Common Sense Parenting with Pam

Family Mornings: From Chaos to Calm

• Pam Palanza • Season 2 • Episode 5

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Transform your mornings from manic to magnificent with practical strategies designed to make family life smoother. Imagine starting your day with less stress and more smiles. Discover the secret weapons of successful morning routines, from the power of evening preparations to the magic of visual checklists that inspire children to take charge of their own tasks. Learn why a calming bedtime routine is essential for well-rested kids who greet the day with enthusiasm and ease. Plus, get tips on prepping breakfast in advance to make the morning meal a breeze, ensuring everyone leaves the house happy and well-fed.

Join our community of parents committed to fostering peaceful, organized starts to the day in our private Facebook group, Common Sense Parenting with Pam. It's a vibrant space to share your favorite routines and get inspired by others. Your insights and reviews are not just welcome—they're vital to spreading the word about the benefits of practical parenting tips. Let’s work together to turn those chaotic mornings into memorable experiences. Whether you’re a seasoned parent or just starting your journey, there's something for everyone in this conversation.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to Common Sense Parenting with Pam, the podcast where we simplify parenting with common sense tips, real life scenarios and a little bit of humor along the way. I'm Pam and I'm here to help you build the skills and confidence you need to raise happy, resilient and responsible children. So grab your coffee, take a deep breath and let's tackle parenting one common sense tip at a time. Hello, and welcome back to Common Sense Parenting with Pam. I'm your host, pam, and I'm here to make parenting a little easier and a lot more enjoyable with practical common sense tips for children age 2 to 12. If your mornings feel like a chaotic race against the clock and that happens a lot this episode is for you. Today, we're diving into parenting hacks for creating a smoother morning routine. By the end of this episode, you'll have a toolbox of strategies to turn your mornings from frantic to fabulous. So let's get started. Okay, let's talk about the night before Now. The key to a smooth morning is preparation, and a lot of that happens the night before. Here are a few things you can do to set yourself up for success. Number one lay out the clothes Now. If your children are old enough, have your children pick out their outfits the night before. This will eliminate the morning debate over what to wear and rushing around to decide, and also gives them a sense of control. For younger children, keep it simple by offering them two options to choose from and remember, pick your battles here. You know if they want to wear a flower top and you know paisley pants or pattern pants, so what Right, let them do it. Just, sometimes you have to take deep breaths and move on. Okay, pack the lunches and backpacks the night before, so they can either pack their own lunches if they're old enough and put them in the fridge for the next before. So they can either pack their own lunches if they're old enough and put them in the fridge for the next day, or you can do that. Prep their backpacks Again. They can do it if they're old enough, or you can do that if they're younger. Double check any homework, any notes, any special items your children might need for school, and then store the backpacks by the door, ready to grab and go, so you're not rushing around the morning trying to remember everything you forgot. It'll be all together in one place now.

Speaker 1:

I had a friend that used to prepare the sandwiches like a week in advance. By creating the sandwiches. She wouldn't put like the mayonnaise or anything, but say like ham and cheese or whatever, on bread. She'd wrap it in a paper towel and then put it in a baggie and freeze them. So all she had to do and she had three boys, so she was preparing a lot of lunches so she would just grab one and throw it in the lunchbox. It would thaw by the time it was lunchtime, so it kept it nice and fresh. It was easy, it was done ahead of time. So little tricks like that can really help make your mornings a lot smoother. This is so important.

Speaker 1:

Number three is to establish a good bedtime routine. A good morning starts with a good night's sleep, so create a calming bedtime routine that helps your children wind down and get the rest they need, because well-rested children are much easier to manage in the morning. Now let's talk about creating a visual warning checklist, and I'm all about checklists and teaching children responsibility for managing their own responsibilities by using checklists. So children thrive on routine and clear expectations, and a visual warning checklist can work wonders, especially for younger children. So here's how you can create one and make it fun. Number one make it fun by using pictures. So for younger children pictures or icons alongside simple words to represent each task, like brushing the teeth, getting dressed, eating breakfast, putting on their shoes. Keep it visible, really, really important. So this can be on the refrigerator, on their bedroom door, somewhere that the children can easily see it and know to go to check off once they've done the task and then celebrate those completions. When your child finishes all the tasks on the checklist, give them a high five, a sticker or even just praise and words of encouragement. Positive reinforcement motivates your children to stick with that routine and it becomes habit for them. So they know every day when I get up, this is what I need to do. I need to check this off, I need to do this, I need to grab this, I need to get my shoes on.

Speaker 1:

There are lots of ways you can do the visual thing. It can be a checklist. I think I shared a reel where a lady had the. You know the lights. You push the button, it lights up. So they would all be lit up and there would be a picture of like putting on a jacket, putting on your shoes, grabbing your backpack, and the child would grab their backpack, hit the light off. So they knew that's done Boom, boom, boom. So not only was it visual, but it was interactive and it really was helpful. The child knew, once all the lights were off, all of the tasks were completed and they could head out the door to school.

Speaker 1:

Now how can you streamline breakfast time? Wouldn't we all love to have nice, smooth, easy breakfast time? It can be one of the biggest hurdles of the day. You know your children are getting up, they're trying to get all their things together. They're tired, they don't want to go to school, you don't feel like going to work. You know it can just be a little hectic sometimes. So here are some things that you can do, a few hacks to make it a little bit easier.

Speaker 1:

You can prep ahead, obviously Batch, make breakfast items like pancakes, waffles, breakfast burritos. Over the weekend, freeze them and in the morning you can just reheat and serve. Keep it simple. Offer easy, healthy options like yogurt, granola, fruit, overnight oats Things that are quick and easy to prepare and can even be eaten on the go if needed. You know muffins Make some muffins, prepare and can even be eaten on the go if needed. You know muffins make some muffins, freeze muffins, grab one, run. They can eat it in the car on the way.

Speaker 1:

Ideally, you would like to have them sit around the table, eat where it's calm and peaceful and they can just relax and transition into the day. But let's be real here. We know that that doesn't always happen. We know sometimes things go haywire and you just have to grab and go and that's okay. That's okay, dude, just be prepared and then let your children help.

Speaker 1:

So if it's age appropriate, let your children help prepare their breakfast. You know this is a great way to save time and encourage independence. So let's go back to where you're prepping ahead. Say, you've batched some breakfast burritos, maybe, or some waffles. So if your children are old enough, they can grab a waffle or breakfast burrito, pop it in the microwave, teach them which button to push ta-da, they've made their own breakfast. They go in the freezer, they pick it out, throw it in the microwave. Boom, you're teaching them independence. They're choosing what they want for breakfast. Everybody's happy. Now here's a little trick. This isn't like genius or anything, but it's something to keep in mind and remember and it's very helpful.

Speaker 1:

This is one of my favorite hacks is build in extra time into your morning. Always anticipate needing more time than you think you will. So if you think you're going to need 30 minutes to get everybody ready and out the door with everything they need on time, aim for 40 or 45 minutes. Ready and out the door with everything they need on time, aim for 40 or 45 minutes. Put that buffer on there, because that can save you from feeling rushed when things don't go as planned. I mean because, let's be honest, with children things rarely go as planned. You know, it's like you're racing around in the morning. You get everything packed the backpacks, the lunches, they've had breakfast, you're heading out the door and then your child spills their chocolate milk all over their shirt and now you have to turn around and race back in the house and get them changed. Or you get them to school and go oh my gosh, where are your shoes? They didn't have their shoes on. Now you got to run back home or turn the car around You're halfway to school and you realize that and get the shoes. So build in that extra buffer time.

Speaker 1:

Personally, I would always get up about an hour before my children, just so I had some time to myself. I could wake myself up, have my morning tea, you know, do my morning studies, whatever it was I was doing and then prepare for the day. So do what works for you, but consider getting yourself up a little bit earlier. I mean, you're not a morning person, I'm a morning person. If you're not, 10-15 minutes, just give yourself like a head start on the day and then make it fun. You know, let's talk about bringing fun into your mornings.

Speaker 1:

Starting the day on a positive note can set the tone for everyone, and that's why I just wanted to say, as a reminder please, before your children go out the door in the morning, make sure they go out knowing they're loved. Yelling at your children, scolding your children, getting frustrated with your children and then sending them into school sets a tone for the day for them. It's so much better if they go happy and knowing they're loved and everything's calm, because you would want the same thing for yourself. Right, you're going into work. You wouldn't want to be going into work when you've just been yelled at by, say, your spouse or your partner, or you're just crabby because it's been chaotic at home and now you transfer that over into your work. Nobody wants that for the day. So send them in with love and use music. Create a morning playlist with upbeat songs that your children enjoy. Music can motivate them to move faster. It can lighten the mood. You can play the music in the car on the way to school. Great, it's great, it's fun.

Speaker 1:

Turn tasks into games. Challenge your children to see who can get dressed the fastest or finish their checklist first. Now these little competitions. They can make mundane tasks more exciting. Now, be careful on this, because you don't want to pit your children against each other constantly and then they become very competitive and then it can get a little bit hairy sometimes. So be careful on that.

Speaker 1:

Don't use it all the time I mean, there's plenty of other games you can play, but just a word of caution there and then offer a reward. So, if your children stay on track, reward them with something. It can be small, you know, but meaningful, like extra play time after school or special breakfast treat on Fridays you know, fridays can be donut day, whatever Just, you know, offer reward. You don't have to do this all the time, because children need to learn that they need to do things. Just because they need to do things, because it's part of life and part of preparing for school and being part of a family. So it doesn't have to be all the time, because that also then loses its effectiveness. So again, I caution you to use that carefully. So there you go.

Speaker 1:

There you have it, short, sweet, some tips, some hacks you can use. With a little planning, creativity and patience, you can transform your mornings from stressful to smooth. Now remember routines take time to build, so be consistent and give your children lots of encouragement as they adjust. If you try any of these hacks, I'd love to hear how they work for your family. Share your stories with me on my socials.

Speaker 1:

I'm on Facebook and I'm on Instagram. You can go into my private Facebook group, common Sense Parenting with Pam, and drop a note in there, and if you have a favorite morning routine, let me know. I'm always looking for new ideas to share with my amazing parenting community. Here's to peaceful, calm mornings. Thank you for tuning in to today's episode of Common Sense Parenting with Pam. I hope you enjoyed the episode and if you did, please leave a review. That helps other parents find us. And if you have friends who also have children and could use some parenting tips, feel free to share this. I'd really appreciate it and you know I love to hear from you, so you can always find me on my socials and until then, remember hug and love your babies.