SIMPLIFY YOUR MORNING SCHOOL ROUTINE

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Jimmy Dean®. The opinions and text are all mine.

We have a pretty good morning routine during the school year, but it always takes a few weeks to establish it once the school year starts.  Those first few weeks are rough.  The kids don’t want to be awake yet.  I don’t want to be awake yet.  Everything feels hectic and chaotic.  This year I am hoping to smooth the transition with a few tricks.

This simple PRINTABLE MORNING ROUTINE CHECKLIST  from Sweet Rose Studio is a perfect way to make sure I don’t have to remind my kids fourteen times to brush their teeth.  Once each task is completed, they can X it off for the morning!

This HAIR TIE STATION from Nefotlak is such a simple idea, but one I need to implement immediately.  Our house is always dripping in my daughter’s hair pretties, right up until I actually need one.  Suddenly there is not a ponytail holder in the entire house.

I have seen these PRINTABLE DAY OF THE WEEK HANGER TAGS from Living Locurto before, but I am seriously considering implementing them this year.  My son doesn’t give a rip what I dress him in, but my four year has definite opinions on the topic.  If we plan out her wardrobe before the school week starts, we could eliminate some last minute objections.

I love this BACKPACK STATION from I Should Be Mopping the Floor!  You’d think that a back pack is too large of an object to lose, but my son seems to manage it anyway.

I am also going to take a little help from the grocery store for breakfast.  I often default to cereal for my kids’ breakfast, which is okay, but it doesn’t provide them with any protein.  My kids get hangry easily, so if they don’t eat a breakfast that sticks with them they are bound to get a bit crabby around 11 o’clock. 

Jimmy Dean® Sausage, Egg & Cheese Croissant Sandwiches are a quick and easy way for me to give my kids a hot breakfast without adding any more stress to our morning routine.  I found them in the frozen section  on my last grocery trip.  My Walmart stocked the Croissant Sandwiches both on a freezer endcap and near the other frozen breakfast foods.  My son usually pitches a fit about eating eggs, but he devoured his croissant sandwich without complaint!

I usually let my kids have a 30 minute buffer time when they first get home from school where they can have a snack and decompress before we start in on homework.  While I was picking up the breakfast sandwiches, I also grabbed a package of State Fair® Beef Corn Dogs for easy after school snacking too. I got the corn dogs for a great value at Walmart, which is helpful for my grocery budget too.  The corn dogs were near other snacks and appetizers in the freezer section of my store.

Do you have any other hacks or tips that you use to ease back into those morning routines?  I’d love to hear them!