Thursday, January 27, 2011

Good Mornings

Surprisingly, we have been having the best mornings ever! I have no idea how it happened (well, actually I do know how it happened but I never thought it would be this good).

Let me back track here with a little history...since I can remember I have been reading magazines, books, and now blogs on tips about how to run a household and more importanly, how to run a household smoothly. I have always held an image in my head on how it "should" be. I have never really had a plan on how to make the "should" image happen. Until this year. I decided that I needed a plan. So, I gathered up all the advice I've read over the years and put it into action AND that fits my life style. The "Plan Ahead" mantra is now in my head.

 *Another little note... in my opinion...advice is like a really great Italian suit...you have to tailor it to fit you and your life...one size does not fit all.*

Last year, was chaos. Every morning, I felt stressed out trying to get kids ready and out the door...it was a mess. Sadly, it usually, ended with yelling and rushing out the door. Poor Jett! By the time he got to his classroom he would be so angry at me...then there was the cover up..."geeze, have no idea why this kid is so grumpy? maybe he needs more sleep." I knew that he spent at least an hour in the morning after an episode like that picking up the pieces from our chaotic morning. Believe me, when I write that I felt like a loser, a terrible mother...and whole other slew of self deprecating thoughts. The thought that got me the most was, "what the heck is wrong with me and why can't I seem to get it together?" The answer that I would answer back to myself "because, your LAZY!" Simple, sad and true. I knew that I needed to get off my duff and make some changes. 

 *Note...last year was our first year getting used to the whole school scene...so I give us a little grace (well, I give myslef a little grace)* 

This year, I was determined to make things better.

Here are some things that I do now that have made our mornings a lot smoother:

I treat Monday through Friday just like a job (Mom, Inc.). We have a pretty strict schedule. I really try not to fly by the seat of my pants (even though there are days that I do...but because I planned in advance for that too...it's not as bad as before). Since, the boys go to bed between 7:00 pm and 7:30 pm, we only have 4 hours to get stuff done for the next day and the time flies by! So I have to be on my game if I want the next day to run smoothly. My day is sliced up into chunks...or blocks of time. That has helped me organize my time better. So rather than getting overwhelmed by the whole day of what has to be done, the block of time approach has helped me stay on track.

I have a carpool pal. He and I have a good thing going! He has every Monday and Tuesday (we alternate Wednesdays) and I have every Thursday and Friday.

*If you do not have a carpool pal, get one! Really, I have two mornings a week when I do not have rush out the door (that is the block of time I use to get all my household stuff done) and every other week it's three days! The mornings I carpool are my workout & errand running days* 

My planning for the next day begins right when I pick up Jett from school (I know a little sick, uh?). I make sure we empty his backpack right when he walks through the front door. He knows this is the drill now. I immediately take out his lunch box, empty it and start filling it with all new snacks, I clean it out and switch it out if I have to with a clean one (we have 2 so that I can do this if I need to). I pop it in the fridge, with the plan to make his sandwich right after dinner.

The next thing I do, is organize all paperwork. I read everything right then and there, pencil in stuff on calendar, recycle paper for artwork, all homework goes in a folder, I sign papers, write checks and pop it all back in Jett's backpack. I usually only have to do this on Mondays, but the point is I do it right away to keep it all moving forward.

Pretty much doing these little things has helped our mornings run more smoothly. There are still times when things are a little hectic...but they are few and far between now. What is amazing about having a plan...is how much better the boys are! That's the reward. I know Jett is so much happier...his actions tell me so. Actually, both boys have been telling me lately, that they are happy. That's all the encouragement I need to stay on track and focused. Even though there are days when I feel like I'm living in the movie  "Groundhogs Day" I know that the payoff is huge. If the boys are happy, then I'm happy.

What about you? What do you do to "Plan Ahead"?

xoc

2 comments:

Mary Stewart Anthony said...

Victory!! over the little things can make so much more room for the bigger stuff that's bound to come along.
You're my kind of mom and woman.

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