Your help required - top tips on surviving the school run

[JustineMumsnet]

Hi there,
We've been asked to put together a list of tips on surviving the school run/surviving car travel with the children in general eg how can you save time in the morning, at breakfast, how do you get them to leave the house/ stopping squabbling in the car etc etc

All your wit and wisdom gratefully received plus all who post a tip on this thread will be entered into this week's competition to win a Nintendo Wii games console and game .

Many thanks,
MNHQ

And a second round of applause for mamalil

I am in such awe that you have enough time to add the smiley faces to the charts before you leave for school!

more applause for Mamalil for being able to use the word 'coiffed' of her children...

(and pmsl at CaliFrau and the Brownie Guide Law)

califrau, cant you opt out of worshipping the flag?

lol mamalil

Just been looking at these and have spat tea across my keyboard thanks to Califrau's Brownie Guide Law. Priceless.

'By Hideehi on Tue 09-Jan-07 17:51:50
Home eduacte and give all this nonsense a miss ?'

Nah... I'd rather send 'em to school and lern 'em to spell

Walk to school and practise tables and spellings on the way.

Now that's just not normal

remember schoolbag

remember lunch bag

become an expert at braiding, bunching, ponytails etc when dds are not yet school age

To save very knotty hair (and the unpleasant scenes it can cause in the mornings), I use a really good leave-in conditioner on my dd's long hair after I've washed it. Not one of those nasty children's fake fruit scented detangling sprays that don't seem to work, far better to stop the knots before they start

let the first one in the car (on work days) choose the song on the radio

OK, I don't want the prize this is just to add to this V interesting debate.

Ref 'Upstairs Downstairs' debate; we do now always get dressed upstairs 1st - DD always wants brek in 'jammies but it just doesn't work for us, it always takes longer & raises stress levels. So I'm 'uniform on & downstairs' voter - & on porridge mornings (they love it)I have been known to put them in bibs! (Even the 5-y-o.)

Also, and OK, I risk getting blasted here - but I'm afraid I DO allow a very little (timed) TV - as a reward PROVIDED all else is done - dressed, eaten, teeth brushed, shoes on, bag packed. And if they have this done by Thomas the Tank Engine (c. 8.25 on Milkshake!) they can watch it, and it is actually a great incentive. And the instant it's over, coats on and out the house - because, and this is the crucial bit - we can... because and (see Twiglett's advice above) - we do indeed live 3 mins from school gate... !!

'The competitions closes on Monday 8 January 2007 and winners will be announced on Tuesday 9 January 2007'

So who won then?