How my kids get themselves ready for school in the mornings

Back to school is around the corner. We are ready…I guess. I bought shoes and uniforms on sale (thanks to Old Navy). School supplies I ordered from Target and drove there to pick it up (so convenient) and now we are just waiting. Last year I saw a lot of people say that they have to get up to get their kids ready for school and I just sat there and shook my head thankful that I don’t have to. My kids can get themselves up and ready for school while I slumber in bed until time for me to drive them to school. They have their own alarms and they know the drill. Here is a rundown of how my kids get themselves ready for school in the mornings and a look into our morning routine.

Morning routine for school

Let’s start with the night before. My kids don’t have electronics in the weekday but for one hour. It’s to unwind and chillax for a little before bed. When they get home in the evenings I collect all phones (no video game or tablets until Fridays so the only thing they have is their phone) after HW is done, chores are done, and baths are out of the way they can get their phone back for one hour. I will collect it at 9pm….that means if things aren’t done in a timely manner they may not get it back for the hour. If they don’t do their chores or they play around and then don’t take their baths until 8:30 they only have 30 min with their phones. I collect the phones so they can wind down. Normally they don’t go off to sleep until 10 pm and that’s fine with me.

Before I go to bed at night I replace their phones in their room so they can get up with their alarms. I do manually turn off data just in case they get up in the middle of the night to use their phone. I lock it up, homie doesn’t play that. They both have several alarms because even as an adult I don’t get up with just one. Their alarms are

5:45 for the girl (she takes the longest in the bathroom so she has to get up first)

Her second alarm goes off at 6:00 (if she doesn’t hear the first alarm…she will have to share the bathroom with her brother)

His alarm goes off at 6:00 am. His second alarm is at 6:15

By 6:15 she needs to be dressed and downstairs while he finishes up. My alarm goes off at 6:30 by the time I get up everyone should be done with the bathroom, breakfast should be just about done, and lunch fixed. Now I am up before then because they make a lot of noise but I do not climb out of my bed until 6:30 unless there is a fight.

They fix 80% of their lunch at night. Putting the dry stuff in their lunch bags and the cold stuff in their own section of the fridge to just grab and go in mornings. If they need to fix a PB&J they will do that in the morning or warm-up something to keep warm.

Breakfast in the mornings

I heard that breakfast isn’t good for you so early in the morning’s something about the body still detoxing from 10 pm at night till 10 am in the mornings. I don’t know how true that is but I do light breakfast in the mornings because I do notice when they eat a huge breakfast they tend to be sleepy by midday. If they have a light breakfast they seem to be more energized.

Breakfast in the mornings consists of simple stuff:

My recipe for Blueberry muffins which I make the night before

Cereal

Pop tart

One eggo

Fruit

Nutrigrain bar

Oatmeal

I keep it simple in the mornings. We stop out to eat once a week normally on Fridays for a sausage biscuit but that’s about it. If the kids don’t get up and eat breakfast or don’t have time to fix before we leave out….oh well. They won’t eat until lunch which isn’t until about 11 am. Last year they missed breakfast a few times because of fighting or not getting up. They have to learn how to be responsible. I do try to make them grab at least a nutrigrain bar on our way out the door if I remember.

When I get up at 6:30 all I have to do is her hair (if it’s not braided) do a bookbag check (they sneak things in their bookbag like tablets, expensive books that get lost, jackets that they know they aren’t supposed to wear, etc) and then we are off to the car. I try to leave the house by 6:50 or 7:00 at the latest because I never know what traffic I will run into. School starts at 7:45 and it takes me 20 min to get them to school. I have been taking them to school since they started and I have only been late once…..ONCE (knocks on wood). I plan on keeping that up until they both finish high school.

So there is our morning routine. I hope it helps you set a schedule for your kids. BTW my kids are 13 and 10 so I feel that this is suitable for their ages. I don’t make them make their beds in the morning but I do make them clean up a little behind themselves before we leave.

How does your morning look when kids are in school? Share your tips below!