Our mornings can get so crazy, and so quickly!! They all start out innocently enough. Waking up, wandering downstairs. Me enjoying a cup of coffee, getting some work done on the computer. The kids in their jammies, watching some morning cartoons.
And then all of a sudden, I look up and it’s 9:45 and I realize we have to be some where at 10:00 (like swim lessons, or a park date or a program we signed up for). I scramble around, tripping over the cat, yelling about shoes and clothes and breakfast. I frantically pull clothes out of the basket for everyone to put on. The cat’s hungry, I’m hungry, the kids are hungry, dishes are in the sink and now laundry is everywhere. I toss some yogurt and toast at them on the way out of the door. What!!? Ah!!! And we’re late.
So, after that happened more times than I would like to admit, I laid down a few summer morning rules to establish our routine. Because laid back, lazy summer mornings weren’t working for us. And I realize the more the kids can do on their own, the more they “OWN” it and do it right.
Here are 5 Ways To Own Your Morning Routines. First, decide where things are going bad and then find what works for you.
Rule One: Kids do not come downstairs until 8:00.
My sister’s kids don’t even wake up until after 8:00, so this rule doesn’t apply to everyone. (LUCKYS) Just change the time to suit your family. But, my kids are early risers and roll out of bed the minute they hear my husband leave for work at 6:00. No matter how quiet he is. During the school year, this works out because we get an early start to the day, but during the summer this means they end up watching WAY TOO much TV. And this rule lets me get a couple of hours of work done before they come down. And I can enjoy my morning coffee in peace! Bonus.
Rule Two: Kids come downstairs dressed and ready for the day. (Except on Saturdays)
Teeth are brushed, bed is made, room is tidy, clothes are on. This puts an end to the frantic scramble for clothes if we are running late. The exception is Saturdays since they like to watch cartoons in their jammies. And who doesn’t?
Rule Three: No Screen Time until two chores are completed.
They each have a list of different chores which include things like, unloading and loading the dishwasher. Sweeping the floor, feeding the pets, folding and putting laundry away or watering the garden. So, if they want to play Minecraft or watch a show, they have to do these things first. This helps keep the house clean, which is a huge bonus for me and it curbs their mindless screen time.
Rule Four: No Screen Time until you have played outside or with toys for 30 minutes.
TOYS! We have so many toys. Great toys that they asked for and love. But, they forgot about them. This is a great rule, because often they will forget about screen time altogether once they get playing and pretending in a game with each other. So, it always ends up being more than 30 minutes of creative play.
Rule Five: Everyone Eats Breakfast Together at the Table
I realize that many of our rules are based around screen time. I was finding that for our family, screen time was becoming such a big deal. They love it. And then they act weird and crazy if they get too much. And they were definitely getting too much because we had no routine or rules.
So, they’re not allowed to eat breakfast in front of a screen. Mindless eating while watching TV is a BAD habit to get into. So, we have to eat breakfast at the table, like a human. And we eat it together as a family. We chat and talk about the day and what’s on the agenda. And I’m excited to share that I found some delicious, wholesome breakfast options that they can totally make on their own to really start our day off right! And that means the kids make breakfast for me too!! BONUS! Family breakfast made by the kids. How seriously great is that!?
New Jimmy Dean Delights Frittatas are made with real ingredient like whole eggs, lean meat and veggies. They’re delicious and are an excellent source of protein. I love that we can all enjoy a wholesome and great tasting breakfast any day of the week, ready in just 2 minutes. And they LOVE popping them in the microwave and doing it all themselves. They think it’s so fun that they can make breakfast FOR ME! And I think that’s great too! The Turkey Sausage and Bacon is so good! I mean, because…bacon! 🙂
Check out this funny swap video.
We are really OWNING our morning routines now and everything is running so much smoother around here. Everyone has some responsibility over our mornings and we get out of the door on time and fed well for the day!
Would you like to try these Jimmy Dean Delights Frittatas? Enter to win a coupon to try them for free by commenting on this post with a tip that gets your morning running smoothly and which flavor you would like to try most.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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