes for both kids, etc.
- Never underestimate the power of multi-tasking. Feeding one kid while doing something with the other kid.
- Never underestimate the power of using both parents to get this accomplished!
- Eat in the car.
- The first few weeks, you WILL forget things. I kept a list on our garage door so I knew I had everything before we left the house.
Sadly, my best tip is going to be that it takes time and experience. Even after 6 years of doing double morning duty with my twins, we need at least 45 minutes to get out the door.
Laura Case recently posted..A walk down memory lane
Thanks for the tips!! I KNOW I’m going to need to keep a list so I don’t forget things…my mom-brain is in full effect these days!
Katherine recently posted..Today.
Twitter: lilmissrysmama
I try to do as much the night before as possible (which does not include showering): pick out my outfit, pack breakfast/lunch, pack diaper bags/backpacks/etc, pick out E’s clothes.
In the morning, I get up and shower and look presentable, wake up E, and then quickly get dressed. Go back to get her dressed and ready.
She can eat breakfast at the sitter’s and I usually eat breakfast at work. However on mornings where this is not feasible, we eat in the car. I have to be to work by 7:30, so the later I can wake her up, the better.
I’m hoping a similar routine will work once our new addition arrives. I’ll be checking back to see what other ideas people add…
My 4 year old & I had our routine pretty much well dialed so I’m *HOPING* I can wake, get ready and get the baby pretty much well set before I even have to focus on Rylee. And of course, this plan will also include getting as much ready as possible the night before like everyone has suggested.
Katherine recently posted..Today.
Twitter: lilmissrysmama
Hey, I follow you on Instagram (I’m enevicosi) – don’t think I knew you blogged over here, too!
Anyway, I was *just* thinking about how proud I am of myself for getting this whole getting-two-kids-out-the-door-each-morning thing down! It isn’t easy at first, but you do get into the swing of it!
My husband leaves for work by 6:30, so I make sure I’m ready by then (except for being dressed!) so I can focus on my boys (age almost 3 and 6 1/2 months) for that next hour before we’re out of the house at 7:30. I, too, have tried showering at night and I can’t do it. I shower every morning but I have started only washing my hair every other day to save time. I’m not a fan of this, really, but I feel it’s necessary!
What REALLY helps is that my oldest loves to watch Team Umizoomi and will watch two episodes each morning while I’m getting everything else ready. I get the boys dressed, pump while little one plays in his jumperoo, gather up my stuff on the kitchen table, and get myself dressed last.
I guess I don’t have any great time-saving tips – just some motivational words that you CAN do it! You’ll figure out what works for you and get back into the swing of things after a few weeks. Good luck!
HEY! I’m glad you found me!
And thanks for the encouragement!!
It sounds like we have a very similar situation…my husband leaves the house about 6:30 each morning and we have to be out the door by 7:15. We let my oldest watch TV in the morning too, but I’m thinking to help speed things along, I’ll make her get dressed BEFORE the TV comes on, because it seems like, before baby, that was our biggest struggle with our morning routine.
Katherine recently posted..Today.
Twitter: lilmissrysmama
I have a 4 year old and a 2 year old, and I echo what everyone else is saying. My husband and I get EVERYTHING ready the night before: lunches are made, bags are packed (ours and the kids), keys are located, and clothes are laid out. I get up at 5:15, workout until 6:00, then shower. When I get out of the shower, I get my 4 year old up. Since he has started preschool, we have to give him breakfast at home and he takes FOREVER to eat. Don’t judge us, but we sit him in front of the tv to watch Super Why while he wakes up, eats, and puts his clothes on that are laid out on the couch. After this, I finish getting ready with my husband. When we are both ready, he finishes with my son and takes him to school. I then get my 2 year old daughter up, give her some milk, read a couple books, and then get her dressed. Lucky for us, she eats breakfast at her daycare. I get to work by 7:30 where I eat MY breakfast while checking my first round of work email. It took us a while to get this schedule, but now we have it pretty much down pat. When my husband is out of town for work (which is kinda often), it is much harder on me. I actually still get up at 5:15, but no working out gets done! When my daughter was a baby (OMG I cannot believe my little girl is no longer a baby!!), it definitely took longer, but I always made sure that I was ready first. I showered, did my hair and makeup, and then put on a robe so I didn’t get my work clothes covered in milk/formula. I always found it impossible to get ready with the kids underfoot! We are lucky that my son just kind of does his own thing in the morning, but the TV is key for this! I am also lucky that my commute is all of 5 minutes! If I am out the door by 7:15, I can drop my daughter off at daycare (her provider lives in our neighborhood) and still make it to work by 7:30! Good luck, you will soon figure out a routine!
I love reading how other moms’ morning go! I think I’ll be eating breakfast at work and depending on when the oldest is up and moving, luckily, she is able to eat breakfast wherever she happens to be that day (pre school or a grandparent’s). And we are fans of the morning cartoons as well…Ry’s morning cartoon routine is Wild Kratt’s & ONE Curious George. That’s how she knows when it’s time to leave…after the first George is over.
P.S. I WISH my commute was only 5 minutes! haha
Twitter: lilmissrysmama
I have an almost 4 yo and a 7 mo and I am still trying to get the morning routine down! Luckily I have a waaaaay understanding job and flexible hours so it hasn’t been said much about me getting to work at 9. I’ve just this week gotten there by 8 two days in a row.
My biggest tip is always add 30 minutes to how long you think it’s going to take. That has been my biggest problem. Thinking it will only take so long then some toddler meltdown adds time.
My daughter is big on “competition” so we use getting dressed as a time saver. She dresses herself faster than bubbie “gets dressed”.
My husband leaves when I get up so I’m getting dressed alone with both kids. We would not ever survive a morning without the TV.
And I agree about packing everything the night before and the robe!
Good luck! You may start getting up at four but eventually you will get a time frame figured out and can adjust and sleep a few precious minutes later.
Twitter: melissamott
I love your tips! And good to know I need to add that much of a time buffer. {We have a 4 year old and now a 6 week old. It took us some adjusting to remember just how long it took to get things like errands done when you’re working around a newborns schedule!} I’m like you, morning routine is all on me because my husband is headed out the door as our oldest wakes up. I’m loving the competition idea too…my 4 year old LOVES games.
Katherine recently posted..Today.
Twitter: lilmissrysmama
Oh and with the competition, she ALWAYS beats us. LOL She’ll say “mommie do you have to put on bubbie’s socks?” Or since I’m not a good planner, i get bottles done in the AM and if she doesn’t beat us for clothes, she’ll beat us at bottles. The few mornings she didn’t beat us was kind of a struggle, so be warned. HAHA She is a great girl, loves her bubbie, and has adjusted VERY well to big sisterhood but sometimes she needs those little victories to still feel special.
Twitter: melissamott
I am pregnant with my second child. Not due until Feb. I love reading everything on here but this is something I never thought of. Everything in my life right now revolves around getting one child and ourselves out the door and we’ve got it down now finally. Thanks for all the tips I will have to bookmark this page for future reference!!
Thanks again!!!
So glad you’re getting some good tips too! I’m not even kidding, the entire concept of getting 2 out the door in the morning COMPLETELY snuck up on me! It wasn’t until weeks after the baby was born and I was alone with both my girls trying to get them out the door so we could go to Target that this crossed my mind.
Katherine recently posted..Today.
Twitter: lilmissrysmama