to really struggle with the school run, how does your morning look?

[MumOnTheFun]

I snooze from 7.20 until 7.40 whilst DH gives breakfast. I will help with getting DC aged 4 dressed and sorted then DH does school run at 8.30 whilst I attempt to wake up.

If DH is working I will get up at 7.30 and struggle to get moving. Similar routine except I walk to school and feel embarrassed to walk to school with no makeup and hair shot in a bobble.

Even if I go to bed earlier amd get up earlier I really struggle to be alert before 9am

Where do your children learn to have a lie-in

Mine have to be woken at 7.30 some days! Some weekends they sleep until 8!

They’re 9&7. I am finally getting rewarded after years of beyond shit sleep. Beyond shit.

I do make them walk most places and they do sport = tired kids.

6:30 wake up, wake child, feed cat
Get dressed, child has shower, gets dressed and sorts school books
7:00 (approx) Make coffee and hot breakfast for two
Have breakfast, pack fruit, sandwich or leftovers for lunch
7:30 Brush teeth
7:35 Leave house

If things go well, 6yo wakes up naturally and comes through to me between 6.30-7. Snuggle in bed for a little bit, get him to read a book to me in bed (varying degrees of resistance).
Between 7-7.30 I get washed and dressed, drink coffee, start making breakfast (porridge and boiled eggs), put the baby in a fresh nappy. If everything has gone well, by 7.30 I'm ready, DS is dressed, packed lunch is made and breakfast is on the table. It's more important to me that we don't begin the day fighting so while with a bit of shouting I could guarantee this schedule every morning, sometimes it can be closer to eight before we sit down.
DS takes a hundred years to eat 🙄 the baby likes to poo at the end of breakfast. Start to finish breakfast is a good half hour so we're done at 8/8.15.
Deal with huge baby poo while DS clears table/loads dishwasher. Five mins of handwriting/spelling practice (I need to be v present for this as he does a lot of letter reversing and peculiar formation without noticing it). 10 mins to do his hair (afro hair so no he can't be expected to do it himself).
8.30 - teeth, toilet, shoes and coats. Out the door for 8.35 is good, 8.40 will still get us to school on time.

It is knackering (am single parent so it's all on me), but at least at the minute I'm on maternity leave. Doing most of the above (obv except the baby bits) and then racing to the office, picking up emails on the way etc was 10x harder! Not looking forward to that bit...

I struggle to get up & wake up too but have had to train myself. I’m on a lot of pills which knock me out, & have chronic fatigue & migraines - this helps me:

• sunrise alarm clock & up earlier
• tea alone before anyone is up
• shower
• no booze week nights
• sleep earlier and at least one night asleep by 9
• iron & vitamin d & b supplements
• something to look forward to after the school run

Welcome to MN, OP. Your post sounds like a journalist looking for copy. Who the fuck needs to ask other how get their arse out of bed in the morning and look in the mirror?

Not a particularly interesting article to be fair!

I am out the house at 7am with dc1 to get her down to the bus in town for 7:15.
I then zip home, clean and lay the coal fire whilst waiting for dc2. We leave at 7:50 so I can get her to apprenticeship and me to work at 08:30.
I love my life and where I live but would love not to see 6am on my watch for once.

Unless you have health reasons why you can't get up then you sound lazy OP.

Couldn't have a career because you can't get up? I'm sure that goes down well at the job centre for all those who have to sign on as they don't have a DP supporting them.

I used to send my child to a kindergarten that was only accessible by school bus. The bus would not wait for even 30 seconds and you HAD to be on time. It was quite good discipline, to be honest.

We set up a series of alarms on DH's phone and each alarm was, you need to get up at this alarm, breakfast has to start no later than this alarm, reading practice must be finished by this alarm, this alarm signals the point when everyone needs to be lined up by the door ready to go etc.

I work from home and work shorter hours than my DH, and yes I agree with other posters that the person who does less paid employment should be taking on more of these kinds of tasks, unless there is an additional reason like a health problem or a newborn.

Do you watch TV/internet just before bed or have TVs, phones etc in your bedroom? Screen time late at night affects many people and can damage quality of sleep. You may need to be a bit stricter with your evening routine if you struggle with getting up even after going to bed early.

I’m a single mum, two dc 2 & 4, reading an undergraduate degree. I had no car for the first year of uni so I had to get both toddlers up and dressed and fed, and myself, all three of us clean. I would then walk one to the childminders, the other to daycare and then walk back for the 1.5 hr bus; arriving at uni for 9.30/10. I now drive so it’s easier, it’s just something we have to get on with.

I think it's quite unanimous op that you're getting up way too late.
Part of being a parent is sacrificing things such as sleep you know to make sure that your children are up, ready and prepared for the day. Your dh is a saint to put up with you!

I never used to be a morning person until i had dc. I was a night owl and always running out of the door in a flap.
Since having the dc I have several health conditions which mean that i am in severe pain, I also have chronic insomnia and OCD.

You need routine. it's the only way.
Organise as much as you can the night before. I have a little unit on my landing with 4 canvas boxes in, dd's school bobbles are in one, her school socks are in the other, underwear in another and the 4th is mine which I use for my hairdryer/brush etc so it's on hand.
Uniforms are ironed and on hangers ready, shoes are polished, bags packed the night before etc etc.

I even lay my clothes out at night, those extra couple of minutes spent looking for stuff really counts.

Sort yourself out

In the nicest possible way, you need to give yourself a shake!!

4.45 my alarm goes off, out of bed, hair tied back, teeth brushed, dressed, makeup on, coffee made and out the house by 5.15

DH alarm goes off at 7, he gets up washed dressed ready for work etc then gets DS up at 7.30.

Out the house by 7.50 to drop DS at breakfast club for 8.

It's really not that difficult

PrincessConsuela "motivational speeches! 😂 Thank you for the ever-so-simple suggestion of dress before you eat. New house rule coming Monday!

I love mornings! Love them! Would happily start at 4 if I could. Would get up, walk the dog, nip to Tesco, etc. Alas am a lone parent to primaries and people are so judgemental when you leave them home alone.

I hate rushing in the morning so pack lunches up at night.

6.00am get up, shower, hair make up, feed cats, chat to cats.
7.00am wake DD up, we have breakfast, a brew, have a natter
7.45am we get dressed, pack our bags
8.00am out the door, drop DD at the bus stop & get to work for 8.25ish

All very rock n roll not

The Four Yorkshiremen of early mornings...

I was seriously expecting "I am up four hours before I go to bed..."

You need to get up and get straight in the shower to wake yourself up and have DH bring you strong coffee. It’s the only thing that makes me remotely alive in the mornings. I’m the same as you and would rather not talk to anyone before 9.30am!

Your husband sound like a mug and sorry but you sound lazy

I really struggle with mornings (I have ME). At the moment it's okay because I have a flexible start time, and DD is at nursery so that's flexible too. I'm worried about next year when she starts reception and I have a deadline for getting her there...

Awake at 6
Up at 6.15
Breakfast at 7.15
Out at 7.30
Drive 30min with DC to school
Drop them off
Drive 20-30 mins to work
Arrive at work at approx. 8.30

Unless you are unwell, you need to go to bed earlier and stop lying around in bed.
Get up and get straight in the bathroom/ shower.
I absolutely hate getting up. It's painful. BUT, once I've had a shower I'm wide awake.

up around 6.45am with ds age 3, downstairs to make cups of tea by 7 and wake dd1 age 11 who gets straight in the shower. Wake dd2 age 9 at 7 and she gets dressed. Everyone down by 7.15am for breakfast. Breakfast done by 7.45, get ds washed and dressed, hurry along dd1 to dry her hair and I go in the shower, get dressed, make up on, dry hair, dd1 leaves for school at 8.10, rest of us shoes and coats on and walk the 1.25 miles to school. I don't want to get up and do it 5 days a week but as a single mum there's no choice. Weekends we laze about and I seriously struggle to get going to do much by 10 if no routine in place.

I know I'll get told BECAUSE IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO SACRIFICE OUR SANITY FOR OUR CHILDREN!!!!!! but I do not get how people cope on 6 hours of sleep every night without needing to top up somewhere else aka over the weekend

My mornings are much easier lately as I only have my 4 year old to get ready (14 and 11 year olds sort themselves). I get up at 7.15am, wake the kids up, make the 4 year olds breakfast and a cup of tea for me, 7.25am I get showered and dressed, 7.45am I get the 4 year old washed and dressed then by 7.55am she’s free to play or watch tv until we leave at 8.40am. Once she’s ready I do a bit of housework, put the washing on, empty/reload dishwasher, tidy beds, etc. Dh is up and out before we get up so I have to do mornings. The only day we are up earlier is on a Tuesday as I’m at work for 8am so we shift our timings earlier by an hour but the routine is still exactly the same.

I get up at 6, enjoy a few quiet moments before the kids are up then we get bathed or showered, I put the breakfast out then whilst they are eating it, I get my hair done and makeup, I do the finishing touches right before leaving the house.
You have to help yourself. If you're on any medication which makes mornings hard going, then take it sooner in the evening before bed. If you need coffee, get your OH to fetch you one as he's up anyway, drink it and then get going. Use pillow spray or see a GP if the trouble is getting to sleep, reading, ASMR, whatever.
I find the morning bath/shower and washing my hair is what wakes me up. I feel sluggish unless I'm in my routine but it works for me, I can't afford to be lounging round.