6 Timesaving Tips For Busy Moms on the Go

Are your mornings in need of a makeover? Are you feeling rushed and living in a hectic environment each and every morning trying to get the kids, and yourself, out the door? These 6 timesavers for busy moms can make over your mornings whether you’re driving the kids to school or the office. 

 

Time Saving Tips for Busy Parents & Stay at Home Moms

Time savers become an invaluable part of motherhood, and whether you’re a working mom or trying to round up the kids in the morning and make it out the door for school on time, they can be the make or break between getting the day started off on the right foot… or otherwise, a chaotic and crazy one.

Getting out the door late in the morning could be the difference between getting stuck in the morning rush-hour traffic  which your normally miss because you usually leave at 7am, not 7:20am.

Or it might mean, walking your kids through the front door of school and having to apologize to the entire front administration. It could lead to running out the door and forgetting to grab the lunches you packed sitting on the counter and an extra trip back to the school for you.

None of these are fun scenarios to encounter, but with the right mindset and time-savers in place, you can have peaceful mornings without the stress of a hectic AM and not worry about being late

Having a routine makes the morning run like a well oiled-machine and for some this can feel constrictive, but the alternative is a stressful morning. Sending the kids off and starting the day in this way, will eat at you the rest of the day so it’s time to implement these habits in your home.

Related: Make Over Your Mornings in 14 Days 

 

 

1) PICK OUT OUTFITS THE NIGHT BEFORE

Not much more can slow down kids getting ready in the morning, than having trouble deciding on an outfit. There are a couple ways to prepare for the week without the fuss of picking out the right look.

Option 1: On Sunday, choose an outfit for each day of the week and hang in the closet (this organizer helps keep each day’s items together) or bundle in a dresser to easily pull out. This means all the pieces of the outfit such pants, top, underwear, socks, sweater and accessories are paired together.

Option 2: If planning for five days in a row seems a bit advantageous – or the weather changes frequently where you live – than help your kids choose an entire outfit the night before and set out on the floor or on their desk to easily see and change into first thing.

Bonus Tip: Don’t forget to choose your own outfit the night before too, you don’t want to be wishy washy about what to wear when your kids are already dressed and ready to eat!

 

2) PREP BREAKFAST FOR THE WEEK

Nothing slows my morning down like making a healthy meal when we’re already running behind.

On Sundays, I make big batches of egg muffins with vegetables and a variety of protein, blueberry or grain muffins, or large batches of pancake or french toast to freeze to have on hand throughout the week. They only require me to heat up and serve, not make from scratch.

Another healthy choice are overnight oats, high in protein and fiber to fill up kids and hold them over until lunch at school. They’re also great in jars to take with you when you’re on the go too!

You can find recipes in a variety of flavors and ingredients all over Pinterest, but these overnight oats are hot in our house, especially in winter months, and don’t have all the sugar of packaged oatmeal.

• Peanut Butter & Banana Overnight Oats
• Maple, Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Overnight Oats
• How to Make Overnight Oats

Bonus Tip: Don’t forget to preset your coffee so all you have to do is hit the brew button in the morning.

 

3) PACK LUNCHES DURING DINNER

After I tuck the kids into bed at night, typically the only thing on my mind is sitting down and taking a break, not opening up the fridge and whipping up lunches for the next day.

The solution? When I make dinner the night before, I cut up extra vegetables, pack fruit, or throw some of the salad mixings and protein into a wrap. If I’m using the stove, I may pan-grill quesadillas or grilled cheese and wrap them in tin foil for the next day. When we have enough for leftovers, I incorporate them into a sandwich, salad or as a side for the kid’s lunches.

Don’t forget to fill up water bottles the night before as well.

Bonus Tip: Pack lunches for the week on Sunday. Use a bento box or another leak-free lunch organizer to store diced up veggies, fruit, crackers and other great bite size lunch items without risking them getting soggy by touching one-another. If you have a busy week ahead or one day is crazier than another, this could be a huge sanity saver for your mornings.

 

4) ONE SPOT FOR SHOES, BACKPACKS & JACKETS

Create a one-stop place for everyone’s shoes, jackets and backpacks. When things are always in the same spot, they’re easy to find and never get lost – especially great for school mornings when you don’t have time to look for a missing shoe to the pair your child wants to wear or a jacket when it’s a blizzard outside.

Put a central station for these items inside your garage or inside the door you use most frequently in your house.

When you’re ready to get in the car, the kids can head to the garage, pull on their shoes, grab their backpack, jacket and even hat and gloves for the day. When they return from school, everything gets dropped back in the same spot to do all over again tomorrow.

When your children finish their homework and you’ve signed parent forms, kids will also get in the habit of putting it back in their backpacks and never forget or misplace important work again.

Here is the organization spot we have for our kids – it’s a $10 bookcase turned on it’s side right inside our garage and for little kids, it’s the perfect spot to help them be organized.

Need Help with a realistic way to manage and organize your home? My friend Hilary has an insanely helpful class called The Organized Home which will take you room by room with practical organization steps, and the best part? Less cleaning and clutter in the long run! 

 

5) NEVER GO TO THE GROCERY STORE AGAIN

Say what? That’s right, I hardly ever step foot inside the grocery store these days. With three kids, shopping is tough but now I order my groceries online and either have them delivered for a small fee or pick them up at the grocery store where they’re brought out to my car free of a delivery charge.

I love the convenience of ordering online from my own home, especially when I need to throw on last-minute items or we use the last of the Ketchup and milk at dinner.

I absolutely love Instacart because I can order from several different stores within a pre-set mile radius to my house – for example, Costco, Whole Foods, Natural Grocers, King Soopers and Pet Smart are all options near me. I can order from one or a couple depending on my needs for the order, as long as each meets the $50.00 minimum. Coupons can also be applied which is a bonus. (Use Code CROTH1861DC for $10 off your first order.) 

Simply select the delivery window (it can be as little as 2 hours from when you start your order) and then interact with the person shopping for my food who indicates if something is out of stock and what my replacement options are, or last minute items I need to add while they’re shopping at the store. Shortly after all my items are in the cart, they’re delivered to my front doorstep.

I have also used Walmart Grocery which is convenient and works well. I personally think Instacart does a much better job picking out fresh produce which isn’t on it’s last legs or bruised. Delivery with Walmart Groceries is $10 and pick-up is free, so after you pick up the kids from school, head over to the grocery store for your pick-up . Pull into the designated parking spot, they’ll wheel out your food and help you put the bags in your trunk. Sounds easy right? (A HUGE time saver!)

(Use Code CROTH1861DC for $10 off your first order.) 

 

6) GET MOVING FIRST THING IN THE MORNING

If I’m going to workout, it has to be in the morning. I loose my motivation the later it gets in the day and I feel better when my day starts with a workout. A couple of the things that help me get out of bed in the morning when all I want to do is hit the snooze button 13 times:

• Set my alarm across the room so I have to get up and turn it off
• Sleep with my workout clothes on (yep, if I sleep with my clothes on, all I have to do is pull on shoes and head out)
• Put your clothes next to your bed so it’s easy to get dressed in the morning, and when you see your clothes first thing in the morning, the more likely you are to put them on.

What are your tips to making the mornings stress-free and getting out the door on time? Leave you comment below so we can share our tips.

 

Routine Cards Help Kids to be Independent & Master Their Own Morning and Bedtime Routines

Routine cards are a wonderful way to help kids remember what comes next, whether it’s for the morning, bedtime or an entire day. These printable routine cards come in boy and girls styles and include chore cards, and our online store offers printable morning and bedtime charts with coordinating routine cards.

 

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