Tuesday, 27 January 2015

How to avoid being late for school


Since the start of the new term, we have been finding it extremely difficult to get out of bed in the mornings. It is cold and dark, nobody can or wants to move. My snooze button gets over used and I never have any time to sit down before heading out. Getting two kids up, dressed, fed, and out the door is not an easy task by myself. Especially since I have to go straight to work as soon as the children are through the school gates.  

I have come up with a list of things I have now started to do to ensure my mornings a little less chaotic.


Prepare the night before
  • Packed lunches: I used to panic over the unmade sandwiches in the morning and normally would do a pretty shocking job of it. I have now realised that the sandwiches would taste just as fresh if i make them the night before. Also if I find I have ran out of bread, ham or fruit etc I will have plenty of time to run to the shops instead of panicking over an empty fridge and two children with no lunch in the morning. If the children are having hot dinners that week, i will make sure that I have put money in their school bags the night before incase i forget in the morning rush. 
  • Homework/Reading books: We do ours as soon as the children come home from school. They are more alert and still in the learning mode so it is the best time. The boys are just like their mummy, zombies in the morning, so they just wouldn't get them done or it is just not to their best ability. 
  • P.E kits/School bags: Check they are all in order the night before and place them by the front door so you don't forget them. It is easily done. There has been a few times I have had to leave work to take items to school because we forgot them. 
  • Iron and lay out tomorrows outfits: My children tend to have a new school shirt everyday because they get so dirty at school. I also get dirty at my job so we have a lot of ironing to do. I tend to do this on a sunday night but will still need to ensure I have laid out their clothes for them to grab as soon as they wake up. I am a typical woman as I can never decide what to wear to work. To save myself time, I pick out my outfit before I head to bed and also ensure all my makeup is available for me to grab. 
  • Tidy the house: I hate waking up to a messy house and sometimes I have been late for school/work because I was washing dishes or picking up toys. I have now got into the routine of tidying up after the boys bedtime so I can relax a little in the mornings. 



The morning
  • Set your alarm half an hour before you need to wake up: I am very guilty of pressing the snooze button at least five times and declaring that I am allowed 5 minutes more in bed. Soon enough I am extremely late. If you set your alarm earlier than needed, this allows for a long snooze period and a little time checking Facebook/twitter. 
  • No toys: Do not allow the children to play with their toys/electronic until they are all dressed and fed. Same can go for yourself, try to not to get sucked into a social media conversation as time can soon pass very quickly. 
  • Stay calm: I have always found that the more stressed I am the longer it takes to do things. If you are rushing then you are going to make some mistakes such as spilling the breakfast, smudging your makeup, losing the house/car keys, the children will spill something on their uniform so and so on. These are all time consuming accidents which no one has time for in the mornings. 
  • Leave the house 10 minutes early: If you drive to school, it is bound to be busy with all the other parents dropping their children off. Also, make sure you are prepared for a bit of traffic and surprise roadworks/accidents. If like us, you walk to school, make sure you know exactly how long it will take to walk there. We give ourselves five minutes extra incase we are feeling a little slow that morning or if the children want to play with their friends before the bell goes. 

Do you have any tips for making the school bell in the morning? How do you cope in the mornings? Are you an early bird or a late owl? 

Gem x




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7 comments

  1. I hate mornings, but I usually get up mega early as I more hate the idea of being late for anything! My boys get themselves ready mega quickly in the morning, as once they are ready they're allowed to go on their ipods for a quick play before school! Therefore the quicker they get ready, the more ipod time they have, works a treat for me!

    I do all the lunches and everything else the night before, as I also have my sons medicine bag to sort out (his diabetes supplies), and have to calculate his breakfast carbs and do his injection etc etc etc! We are usually among the first to arrive at school, which considering the fact i don't work other than blogging probably makes their teachers think I can't wait to get rid of them!! Not true, I just freak at the idea of being late lol!x

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  2. I know a few people I could hand this to!! I have to be there before the children - in the job description! - I am an early riser. This has also made me smile as I posted today about routine. Some good tips there :)

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  3. I hate mornings but we are rarely late for school....We have a set routine and stick to it!
    I set my alarm early and it works....lol

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  4. I hate being late for school or nursery but it usually happens at least once a week. It's mainly the walk with a toddler he's so stubborn it drives me nuts. The leaving earlier sometimes helps though! X

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  5. Emily FamilyFourFun30 January 2015 at 21:53

    Great list - I'm terrible for pressing snooze far too often too!
    I think 'Keep Calm' is the key; the number of times I've decided I've not got a chance or felt 'que sera sera' and got out the door with plenty of time to spare is unbelievable.

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  6. Heh!! It's the night before stuff I forget to do...I'm always running around collecting up things in the morning. It's a nightmare!

    Great list, thanks for linking up to #TheList love xxx

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  7. Life with Six Kids6 February 2015 at 20:10

    Great tips here - thank you x

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