4 Simple Ways to Make the School Run Easy

4 Simple Ways to Make the School Run Easy

You’ve woken exhausted. You need an extra strong cup of coffee to kick off the morning. Of course, the little darlings have all leapt out of bed on time and are packed for school and ready to go, right?

You can picture the scene right now; one of the kids is still in bed. One of them can’t find any of their school uniforms, while another has spilled breakfast cereal all over the bench. And this is before we have even thought about making lunches for school!
So say goodbye to the morning chaos here are 4 simple tips for a smooth morning routine.

1. Make lunches on a Sunday afternoon.

You are making lunches for the week, so 3 kids = 15 sandwiches. Everyone can pick the fillings for their sandwiches, but my advice is to keep it simple. Spreads, cheese and meats all freeze really well, but salads do not. Place each sandwich in its own labeled bag and freeze

2. Have Snacks at the ready

Again, simple is the key. In our house, the kids get a sandwich, a piece of fruit, and 2 snacks (a sweet and a savoury) every day in their lunches. If you want super-simple, you can buy the snacks already packed Tiny Teddy and Shapes biscuits come in individual packs already, but it is just as easy to buy some rice crackers or biscuits and divide them into Ziploc bags. We keep a big container in the pantry marked ‘Snacks’ and the kids just grab from there each day. If you want carrot or celery sticks, you can chop and bag these ahead of time and keep them in the fridge.

3. Lay Clothes on the End of Beds

No-one can drag their feet with a missing uniform if it is ready at the end of their bed. Each night, after a shower, each kid puts their school uniform for tomorrow out at the end of the bed. This includes undies and socks! Come morning time, it’s ready to go.

4. School Bags Emptied and Packed

If your house is like mine, old pieces of fruit disappear into the bottom of the school bag to be discovered (disgustingly) at the end of term. But just as annoying are the last minute school notices that get produced as you’re trying to get out of the door in the morning! Better than you know that they need a gold coin donation, or crazy hair the night before.

And here is the way it works.

The night before, everyone follows the tips above, including packing a lunch and shoving it in the fridge (grab a sandwich from the freezer, 2 snacks and a piece of fruit) ready for the morning. When the morning comes, the kids put on the clothes at the end of the bed and put their lunches already made in their bags.

They eat breakfast, brush their teeth and are ready to go! There is literally nothing else to do!

Of course as a mum, you know to expect the unexpected, but the school run just got simpler. And that is the gift that keeps on giving.

Thanks to Cara for submitting her story to Stay at Home Mum.  We have paid Cara $50 for her story.  If you think you have what it takes to get published on Stay at Home Mum, here is our Guest Writing Guide.