I need some advice in getting out of the door!

[mummyvontummy]

I have never ever ever been any good with time keeping-it's not that I don't want to be good at it, I just seem to flounder every time I do anything and try and do everything in a gentle, nice, kind way to dd (translated it takes us 2 1/2 hours, no joke, to get ready in the morning), and it is now getting ridiculous.
I've been a single SAHM for three years, so it hasn't really been a problem, as I organised my life around my inability to get anywhere before midday, but now it's getting serious as I actually have to be out of the house by 8.30am to get dd to nursery and me to lectures and I haven't done it once! I don't have the faintest idea where to start organisational wise and I'm usually up until 3am writing essays, which means I don't wake up in the morning, which means I'm stressed, which means I can't work out how get everything done in time, which means I flap so even less gets done, etc and so on. Do any mummys have ANY advice at all-I know this sounds so pathetic and so molly coddled, but I really really don't even know where to begin. I keep trying to think what my uber-organised mum used to do, but it was so much like a military camp in the morning i think I've blocked it all out! HELP!!!!

No this doesn't sound pathetic at all. It is very hard to be somewhere for a certain time but to give you an exapmle here's what I did today. DS was getting photo taken at toddlers so we had to be out the door by 8.45am. 6.30 he woke up so I left him in his cot for 5 mins while I had shower. Then got him up gave him breakfast, while he was having his I had some too. Breakfast done, upstairs to get him washed and dressed. He was then ready for 7.45. I then let him watch tv while I dried my hair and got dressed. Out the house on time - oh and managed to change a dirty nappy in that time too. I think the secret is maybe try and be one step ahead of dd by getting up before her, although easier said than done, and try and organise as much as you can the night before ie, leaving out her clothes for the next day. Hope this of some help to you

I live by the premise that every job has a bag, ie, we go swimming on a Monday, wednesday and Saturday, therefore the minute we get home three cossies and towels in the machine and the bag is repacked before we go to bed. All clothes laid out every night before bed for all four of us, (including undies) obv, you can't hoover before bed but I make sure the house is tidy and all washing up is done, and any washing is either in the machine or basket, I even put toothpaste on the brushes, all shoes, coats and bags for the next day including car keys are by the front door, so if the worst came to the worst you could (eek smelly) get up dressed and go. Oh, and get to bed earlier lady, it will give you wrinkles otherwise.

Also do a backward time line so you know the best time to leave, and then you should figure what time is the latest you could get up.

Agree with getting clothes ready the night before. I have my shower before bed,dry my hair and then just straighten in the morning.
Older children have routine lists stuck to their bedroom walls with what they need to do each day on it.I have a schedule on the wall with what needs to be done that day. Get swimming stuff ready on a Monday night for following day, P.E kits on a Friday ect.All this is then put at the door for the following morning.
Mine have to get dressed with shoes on before breakfast. No T.V in the mornings until all this is done otherwise I would never leave the house.

Also I tell the chidren it's time to leave 10 minutes before we need to, as it takes that long. Used to leave it until the last minute and then get stressed shouting at them to remember everything.Children just don't jump up and go do they?

well, what do you need to do?
I can be out the door with dd (3mo) fairly fast if I leave the house in a mess, don't empty the dishwasher or put any laundry on etc, but if all those things need doing it takes a lot more organisation

Work out what you have to do, and how long it takes, so that you can decide at what time you need to move on to the next step. And then be ruthless about moving on.

For example, in order for us to be out of the house at 8.20 we need to be piling up at the front door (for shoes, coats, etc) by 8.10, and getting up from the breakfast table by 7.45, and getting out of bed by 7am. Which means alarm clock set for 6.45. So if we get up late we get dressed before breakfast instead of after, and the children are not allowed back upstairs at all. Dh or I will bring down washing and brushing stuff.

At 7.45 we get up from the breakfst table - if you haven't finished eating that's too bad.

At 8.10 we pile the LOs up at the front door and leave them to put on shoes etc while dh and I run around like headless chickens sorting out all the last-minute stuff (see, I'm not super-organised ). Woe betide the child who leaves the entrance hall without permission! If they're all there we can run through the checklist: dressed, loo'd, shoes, coat, bookbag, waterbottle, gymkit, violin, etc. All boobkags, bottles etc to have been prepared and place by the front door the night before.

Whenever there's a toddler involved, and only one adult - strap them into the buggy while the adult does the final run-around.

you have to be organised and strict!

get clothes out the night before, any money you need for nursery in an envelope, your purse stocked up, DDs bag packed, your bag packed and packed lunch made if you have one. Do not go to bed until everything for the next day is ready !

Get bathed, washed etc the night before so all you have to do in the morning is bare essentials like quick teeth clean, splash of water on face, deoderant, quick hair brush.

Make sure all the clothes that you/DC are going to wear are put out ready so you don't have to go hunting for them etc.

Make sure any bags of nappies etc that you need are packed beforehand.

If you are having packed lunch, make it the night before.

We leave the house at 8.40.

Everyone must be up by 7.
Breakfasts, dishwasher emptied and packlunches must be done by 7.30.
Everyone upstairs to get dressed at 7.30 on the bleedin dot!
Dc get sorted 1st and sent downsatirs for a snack while i get ready.
All downstairs by 8.30
Last couple of things to do, empty washing machine and put load in drier
feed the dogs.

Coats and shoes and bags and were off.

Anything else that needs to be ready by that time must be done the night before.

You see its that easy!

I am organised and have a strict routine, but you can guarantee ill be just as stressed as you mainky because of dc bickering or im just tired.

The only difference is that im there on time and you are not.

I cannot stand being late for anything. Id rather be early than late. Even on time feels wrong to me.

You need to start your essays earlier int he evening I think. Seriously. I am also studying (part time), and am no stranger to the 3am finish, but only actually on the deadline.

Thank you all so much-am just about to pack up our bags for tomorrow and then toddle off to bed. I think I'm going to stick a routine on the wall running from 6pm when we get in, to 8.00am when we leave-that way the night before won't unravel, so the next morning won't either.
Thank you all so much, you are all lovely xx