Without a doubt, being a working mom has its own unique set of challenges. One of the hardest? Getting two adults and two kids out the door by 7am – dressed, fed, and with everything we need for the day. There is no doubt about it – our mornings can be crazy, and the only way to survive them is by being prepared ahead of time. I make it a point to be as organized as I can, and it helps so much – here are my top tips to get a handle your mornings!
- Prep your lunch the night or even weekend before. Chris and I both take our lunches to work every day. I tend to take a salad every day, so I prep 5 of them on the weekend and store them in the fridge, ready to go. This way, I can just grab my salad and snacks (which are also stored together in the fridge), throw them in my lunch bag, and that part of my morning is done. Chris tends to take leftovers (I’m so proud of this – when we got married he pronounced he didn’t do leftovers and clearly that’s changed) or a sandwich, so that’s easy too.
- Make sure you eat in the morning – and make it easy. Since I’m nursing, oatmeal is a great option for me since it keeps my supply up. Other great quick breakfasts are two scrambled eggs, homemade or prepared breakfast sandwiches or burritos, or a smoothie – it just depends on my mood. I tend to leave my morning coffee until I get to work since (a) it’s free, and (b) it gives me a chance to enjoy it without interruption.
- Have all the bags ready to go the night before. We get everything prepared the night before – Ella’s diaper bag, Abbie’s lunch, and Ella’s bottles. I even try to remember to pick out an outfit the night before, and it makes such a difference in the morning since we’re not rushing around to do those things.
- Divide and conquer. With two girls to get ready, we divide up the work so we can get everything done. Chris gets up first to get himself ready. He gets both girls up and dressed, then gets Abbie breakfast while I nurse Ella. I then bring Ella down for some solid breakfast and take some time to finish getting myself ready. We just naturally fell into that pattern, but dividing up the work makes it much easier.
- Check traffic so you know if you need to leave early. Traffic is just a fact of life here in northern Virginia – it’s one of the worst places in the country as far as traffic goes! I try to check the traffic report about 10-15 minutes before we’re supposed to head out so I know if we are good on time or if we need to start hustling. Traffic can be unpredictable regardless of what you do, but checking ahead of time gives us that little bit of extra preparation we need.
Anything you would add to my list? How do you prepare to get out of the house in the mornings?
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