Morning routine and lunch ideas

[Squaretoe]

Long time lurker, used to post under a different username but I don't use that email address any more.

I've been a SAHM for 4 years and in a few weeks DD1 will be starting school, DD2 will be starting preschool and I'll be starting a new job. Our mornings have been fairly relaxed up until now but I'm now shitting myself about getting us all out the door and to the right places at the right time. Plan so far for a morning routine will be:

Wake up before DDs so we're a bit more alert before they get up.
Get everyone downstairs, breakfast at the table (rather than in front of CBeebies )
Go back up and shower, teeth, make up etc while DH tidies away breakfast stuff
DH does DDs teeth, face wash and hair brush while I get dressed
I get DDs dressed while DH showers etc
Planning to use the promise of TV once they're ready as a bribe to move them along at a decent pace!

Lunches packed the night before, outfits laid out the night before, bags ready by the door.

Am I missing anything? What haven't I thought of?

My second request is for ideas for my lunch. I'll be working 9:30-2:30 so no actual break for lunch (but I'm assuming I'm allowed to eat something at my desk?!) so I need ideas for something to tide me over until we get home at 3:30, but nothing too big as I don't want my new employer thinking I'm taking the piss by having a leisurely lunch at my desk while getting paid for it. Maybe a yogurt or something? Or something like Huel but cheaper?!

Thanks for reading if you got this far!

That routine looks good to me. Make sure the telly promise (which I used and was really effective) is for cartoons that end every 5 mins, otherwise they'll sob at being dragged away mid episode.

Do encourage DDs to start to try and do stuff for themselves. Easier said than done but once they can dress themselves, that will ease the rush a bit.

I'd just go for a snack at work - a small packet of almonds and a piece of fruit. Or make an extra sandwich the night before. Something simple and easy to eat discreetly at your desk.

Have everything ready the night before.
If clothes are laid out DC's might be able to make a good attempt at dressing themselves.

We do breakfast after getting dressed, because you can go without that or eat on the way to school in an emergency. But you do risk spilling down uniform and having to change. Aprons?

We enforce a strict No Playing rule on school mornings, unless you are totally ready.

Remember, teeth, hair, shoe and coat putting on, actually getting into car and belting up takes far longer than you imagine.

Shoes are never where you expect. Make sure they are found the night before.

Deal with all school letters as soon as you receive them (eg return forms the next day, make a note of fancy dress days on the calendar) so that your DD doesn't spring any surprises on you just as you are heading out of the door!
I would take a sandwich for lunch as easy to eat whilst you are at your desk. Or something like a slice of quiche for a change.

Your routine sounds good. Mine is different slightly but works for me:

Uniforms ironed night before
I wake up 35 mins before kids and get myself all dressed & sorted. Brekkie laid out before waking them
Whilst kids are eating breakfast, I prepare lunches. Really its just making a couple of sandwiches and packing things in their lunch boxes. Make my salad for work.
45 mins before leaving - I ask the kids to wash, brush teeth & put on uniforms (mine are old enough to dress themselves)
20-ish mins before leaving - Hair brushed/ tied up
15 mins before leaving - I ask for shoes to be put on/playpieces put in bags (gives time for lost shoes to be found!)
5 mins before leaving time - grab coats.
Leaving - our mantra is "Lunches, bags, playpieces?" Check, check, check - We exit. Hurrah!

It's regimented enough that everyone knows what's going on but well spaced enough that no-one is frantic. Plenty time for lost things to be found, a bit of slobbing between tasks, and I can usually get the dishes done etc whilst they are getting organised!

I would get your and DH up, showered and dressed before starting on the DC.

Bags and clothing for all sorted night before.

No TV at all.

We leave a good 90 mins to get ready for the day (so we get up around 6.45, and wake DD about 7, leave the house 8.30-8.40). She is very slow in the morning before breakfast so after some dicking around we have settled on getting her washed and dressed before breakfast, and then we all have a reasonably leisurely breakfast.

I would get up and ready before getting the kids up.

This is what I do -

5.15am - I get up shower, dress and make coffee.

6am - wake Dd's and get them washed and dressed.

6.15 - quickly put make up on.

6.30 - leave for work and take dd's to childminders who will give them their breakfast and take them to school.

All lunches done night before. Clothes laid out and bags packed ready.

Thank you all for these tips. It would definitely be less chaotic if we got up and were ready before getting them up but I'm not sure I'm ready to get up that early 😂 might have to suck it up though! We've got a few days of half days at school and preschool the week before I start my job so that'll help ease us in I think.

you get used to it and take it from me, it is sooooooo much easier if you're up and dressed!

We get dressed before breakfast and no TV before school, which works for us.

Don't ever pause live tv and then use it as a time for when to leave!

Have a box each for the kids by the door, they come in and scarves hats book bags etc go straight in. In the morning put lunches in too. Either put the box in the car or check they're empty when the kids have got to the car.

When my eldest 2 were that age, we did a morning routine board for them. Pictures of what they had to do, in the order they had to do it. And then a counter (blue tacked) which they moved along the board as they did each task.

I can't quite remember it now, but I think it was 1. Get dressed, 2. Bring their empty bedtime milk cup down to the kitchen, 3. Eat breakfast, 4. Clean teeth, 5. Put on shoes 6. Put on coat.
If we found them dawdling or playing we would could ask them to look on the chart at what they had done and see what they needed to do next, then tell them to do it.
We only needed it for a few months, but it fixed them into a routine for primary school.
Didn't do it with the younger 2 DC's and mornings are a nightmare with them!