Giveaway: $500 AmEx Gift Card plus a case of your favorite general MilLs Cereal
If there was ever a movie of my life, it would open with Harlow crying and me waking up reluctantly. Whether I go into her room to get her or she comes into my room to get me, the first dialogue spoken would be— “I want something to eat.”
No “good morning”. Harlow doesn’t play that game. The girl knows what she wants and she asks for it immediately.
Then we would cut to a fast paced action sequence where I make my cup of coffee, warm up Mazzy’s “milky” and fix Harlow’s breakfast (frozen waffle and a bowl of cereal) all at once. I have these three tasks down to a well-timed science— from turning on the coffee maker to screwing the lid on Mazzy’s cup to pouring the milk just high enough in Harlow’s bowl. It’s all worked out so I am never standing still in the kitchen with nothing to do and I have everything ready within three minutes which is exactly the amount of time it takes to defrost Harlow’s waffle.
Not movie material, you say? Did I mention I do everything WITH ONE ARM while I hold Harlow with the other? She’s no spring chicken, you know!
Okay, you’re right. My mornings would make a TERRIBLE movie. Plus, as Harlow has gotten older, I get away with plopping her on the counter as opposed to actually holding her.
But, for what it’s worth, I am seriously impressed with my speed and agility while my kitchen routine is happening. If there was a coffee-making-cereal-pouring event in the Olympics, my time would definitely qualify.
Unfortunately, my kids don’t seem to appreciate my high-speed breakfast coordination and are constantly demanding things like “Cheerios!!!!” and “Syrup!!!!!” even though they can plainly see me working like a mad woman to accommodate them and get them situated.
Mornings (unlike evenings) must run exactly according to plan or else all hell breaks loose. Even if you are running late or the system is breaking down, you must give the impression that all is going smoothly or else you run the risk of derailing your children completely.
It’s a tricky game getting everyone out the door and to work/school/camp/daycare on time.
Today, General Mills asked me to talk about my trusted morning hacks that make those early AM hours run as smoothly as possible. Which is funny because cereal is the only way we get Harlow to drink milk, since she stopped drinking milk when we took away her bottle at age one. I’ll call that Morning Hack #1.
Many readers have advised me to get rid of the television in the mornings, but that would mean I would also be giving up Morning Hack #2— threatening to turn the TV off if Mazzy doesn’t get herself dressed.
“Can you pause it, Mom?”
“And send Harlow into hysterics? OF COURSE NOT!”
Thankfully, Mazzy runs into her room and comes back fully dressed within ten seconds, the horror of spending precious morning time away from the TV too much to bear. Her outfit usually doesn’t match but that brings me to Morning Hack #3, which is really more of a parenting philosophy I stole from a reader on my Facebook page.
She said, “I’d rather raise an independent child than a well-dressed one”.
Yep. I agree. Coordinating outfits sounds too time-consuming for busy mornings. I question how the moms of well-dressed children choose to spend their time.
After she finishes her waffle, Harlow usually asks about Daddy’s whereabouts, so I tell her to “go see where he is” which is my Special Mom Code for “WAKE THAT MAN UP SO I’M NOT DOING THIS BY MYSELF!”
Sending Harlow to wake up Mike is Morning Hack #4, because once he’s up, he’ll come in the kitchen and make breakfast for Mazzy while I start to get ready.
Speaking of getting ready, that makes me think of Morning Hack #5, which should actually have been Morning Hack #1— showering at night. This accomplishes two things: 1) I don’t waste time drying my hair. 2) I get to shower in peace.
Want a great hack for drinking your coffee? Try Morning Hack #6— instead of drinking it, just abandon it! Your kids are never going to give you those five precious minutes to sip quietly anyway and you know you’ll end up reheating and reheating again until you finally give up and spill it out in the sink. I say, just recognize your coffee for what it is— something to gaze at from afar while you run around like a chicken with your head cut off.
Morning Hack #7 is brushing Mazzy’s hair while she eats breakfast. Yes, hair and food are a disgusting combination but add the double distraction of television and there is way less screaming involved. When there is no screaming, I actually enjoy doing Mazzy’s hair.
Harlow always wants to hang out in the morning which doesn’t always go hand-in-hand with getting myself ready, so I’ve invented Morning Hack #8. I give Harlow a big make-up brush and the cap of my translucent powder so she can pretend to put on make-up too. She likes to stand on the toilet and look at herself in the magnifying mirror. Best of all, she’s doing it right next to Mommy.
When Mazzy was still in school, we would pack her backpack with snacks so that they were there for her after school, regardless of who picked her up. That’s Morning Hack #9. It doesn’t save time in the morning, but it certainly has saved my sanity on more than one afternoon.
Lastly, if Mazzy or Harlow are still hungry when we are heading out the door, I implement Morning Hack #10—filling up a plastic baggie with cereal to-go. There aren’t many other things you can feel good about giving your kids in the morning, that still feels like a snack.
Thankfully, my friends at General Mills know how much parents depend on cereal in the morning, so they are constantly working to make their cereals better. For the past few years, they have been working to make whole grain the first ingredient and reduce sugar across all their cereals. Now, they are working to remove all the artificial flavors and colors from artificial sources. More than half of General Mills cereals (like our favorites, Cheerios, Chex and Cinnamon Toast Crunch) are already free from artificial flavors and colors from artificial sources, but now they’re working on cereals like Lucky Charms and Trix too. Good news for that rabbit!
To help spread this news, General Mills is giving one lucky reader a $500 American Express Gift Card and a case of your favorite cereal!
Giveaway Rules:
1) To enter, you must be a Mommy Shorts daily or weekly subscriber. If you are not already a subscriber, you can sign up here.
2) Leave a comment below describing your favorite morning hack. You can also enter by posting a photo on the Mommy Shorts Facebook page or on Instagram tagging #mymorninghack. If you enter on Instagram, make sure you tag and follow both @mommyshorts and @generalmills to win.
Read the full rules here.
Winner will be selected at random and announced on June 30th.
Just don’t steal using the toddler to wake up Dad. THAT’S MINE.
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This post was sponsored by General Mills who does not endorse my morning hacks, just my love of all things CEREAL.
My favorite morning hack is letting my 2 yr old opinionated about everything son pick out his clothes the night before so mornings go oh so much smoother!
Peppa pig on the iPhone so my 2 year old will get dressed
My morning hack: night prepping! Clothes, shoes, lunches, backpacks ready to go. Breakfast stuff laid out.
have kids sleep in their clothes for the day as pajamas = no clothes to change into in the morning
they are already dressed!
Program the coffee maker the night before. Nothing is more amazing than to smell coffee as soon as you stumble into the kitchen.
My hack is that I have one of my two older children make my 6 year old his breakfast so I can worry about ironing their clothes. I also have them make their own lunches so that they don’t complain about what snacks they do or don’t get.
Oh I am ALL about Morning Hack #5! I used to laugh at my husband for doing it before we married, but now with two little kids, it’s an absolute MUST! If showering at night will get me an extra 20 minutes of sleep in the AM, I AM IN!
I like to ask my toddler what she wants for any meal and give her options in order of least likely to most likely. That way by time I get to the things I want her to have , I’ve listed all of the more unappealing things first. She says no to everything I say at first anyway.
We live in rome, Italy so we have a bidet in the bathroom. In order to get dressed and ready in (sort of peace ) I low my 2.5. Yr old son to play with the water to keep him busy. He knows not to make a mess and I give him some duckies and containers to fill and empty. I also pass him his toothbrush while he’s at it so he can rush his teeth.
Another hack – I shower the night before and get my clothes ready before bed and put them in the bathroom. Then when my son gets up at 6.30am (help), I take him into the bathroom where all is prepped and we are ready for breakfast in usually 20 min.
My favorite morning hack is we make getting ready a game, when one is out of the shower they tag their brother it’s almost like a relay race and I get to see them help each other out. If all goes well and we have extra time as a reward i whip up a fruit & veggie smoothie its a win all around!
I put a bench right by the door with bins under it and hooks on the wall above it…Everything we need in the a.m for the day is put there the night before. From shoes to keys to bookbags. If an item isn’t there we can live the day without it.
My favorite, or at least most used, morning hack is to get everything ready the night before so I don’t have to race to do it in the morning to get the kids out the door. If I don’t shower the night before, I make sure I wake up earlier than the kids and get myself ready before them. I am sure those are pretty common momma morning hacks, with good reason. They work and are pretty much a necessity for most moms’ morning routines.
My morning hack is to get my daughter a “snack” (dry Cheerios) and a cup of milk for her to have in our bed while she watches cartoons and I close my eyes for an extra 10 minutes. 🙂
My hacks are sorta like yours, as they are a series of hacks. After I work out, I go warm up her “ba” (a soppy of milk), toast her waffle and top it with sprinkles (not healthy l, but syrup and my bed proved to be gross) and then head to wake her up. I make sure she’s about 75% dressed before I really try to wake her up, which mostly avoids arguing over clothes, and then I put her in my bed to eat while I get ready. We’ve perfected this hack!
I think my favorite hack
I need more hacks!! Mornings make me want to die. But, a recent hack I discovered was getting my 5 year old to help put shoes on the 3 year old. One less thing for me, she still likes to help him and it gives them a little bonding moment!
I think my favorite hack is to let my water loving toddler (who, I might add, already had a bath the night before because it’s a non-negotiable and eternal part of her ROUTINE that she has set) play in the shower in our bathroom. It has awesome glass doors so I can see her while I get ready–she will play in there for half an hour. Sometimes I put her in our big bathtub instead– but at some point she devolves into dolphinland and splashes everywhere so it’s not really a hack at that point 😛
Leave everything and by the door- outfits picked out and on beds, shoes,backpacks, jackets, by door and lunches ready to go
Feed the baby naked. (Baby naked, not momma. Although I’ll admit that I’ve done it that way too.)
My little guy does NOT like being woken up in the morning. I turn on PBS kids on my phone, and lay it next to him. Then I continue with my morning routine. He wakes up on his own, and actually in a good mood. Not having a crabby kid saves SO much time!
My morning hack sounds weird but I wake my 2 year old after I’ve fed the newborn. That way the 2 year old gets some one on one mommy time in the morning and I’m usually assured that the baby won’t wake up during it. My other hack is that I tell my 2 year old that pjs are just for the bedroom and if she wants to go into the living room she has to put her clothes on. Since she can’t open doors herself yet she has never challenged me on this.
My morning hack is to do as much as possible the night before – pack lunches and backpacks, pick out clothes, set out breakfast stuff. Helps to make the morning go much more smoothly… Or at least I don’t need to think as much because everything is already there for me!
My morning hack is having my kids shower at bedtime and pony tails in the morning for their crazy bed head.
I lower my head in shame as I type this… I give my child a bottle of milk despite the fact that he is WAY too old for one. He gets his full breakfast at daycare, but I like to get one cup of milk in him before drop off. He takes his sweet time with a sip cup, but he can take down that bottle in under 3:00 minutes.
Morning Hack: 9yo Jordan has to get up, get dressed, eat breakfast (all of which he does very well) and brush his teeth (every morning I have to remind and ask if this is done and every morning I have to explain why this is important) before any fun to be had.
7yo Ava- I have the same expectations but it usually goes like this: I wake her by turning her light on telling her she needs to get up. I shower then check on her. She is on the floor playing wiith her animals. I tell her I’m going to win today and am getting the gold medal (there isnt one) she yells that she’s not playing. I taunt every step of the way. She comes in telling me she won. It gets old but works every time. Usually she ends up taking a breakfast to go.
Since my older child started Kindegarten, we’ve used a series of alarms at specific times alerting us if the “countdown” until the bus comes. A 1/2 hour prior is the “get dressed” alarm, 10 minutes later “socks & shoes” alarm, 10 more minutes until the “get ready” (comb hair, coat on, backpack ready) followed by the “BUS” alarm 8 minutes later. Even on days when we’ve overslept, we’re able to stay on track & haven’t missed the bus!
School days, it’s the little things: laying out my daughters clothes the night before, planning breakfast and lunch he night before (set that cereal box out next to a bowl and a spoon and an apple and I barely have any work to do in the morning!) I’m also guilty of the frequent brushing of hair during breakfast. And also of putting on shoes during breakfast. What can I say – she’s sitting still and that’s rare!
During the summer, it’s agreeing to early morning cartoons. That means my 8 year old will get my toddlers when they get up, and I get to sleep in another 30 minutes. Well worth it.
Morning hack
night before ALL clothes are set out for youngest 2
1.I wake up 30 minutes before EVERYONE including hubby get dressed ALONE
2.Daddy wakes up
3. middle child (7 years old) always wakes up first if not we have to start over ….so he is first child UP …ONLY DADDY can serve his cereal NO MATTER WHAT! This can not change ever ….
4. Baby wakes up (2 years old ) Ninja turtles MUST BE on the tv. Baby’s sippy cup must have choco milk in it by the time he makes it downstairs
5. Wake grumpy pre teen (12 years old) do not ask her any questions …she does not like cereal eggs toast or waffles so I really have no clue what she eats but she stares inside the pantry and refrigerator for about 15 minutes every morning …i can not ask what she wants to eat or I will get a fire breathing dragon answer 😉
This is our morning hack!
Morning hacks: if my 4 year old stays in bed until his tot clock turns yellow, he is allowed to go get the iPad to play some games on it. This lets my husband and I get ready for work or sleep in on the weekends.
If I’m not in a super rush, I offer to let the four year old come in the shower with me, or even just to play in the bathroom. I get a leisurely shower and he doesn’t wake the baby up with his sheer volume and four year old ness.
He likes his frozen pancakes frozen. As in not warmed up. I finally gave in. I can’t imagine it makes them any less healthy than they already are. But I can give him breakfast in 30 seconds: frozen pancakes and stab a straw through a stony field farms yogurt smoothie. He can pretty much prepare this breakfast of champions himself. (Don’t judge: i do sometimes serve real food)
When the baby wakes the first time, I climb in her crib and snuggle with her and nurse her back to sleep. If I take her out, she thinks it’s time to start the day. This way she will sleep another three hours.
This is a night time hack but works in the morning too: I challenge 4 year old to get into pjs (or get dressed) in two minutes and set the timer on my phone. If he completes the challenge in time than we have time for something fun like a game of hide and seek before going to bed (or leaving the house.) it works like a charm and leads to pretty funny antics trying to do things too quickly. We also challenge daddy and son to get son ready for bed before mommy gets baby sister ready for bed. It’s a pretty fair match. Whoever wins gets to pick the bedtime book.
We also let him pretend to be a race car before bed. He lines up at a starting line outside his bedroom door. We tell the racers to start their engines, ready set go! He vrooooms and says “they’re off!” And races as fast as he can into bed. You’ve never seen a preschooler get to bed that fast. 🙂
My husbands morning hack is a outfit race (occasional obstacle course). My daughter hated her uniform pants and this was the only way to stop the tears!
We have a 30 min drive to school in the mornings so breakfast has to be portable (waffles or dry cereal) because we are usually finishing breakfast in the car. Also we still use the training toothpaste that can be swallowed so my biggest morning hack is brushing teeth in the car especially since we just finished eating breakfast!
We always pack lunches, snacks, and backpacks the night before…we also lay out outfits for the next day. Not only does this eliminate the morning rush, but it keeps my Aspergers Child on task and worry free!
On the days that my oldest has preschool, my favorite hack is allowing my two boys to have a cookie with their milk in the morning. It’s the frosted animal cookies, and they LOVE them. They love that they get a cookie, and I get an extra few minutes without any screaming.
I leave a banana and a bowl of dry cereal sitting on the counter where my dayghter can get it, and on days she doesn’t have to go to school the iPad is there too. She gets out of bed and helps herself to the food and I get another hour of sleep.
Prep everything the night before- coffee maker, lunches, outfits, any breakfast food that won’t spoil or go stale overnight (cereal in bowls, banana at each place setting), shoes and backpacks by the door… Makes it easier to cope with morning insanity. I also wake up 15 minutes earlier than everyone else so I can actually drink my coffee.
Our best morning hack has been the alarm clock we bought for our oldest daughter. She had been getting up earlier and earlier every day. She would be up, dressed, and ready to go 2 hours before anyone else got up. Then she would sit downstairs impatiently and want to leave for school the second she saw the whites of our eyes. So we set her an alarm for 7:00 AM and she knows that she can get up to go potty but she goes right back to her room until that alarm starts beeping. It’s been a HUGE success! And it’s pink which is of course superior to all other clocks on earth. (Except for the Frozen one shaped like a castle that Mommy said was too big.)
I would spend a little time on the weekend putting measured amounts of cereal into baggies…and milk in lidded cups in the fridge so that my kiddo could make his own cereal bowl up while I do other things.
No matter what I do my toddler gets up ridiculously early (like 5:30am and we DON’T have to be up that early, ever), meanwhile my infant will sleep in if left alone. My hack is to go into the living room with my toddler and let her watch TV… while I fall back asleep on the couch for an hour or so! I don’t do it every morning, but every once in a while it’s so nice to get to ‘sleep in’ a bit.
My son eats really slowly, so I eat while he does then spend the rest of the time getting clothes/back packs ready. Then I let him play while I jump in the shower!
My morning hack is go make a cup of coffee before bed and put it in the fridge. I drink it iced anyways so all I have to do is grab it and drink. My other hack is attempt to put a piece of toast in the toaster before getting my 2 year old up. God help us if the toast is hot for breakfast.
Every morning I wake upland grab the baby out of her crib whether she is awake or not so that I can feed her in bed and get an extra 15 minutes of sleep before my two year old wakes up and starts her daily reign of terror and destruction.
I set my coffee up the night before so I just have to push a button in the morning. I also set up my 2yr olds milk and fruit the night before.
#1 – Letting him feed the dog her morning treat while I make my coffee.
#2 – Applying sunscreen when he is strapped into his car seat.
My kiddos are getting older and I had so many hacks to make the morning go smoothly. Picking out clothes the night before and laying them out so they knew the deal. Kids started packing parts of their lunch from an early age and packing their snack. Helps me by only having to quickly make a sandwich and throw it in there and avoids the blame game of packing something that they didn’t want. Lastly, learning to appreciate lukewarm coffee.
My FAVORITE morning hack of all times is any that involve me getting more sleep in the morning.
I’m a dog trainer, so I always have dogs boarding with me. When you pair that up with a rambunctious 6-year old, I never have time to just sit and relax. So bedtime is my favorite part of the day.
My daughter, unfortunately, is an early morning riser. Once she’s up, she breaks through all the baracades and distractions I purposely set up to deter the unavoidable invading of my bed to wake me up for breakfast.
When she does wake me up, the first thing I tell her is to feed the dogs their breakfast. The process of feeding them is a mission in itself since you have to measure out their food and add any suppliments like coconut and salmon oil. She knows it all and is always more than happy to feed them when asked. This task allows me an extra 15 minutes of sleeping bliss while thinking what the hell Im gonna cook for breakfast.
My morning hack/everyday hack is that I fill up an entire Juicy Juice juice package with water and ONE of the sugar free flavored water packets (that are used for individual water bottles). It’s sugar free, my son drinks a ton of it (thinking it’s juice) and he is drinking well over the daily recommended amount of water a day! I also fill up a few pop bottles and put them in the fridge, at his level, so he can ‘drink pop’ like Mommy but he is really drinking his flavored water. 😉
Always have hair ties on daughters brush.
10 minutes at night saves 45 in the morning: shoes and socks in vehicle, fill milk cups in fridge, place water by their bedroom door and stock a cooler with water and ice for hot summer days.
Each kids uses a different restroom in the a.m., allowing them to go right when they wake up.
3.5 y/o’s clean up their breakfast dishes.
Keep old newspapers to use to entertain while eating, keeps mess at bay and let’s them look and chat.
And I never dress them in their room. I pick it out while they eat, them we head to my bedroom to dress there. Keeps them from seeing other options.
Picking out clothes the night before!
In order to enjoy a peaceful shower every morning, I instruct my 5 year old to pour a little bowl full of Cheerios for herself and her baby brother every morning and then sit down with him in the living room to watch Curious George until I come downstairs. This keeps all of the kids quietly in one place with nobody screaming that they’re hungry and starts the morning off without the stressful rush to feed them!
My morning hack is simultaneously pumping milk for my 17 month old while blow drying my hair and doing my makeup. Saves me tons of time!
My morning hack is “Warm Chocolate” It’s carnation instant Breakfast. My two & five year old drink it EVERY DAY as soon as they get up. That way I’m not rushed to get them food and I know if we skip eating something else right away b/c of school or an early appointment I don’t feel bad. Also it’s a great way to sneak in their Dairy for the day b/c we make it with MILK!
I clean my old/empty pressed powder compacts and eye shadow compacts and fill them with inexpensive nail polish, let it dry, then put them all in a makeup bag I got free at Clinique with the tiny applicators and brushes they came with that I never use. My daughters then have their own makeup bag and makeup so they don’t use, play with or ask for mine! They put on their makeup while I put on mine, but don’t slow me down since they have their own.
I let my two year ol daughter sit on the bathroom counter and play in the sink with soap or play with lotion while I get ready. She wastes a lot of soap, but it works!
I have used my son to wake up my husband since he was born! 😉
Definitely shower the night before and let the kids pick out their clothes, on top of that I try to make breakfast foods on Sunday night like muffins or pancakes and then reheat them quick in the mornings.
The only way I can get my daughter to brush her teeth is if I tell her that we have to get the [insert whatever food she ate the day before–i.e. broccoli, bananas, pizza, etc.] out from between her teeth because it’s stuck. In between ALL OF HER TEETH.
I’m a liar but it totally works. Morning and evening.
Having a banana pre cut so that I can just drop her in the high chair and give some cereal and I can take care of myself. Having the lunch already made the night before is the best – less rush!
I have my daughters crib on wheels. We put the toddler rail on it to turn it into a big girl bed, but faced it against the wall so she can’t get out. I send my 3 year old in to move the crib and let her out when she wakes just so I can finish whatever I’m doing!
My favorite morning hack is to embrace that coffee that often gets cold while doing everything else…. And just go ahead and make it iced coffee right off the bat! Tasty, refreshing and no luke warm coffee for this momma!
I cosleep with my two year old. My morning hacks consist of blackout curtains, a locked bed room door, and toys and books on the floor. So when the sunlight finally filters through the cracks enough to wake him he can’t escape and will entertain himself for about the amount of time a typical snooze alarm.
But my best hack is to refuse to get out of bed and let my husband deal with him.
Morning hack : The kids wear the next day’s clothes as PJs (only works in summer weather for those of us who have colder temperatures). They may be a little wrinkled the next morning but (1) morning stress cut in half and (2) an extra 10-15 minutes of sleep for everyone. 🙂
My favorite morning hack with three little boys is to play Uptown Funk as soon as they wake up. They have to get dressed and pack their lunch before the song is over or they don’t get to go to school. It’s working so far! Thank god for Bruno Mars!
After my boys (4 & 2 yrs) are sitting eating breakfast -usually cheerios with or without milk- I take that time to quickly jump in the shower if I need to, now more often than not I use that time to feed my 2 month old. Because the 2yr old is strapped into a high chair I don’t stres about his mischief! My other hack to to use my 4yr old to get the little things done when trying to get out the door -filling dogs food bowl, getting me a plastic bag, getting #2’s shoes. And I have totally adopted the let him dress himself philosophy to save time and meltdowns!
My favorite morning hack happens at night. I get my breakfast and lunch ready the night before, I get the coffee ready so I just have to press a button, and if my son is going somewhere that day I get all his stuff ready too. It’s a lifesaver, since I’m somewhat of a zombie in the morning…if I could have a caffeine IV I would.
Pretty much every morning between waking up and getting out the door, I give my 21 month old a small bowl of dry cereal to keep her occupied while my husband and I try to run around the house getting ready. I also pack my lunches before bed every night so I don’t waste precious time in the morning trying to figure out what to eat that day.
I also brush my daughter’s hair while she eats breakfast. After a year, I’ve totally forgotten this is gross. During the summer I also put sunblock on both my kids while they eat, which is a little gross when I put it on their hands and they use their hands to eat (though we’ve gotten rid of most breakfast finger food). My favorite morning hack is racing to camp: All last summer my son rode his bike and raced me jogging while pushing my daughter in her stroller. He almost always won and I was a sweaty mess by the time I dropped him off, but we were almost never late!
My morning hack is to let everyone else sleep in. I actually get more things prepped and done without having the kid and husband in the way or requesting breakfast etc.
My hack is getting my 5 year old to pick out his clothes the night before as a mission then its a race in the morning to see how fast he can get dressed, brush his teeth, feed the cat and get in the truck all before I even get his 5 month old sister up. Yes he might sit in the truck for about 10 mins before I actually am ready to go but it gets him moving fast and I have the house to myself to get me and the baby ready. Yes I get myself and two kids ready all in about 15 mins and out the door. They eat breakfast at the babysitters house. 🙂
My favorite morning hack is brushing and braiding my daughter’s straight(ish) hair before she goes to bed and in the morning taking them out and just fluffing up the waves!
My favorite weekend morning hack is to open the sliding patio door and let some fresh air inside before it gets too hot outside. My toddler LOVES being outdoors so she stands in front of the breeze and stares into the backyard while I have a few more minutes to enjoy some coffee in peace and prepare for our day of adventures and exploration toddler-style.
Our son is only 10 months, so I’m saving these for the future! But my morning hack is getting all his bottles and food ready the night before, as well as having his morning bottle ready to make next to our bed in the morning!
my hack goes all the way back to our time before children…I put out all the clothes, toothpaste on toothbrushes, shoes out before we go to bed. So that when we wake up there is no running around looking for socks. It’s been working for 12+ years. 😉
I have some similar hacks to you! I also shower the night before and I hold my 21 month old in one hand while very methodically and efficiently helping my husband get breakfast ready for everyone. And very similar the the watching tv hack, I used to let my oldest daughter play on the iPad while I did her hair. My current best hack is waking up at 4:45 a.m. every morning as that is the only way to get a damn thing done before the kids are up!
I wake up 5 minutes before the kids to drink my coffee and watch the news
My best morning hack: lay out both mine and my daughter’s outfits for the day the night before. This cuts down on the fussing, and speeds her along. She knows that as soon as breakfast is done, she gets dressed, washes her face, brushes her teeth and hair and puts shoes on to head out. 🙂
My mommy hack is to have all three of my boys shower at night. I also lay out all their outfits at the edge of their beds while they are asleep. So that in the morning when I wake them up, they get dressed, brush their teeth, and head downstairs to eat breakfast.
I like to leave clothes for everyone ready the night before to get out of the house quicker in the mornings. 🙂
My morning hack is keeping my kiddos in their cribs as long as they aren’t trying to climb out (for my daughter this was just after she turned 3!) so you can put them in a safe place while you shower. Also, learn how to put your iPad/iPhone in guided access mode so they can play a game with our leaving it and deleting things. Combine these 2 things and you should get at least 20 minutes uninterrupted in the bathroom:)
I subscribe and I entered on IG!
I also do hair while they eat breakfast! I see nothing wrong with it! 🙂
Thank you so much! Your blog inspires me, and makes me laugh at parenting woes. My children are now 12 and 15, and getting them out of bed in the AM can be a challenge! Love and kindness goes a long way!! I start with quiet a quite good morning & an I love you. If that doesn’t work I try again and add a little rub on the back.. If that doesn’t work , the lights come on & I start confiscating blankets and pillows! I only recomend this as a last resort! Generally teenagers don’t luke this, and makes for a rough start to the day, but it works! ✌️
Morning hack #1: We make bracelets out of different flavors of cheerio’s and I let them take them to school. Stylish snack! And it deters the attention from fruit snacks and cookies!
[…] week, I talked about my favorite morning hacks, which include using my kids to wake up my husband and using Cheerios to get Harlow to drink milk. […]
Saturday morning cartoons, of course! And pop tarts. On the couch. Normally I don’t like the kids eating in the living room, and I *try* to avoid TV first thing in the morning. But, well, I need a Saturday morning too! That’s one day a week I can actually drink my tea while it’s still hot.
Cheerios rule. Strawberries are a close second. Tag teaming with Daddy is the best hack of all.
My morning hacks?
#1: Pre-teen gets up at 5:15 each morning even though she doesn’t have to be out the door until 7:15, so she’s all ready by the time the bus comes.
#2: Twin toddlers watch T.V while they get dressed. (T.V in bedroom of pre-teen)
#3: Kids pack bags the night before. Lunches are added as soon as kids get up.
#4: Nonna (my mother) comes over to watch the baby, and helps with kids on days when hubby goes to work at 5:00.
#5: Bus, carpool, and my car leave at the same time everyday. All kids are ready to go!