Do Your Kids Drive You Crazy In The Morning?

I'll admit that getting out the door in the morning with young children is really difficult! Someone always loses their shoes, I nearly always forget to put something in the diaper bag, and the walk to the car involves several trips back inside for “must-have items.”

Leigh Ann, a writer for Intentional By Grace blog, recently wrote about her own morning struggles and how she stopped the morning craziness in her home.  Here's how she describes her morning routine:

Oh, our mornings! They have been so frustrating!

I’ve tried preparing more the night before. I’ve tried waking up earlier. I’ve tried going to bed earlier. I’ve tried videos for the kids. I’ve tried busy boxes. I’ve tried coloring books. I’ve tried to give up coffee (to skip a step). We’ve tried sooooooo many things, but we never could find a system that worked for everyone. It either worked really well for the kids or worked really well for one of the adults. Never all of us together!

I can totally relate! We have tried all the same things around here and it's still madness. In my experience, it's a bit like taking off a bandage: you just have to rip it off and then it's all better. ONce we get out the door, it's all better.

Here's how Leigh Ann changed her routine and ended the frustration once and for all:

WAKE UP

We usually wake up to one of the children staring at us from beside the bed. The other is usually already running up and down the halls or asking for a snack. They wake up anywhere from 6:30 to 7:30 in the morning.

ROOM TIME

We all give morning hugs, change the little one’s diaper, let the oldest go to the bathroom, and then we send the boys promptly back to their room.

They do room time for 15-30 minutes.

They have toys that are just for room time, and the only rule is don’t come out!

It sounds great, but I think I'd spend a great deal of my morning trying to enforce the rule with my 3 year old.

ADULT TIME

Somewhere in all the hugs and hellos and get your hineys to your room, someone starts the coffee. So, by the time we close the door to their room, the coffee is ready and we can pour our first cup in peace.

My husband and I usually go sit on the porch, keeping the door cracked so we can hear the boys, and just sip our coffee peacefully … without incessant talking and begging for food. Glorious!

My husband goes to work long before we wake up, but it would be nice to have a cup of coffee by myself and just breathe. Still, I don't think it would work well with my very young children.

What do you think? Would this routine work for your family?  Why or why not?

Need more details about how Leigh Ann and her young children survive the mornings? Get the scoop at Intentional By Grace.