tips to prevent morning madness\meltdown please?

[Flossam]

For the first time I am going to have to get DS up and ready for the childminder to collect him at 7.45 for me to get into work for 9. As my shift lasts untill 9.30pm I am keen to stay in bed as long as possible so I would really appreciate any of your tips to make things run a bit more smoothly...

Take your shower and style your hair the night before. Have everything packed the night before and your clothes laid out (learn to pay attention to the local forecast), even if you have to stay up till midnight to do it. Trust me, you'll pay for it in the morning if you don't.

Use your time wisely in the evenings - I get the day's washing set up to go in the machine so all I have to do is switch it on and have the coffee maker all set up. Also clean my flask so if I don't have time for my cuppa I can whack it in the flask.

Get your hair cut short. I keep mine in a chin-length, layerd bob w/highlights and lowlights and see that hairdresser religiously every 4-6 weeks.

Do as much as possible the day before. Get all your clothes out and his out, including underwear. Check for holes/spills etc and iron anything that needs ironing. Then do a "dummy run" ie go through the motions of getting up to go - is your hairbrush/makeup where it should be, can you find your shoes/coat/keys etc? Make sure your handbag is ready with everything you need - purse, keys, phone fully charged. If you are giving breakfast to ds before he is collected, give it to him in his pj's, thereby eliminating possible spills on clothes and last minute changes...

.... off the top of my head

LAY OUT EVERYTHING, in exactly the place you need it to be the next day. I mean everything. Breakfast cereal in bowls with cling film on, on the table with a jug awaiting milk. Shoes and coats on the door handle of the departure door, packed lunches in the fridge, toothbrushes as close to the door/sink as pos, make up out of the bag. Shower before bed so you just have to wash hair and/or dress. Jump out of bed and straight into semi dress. Bags never unpacked. I apply the theory "have I done absolutely everything I could possibly do". Then I persuade myself that of course I can manage 10 extra minutes shut eye and make myself late .

If possible get up & shower before your ds wakes up.

Wear a dressing gown over your work clothes until just before you leave to avoid being coated in breakfast or noticing snot stains on your shoulder halfway throught the day!!

Good luck, you'll be amazed how fast it becomes - until the little darling does a massive runny poo just as you're leaving the house !!

Oh, and have your eyelashes dyed then no need for mascara application!

Oh and be realistic about how long it is going to take you to get you and him ready. Then add on another ten minutes. If you rush and panic I can guarantee that your ds will dig his heels in and refuse to do ANYTHING ....

Make sure you know how to set your alarm clock. Check you haven't set it to PM instead of AM (did this once, and woke up when I heard dd1 say to dd2, "Wasn't that the school bus that just went past?"

Ok so my plan is to chop up fruits needed (not banana!) night before for smoothie.

get up 15 mins before DS to do make up and get dressed.

I have to wear hair up, so not huge styling worry.

I wear a nurses uniform, so if I manage to leave the house not wearing some kind of bodily fliud I would be very luck to return home in the same condition.

Figured I could give DS food in the kitchen and make smoothie and dash around in the 35-40 minutes it takes him to eat toast (perhaps PJ's and porridge is the way to go then!).

And I need to get majorly organised tomorrow to make sure lunch/ my bag/changing bag etc is all sorted. Right. Thanks everyone, I feel a little better now!