It’s no secret that I am chronically late.  It’s also no secret that I am pretty much a hot mess 99 percent of the time.  The word overwhelmed is a regular part of my vocabulary.  Actually, as I was typing out the post, I remembered I completely forgot to send one of my kids in with lunch money.  Wouldn’t be a big deal if I hadn’t forgotten several times already.  I hope they don’t force him to eat a PB&J.  Ugh.  I promise to send it tomorrow…Anyhow, I may be late everywhere, and a total mess, but I have figured out how to eliminate most of the craze in the morning.  As a hockey family, we are often out of the house before 7am on the weekends.  On those days, I have to be sure I am ready to go on time.  I have figured out how to be on time with kids, I just need to be sure to implement these! 😉

5 ways to beat the morning craze

• Set your clothes out the night before.  Not only do I try to get the kids’ clothes ready, I get my clothes ready.

  

• Wait to wake up the youngest, or least likely to wake up easily, last.  Once the youngest is up, I have to focus on her.  I lose any opportunity to get ready without a child in my arms.  This means everything takes me twice as long as it would otherwise.

  

• Decide what breakfast will be the night before.  Only half of our family are breakfast eaters.  Those that eat breakfast are hard core breakfast people though.  I’m talking they need something warm, and usually syrup is involved. As much as we are in a rush to get out the door, trying to skimp on breakfast only makes things take longer.

  

• Pack snacks, book bags, toys, hockey bags, and anything else you know you’re going to need the night before.  Seeing a pattern yet??  Getting ready the night before is the way to go.

  

• No matter what you do the night before, if you’re like us, the morning will still result in some chaos.  It just happens to be more controlled when we plan ahead, and get things ready.  Having your lights on a schedule or the ability to turn them off after you’ve left the house, is a huge help!

  

  We have recently installed a tp smart plug, tp smart bulb, and a tp smart switch. All were insanely easy to install (the switch was the most difficult).  All are reasonably priced, and much cheaper than I ever imagined they would be. AND we don’t have to leave the house, or come home to a pitch black house.  When we put our Christmas tree up later this month, we will be able to turn the lights on and of all via an app on our phone.  It doesn’t get any easier than this!  The bulb can even be adjusted to be brighter or dimmer, and can be any color you can imagine.  We have an older house, and use our plug to control our lights in the dining room, but if I was someone who used a curling iron or straightener every morning, that’s where I would put it because when I do manage to do something with my hair, I am always worried I forgot to turn it off.  With the smart plug, you can easily check the status of the plug from your phone.

   

  I’ve got a coupon for you!!!  woohoo!!  Visit TP-L to learn more about their affordable, wifi-friendly line of Smart Home products, and use code TPLinkSmart for 20% off your purchase through 31 Dec 2016.

  I hope this helps you get out of the house a little easier in the mornings!

  Do you have any tips to add?  Have you figured out how to leave the house without losing your mind in the morning?

  xoxo,
  lorrin
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