Your help required - top tips on surviving the school run

Make sure you are up and dressed before the children wake.
Get them to stay school dinners, you don't have to worry about doing pack up the night before.
Breakfast and teeth cleaned before getting dressed.
Make sure they go to the toilet just before you leave the house.
If you walk make sure you teach them to walk a varying speeds so if your running late they can speed up.

oh yes - never, never hit the snooze button thinking you have time for 'five minutes more'.

Get youself up before getting the kids up - if you're telling them off for being in their pyjamas when you're still in yours you're fighting a losing battle...

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know some good & legal parking places were you can safely get all kids out of the car.

park round the corner so it looks like you've walked and time it so that they are just going in and you don't have to mingle with the other parents

get all school bags and shoes by the front door the night before

Have all school clothes and your clothes laid out in full the night before

do packed lunches the night before

Have breakfast things, crockery and cutlery laid out the night before

Get up and shower (if necessary) before the children get up.

get children dressed before breakfast

No tv in the morning

keep a toothbrush, toothpaste and flannel downstairs

aim to leave 10 minutes before you need to (there will always be a last minute rush)

(I really want the wii!)

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. to be fair, they were probably x-posts.

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for the nursery run and work i would have to say that the key for us is to feed the girls before dressign them or else we end up changing clothes which takes time.

On mornings when we over sleep cousants (SP) are great because they can be eaten on the bus on the way to nursery!

i really want that wii too!

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Try and make sure you have easy breakfast choices eg healthy cereals and fruit (save the pancakes, full english etc for w/e).

While they are breakfasting you can be doing other things.

Mine always get ready after breakfast to keep clothes clean. Try and remind them to brush teeth before getting dressed or else ties and jumpers get decorated with toothpaste.

Have a timetable in your head and stick to it. i.e. get up at 7am, breakfast at 7.30 get dressed 7.45. Leave 8.15. Always have 10 mins contingency so that if you are late you will not be really late.

Have school uniform ready the night before.

Have bags ready the night before.

Have lunches made as much as poss the night before.

Have a 'timetable' to record and check all the extras you need each day eg swimming gear, Music stuff etc.

Have regular places where school gear is kept so that you don't waste time looking for things.

TV etc only allowed when ready.

OOps sorry missed that!

Get dh/dp to do breakfast while you get dressed and have a cup of tea !
Put clothes to hand so kids only have to put them on - I keep a supply of socks, tights etc sorted in baskets on the landing.
No tv in the mornings.
Sports bags, ballet kit etc left ready packed by door night before.
Checklist somewhere visible of what is needed each day.

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dont have children

save the planet

should be a bumper sticker

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Or alternatively put them to bed in their uniform and send them to breakfast club at school that way they can just get up and straight out the door.

when driving little johnny and janey to school in the morning in your 4x4, remember you are financing large oil companies to kill innocent people accross the globe and support superpowers.

also when the oil runs dry - 50 years or so - there will be a huge financial and political melt down - something you should think about - especially if your planning to pass on property.

so walk to school.

get sandwiches ready the night before

get ready to stick 2 fingers up at the school when you add a bag of crisp as well as the carrott sticks.

teach then to iron when they hit 9 years old.

put uniform on hanger when they get home

routine
routine
routine

• Keep siblings apart (e.g. separate bedrooms) to get dressed
• Breakfast all together. No TV until fed & dressed & teeth cleaned
• Everything ready the night before and in its place (e.g. hall hooks for book bags, coats etc)
• Use the journey (if by car) to talk about something happening at school / check spellings/ discuss a 'topic' - helps the kids feel 'prepared'

Set every clock in the house 10 minutes early.

Remember that the time monster will come and nick the five extra minutes you thought you had in the morning, so add a little extra to keep him happy.

(The time monster is the enemy of the punctuality princess, who is a weak and feeble creature in this house...)