I have always been the type of person who is punctual, sometimes to a fault. I like to be to appointments a bit early, despise walking into church even a couple of minutes late, and get antsy if I think I may not get to work at least ten minutes before my first client. Now that I have said this, you may expect that I would always get up and get ready in the morning with plenty of time to spare. However, even in my earlier days I had hitting the snooze button on my alarm down to a science. I always knew the minimum amount of time I need to get myself looking reasonably presentable, lunch thrown together, dog taken care of, and myself driven to work. When I was in high school I could crawl out of bed 40 minutes before the bell rang, eat, shower, drive to school, and still be on time. Granted, I often could have been on the show “What Not to Wear”, as sweats made their appearance regularly during high school and college along with wet hair and no make-up. Details, details…
Then a little thing called a baby made an appearance. If I had set my alarm a year ago to the same time I do now each morning, I would have looked like a movie star each day! Having a baby fed, changed, wearing clothes, and to daycare along with getting myself (and all of the things that I must take to work/drop off at daycare with Jessa) out the door each day makes being punctual difficult! Although it still bothers me to be late, I have frequently found myself getting to work at 7:57 when I have an 8:00 client. We have definitely walked into church at 8:18 instead of 8:15 or before. Jessa’s first couple doctor appointments involved being in a big rush. There just is NOT enough time!
There are a few (possibly) helpful tips that I have discovered to help me in the mornings.
1. Set out my clothes/baby’s clothes the night before
2. Make my lunch the previous evening
3. Shower in the evening or use dry shampoo in the a.m. (or both)
4. Have my pump as ready to go as possible before I go to bed
5. Mix up a smoothie the evening before, then blend and take it with to eat on the road along with a granola bar
6. Begging the dog to hurry up and pee, or at least chasing him off the deck so that he is on the grass and will get the hint
7. Set up my coffee pot before bed
8. Make-up? What is that? If you are like a co-worker of mine, you can always do that in the car at stop lights if you so choose
9. If I do shower in the a.m., I find that letting my hair air dry is quite acceptable
10. Deep breaths
I know that I can’t complain, as I can only imagine what it is like for those moms and dads who have three or four (or more) kids to get on their way. I do often feel like a single parent in the mornings, though, as my husband catches a very early bus to work. That can be a bit stressful.
Speaking of single parents…During a recent stretch when my husband was gone for about 10 days, I for some reason thought I would have plenty of time to paint two of our bathrooms on top of working and taking care of the baby. Had it not been for some help in the last couple days before he came back, I definitely would NOT have had enough time. Next time I plan a big project I will make sure to have a pretty flexible time line or a lot of help!
What time savers have you found that work well for you? Do you have any stories when you thought you had plenty of time and were very wrong? Share with us!
I usually plan for 15 minutes just to get in the car. This allows for some last minute things that always come up and helps us pull out of the driveway on time or even a few minutes early.
I also have assigned my 2 oldest children (ages 6 & 4) specific things they must help carry to the car every time we go somewhere (diaper bag & water bottles). This way I know these things are getting to the car and I am not trying to carry everything along with the baby. They also know exactly where to put them in the car.
Finally, I try to repack the diaper bag as soon as we get home from an outing. This saves me a ton of time when we are running around trying to get out the door.
I shower at night, and try to plan (at least mentally) what I’m wearing and what my little girl is wearing the next day. The boys pick out their own clothes (well, the four year old dresses himself and then helps his brother, hooray!). Dry shampoo is AMAZING, by the way. And just like Christy commented, I also TRY to re-pack the diaper bag when I get home. I also have diapers, wipes, extra outfits, jackets, a stroller, water bottles, and snacks in my van at ALL times. Call me crazy, but it has saved me MANY days. Great post, Lana! *My husband goes to work at 3am, so I am on my own for the mornings (and usually at night too, because he goes to bed before the kids!).
I love the tip about making sure the bag is packed after you get home. Also, Sara, I definitely need to keep snacks/water in the car when she gets a bit older. That is a great idea!