The Morning Rush

I'll admit it, I'm a Type-A, First Class Planner that loves nothing more than to be organized. I'm happiest when cleaning out a closet on a Sunday evening. My horoscope today said "Everyone around you benefits from your efficiency" (said aloud to the visible eye-rolling of my husband).


But getting three kids (and a husband) out of the house every morning challenges even my inner-Organizational Guru. When the twins were younger and in full day preschool while I worked full-time out of the house, my husband managed the morning routine. But when he travelled or had an early morning meeting, I sometimes had to get two toddlers to daycare by 7 AM, NOT an easy feat. What I've learned over the last 7 years is that you need to do EVERYTHING that can possibly be done in advance, and this takes a little creativity and work but makes the mornings much smoother.

1. Lay out children's clothes, and request that they dress themselves as young as possible (my boys started around age 4 with the incentive of a few minutes of morning cartoons if they got up, dressed themselves and brushed their own teeth without being asked)


2. Lay out your OWN clothes, down to the accessories, so that you don't end up with one black and one brown pump at the office.


3. Pack lunches/bottles the night before, stored in the fridge, ready to be packed up.


4. Have backpacks and baby bags packed and sitting by the front door in the morning.


5. Lay out all breakfast materials, set the table after clearing the dinner dishes and make coffee the night before (LOVE a programmable coffee maker with timer!)

And if your husband is hitting the snooze button, you need to poke him with a sharp stick to get up and help get the troops moving! What are your tried-and-true tips for getting everyone out of the house on time?