#MorningStories

Mornings can be the busiest times of day for pretty much everyone, particularly if you have kids. As I have a toddler and a newborn, and the hubby is usually out of the door by 7:30am to catch a train so it’s usually just me at the helm, things can look a little bit like a tornado has gone through the house by the time we are all washed, fed and dressed. Things were going smoothly and had finally gotten into a routine with the toddler but then I went and had another baby didn’t I! So it can feel like we are back to square one a little bit, in terms of the routine. Recently though I’ve been making a big effort to get organised to make sure that we make the most of the day (particularly if there is something that we have to do at a certain time). Luckily, we don’t have to be up and out for pre-school or anything just yet, got a few more months to get into the swing of things.

I have recently been found saying “Got anything later than that?” when the 9am appointment is offered to me at the doctors etc… bad times! So, I have found a few things that help me get quickly on with the day…

Prepare Breakfast the Night Before

Not necessarily for the kids, though you could, but I find if my breakfast is ready to go in the morning it makes things a lot quicker, particularly as I’m not a big cereal eater. I usually then grab it and eat it whilst feeding baby girl. Two birds, one stone – boom.

I love overnight oats or bacon and egg cups – then recently been having a couple of belVita biscuits and a bottle of water.

BelVita breakfast biscuits are the only breakfast biscuits proven to slowly release carbohydrates over four hours as part of a balanced breakfast. We were lucky enough to be able to try a few, including their new flavour Choco Yoghurt Crunch, which is so tasty! Will definitely be having them again. I may not look half as good as Lisa Snowdon on a morning but if they’re good enough for her they’re good enough for me.

Plan your Wardrobe

I remember when it would be the first day back at school after the long summer holidays, it would be the one day a year that I would make sure my uniform was washed, ironed and ready and laid out ready to put on the next day. Having my own family now I have to be the one that makes sure everyone’s clothes are washed, ironed and ready for the next day. So if I know hubby has a meeting and needs a certain shirt, I’ll make sure it’s done the day before. If I know that I need a certain item of clothing to wear, I’ll make sure it’s washed and ready to wear for the next day. Sounds fairly obvious but saves me a lot of time.

Help or Hindrance

There are certain days when we really have to be out of the door for a certain time and I think it’s good to know what helps your family and what’s a hindrance. For some people, if the TV is on, you may get distracted by a news story or programme and delay your getting ready. In our house, if the toddler can have cBeebies on a bit of iPad action it actually helps the process (for me anyway). It keeps him calm and quiet so for me, on stressy, time pressed occasions, it’s a massive help! However, I put a technology ban on my self first thing in the morning as I know I can get so distracted if I just go for a ‘quick look’ on Facebook or Twitter. So I think it’s a great idea to know what works and doesn’t work specifically for your family and as individuals.

Hair today?

I’ll happily admit that I take the longest to get ready and will be in the bathroom the longest. So, when time is precious on a morning, I make sure I wash, dry and straighten my hair the night before as this is the thing that I find takes up the most time. Then in the morning all I need to do is hop in the shower with a shower cap on and it speeds things up no end. Again, it probably sounds fairly obvious but saves me a lot of time and it sounds really silly but I feel better about myself knowing my hair is done properly haha.

What tips do you have for the morning routine?

Rebecca x

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*This post is an entry for the #MorningStories Linky Challenge sponsored by belVita Breakfast. Learn more at www.facebook.com/belVitaUK.