They say time flies fast when you have kids. That’s true. In fact, I can’t believe my girls are already studying in big school wherein their day starts as early as 5:30 am. Unlike last school year where my eldest and I leave our house around 6:00 am, this year is a different story. It was always busy, hectic mornings for me because I have to get two kids ready for school, prepare their baon, and make sure I look decent when dropping them off. Don’t even get me started on waking them up. I always have to deal with “It’s so early mom” or “I’m still sleepy” or “Why do I have to go to school?” every single morning.
The biggest challenge of all is keeping my cool when everything else is so stressful. As much as possible, I avoid shouting at my kids to hurry up because number one, it’s pointless; and number two, me being mad ruins their mood, which they could bring in school.
So, here is a list of the things I do to help me survive hectic school-day mornings because I surely don’t want to look old and those wrinkles at 30:
Rule for My Kids: Sleep Early, Wake Up Early
I am so proud of this. My kids are tucked in bed by 7:30 pm and they are sleeping soundly before eight. Putting them to bed early makes it easier for me to wake them up the following morning. This lessens the tug-of-war with the blanket too. Haha!
How did I do it? Check out my tips in making them sleep early.
Rule for Momma: Wake Up Early, Too
This one, I’m not so proud of. I’m not a morning person, but as the kids’ designated driver, I have no choice but to bring them school since they start early. I do my best to wake up as early as possible, but fail several times. This is because I usually sleep late at night, usually before 12 midnight, because there are so many things that needs to be done. Nonetheless, I try my best to wake up early, usually around four in the morning, so I will have more time to prepare for the kids’ baon and do my thing as well.
Chores are Done at Night
This is a MUST. Since waking up early is a bit of a challenge for me, I just make sure that I do chores at night and not in the morning. This includes:
- Washing the dishes, pots, and pans. This also includes the kids’ Yumboxes and water bottles.
- My breakfast. I got rid of rice, so my breakfast is more on salad and leftover from dinner. I prepare breakfast at night so it’s just grab and go the next day.
- Kids’ school stuff like bags, book envelopes, and uniform. Getting their things ready at night will lessen the possibility of leaving something at home – a situation I don’t want to happen.
- Cleaning the house.
- Laundry!
My kids also take a bath at night so they can sleep longer. Waking them up early is already a challenge. Giving them a bath early in the morning is another challenge I don’t want to go through since this will surely test my sanity.
Bye-Bye, Bento Baon
I have nothing against #bentomommas. In fact, I’m jealous of them because personally, I know that I can’t do that. I don’t have the artistic hands to do so and I don’t want to exert too much effort on the presentation of food (although I secretly wish I could do that too). I just prepare simple and healthy baon for my kids, and placed / arranged neatly in their Yumbox.
Exercise is a Must
Believe it or not, there is something about morning exercise that keeps me pumped throughout the day. I may not do this consistently but I do my best to workout even for 10 minutes every morning to awaken my sleepy mind and body. It gets me energized and more importantly, I have a better mood.
What about you mommas? What do you do to make mornings less hassle and hectic?
Ayi is a stay-at-home mom of two. When her kids are in their best state, she keeps up with chores, work, and ensuring that her sanity is intact. Join her as she navigates through this rollercoaster ride called motherhood.
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