Bad habits die hard. I am not a morning person. I am a creature of the night and I find myself most productive when the pressure of the day is gone and everyone else is asleep.

I tend to sleep in and up until recently the mom life had been extremely good to me. Most activities didn’t start until the afternoon, preschool was every other day and my kids’ blackout curtains worked well for the most part. However, after kindergarten began my morning routine weakness was quickly exposed.

I have good intentions. I set at least 8 alarms at night with the plan to wake up early and drink my coffee hot while I make a breakfast for the kids, maybe I even shower. The reality is I try to get too much done and it is a mad dash to get out the door on time/ minimally late. It becomes a vicious cycle of procrastination and frantic mornings and I set the tone for all of us.

I have accepted that I am not a morning person or a particularly good planner. I will not be dropping my kids off in matching gym clothes nor will I have my day mapped out. I take the good with the bad though. I may be an anti-morning Momma but multitasking is my super power. I have figured out a way to prepare for school mornings the day before and make them a little less crazy for everyone. Here are some of the good habits that have stuck around.

Before School Prep for the Anti-Morning Momma

1. Let kids pack their own lunch

This one seems time consuming at first. It really starts as soon as you buy the groceries but a little prep saves you a lot of time in the long run. Wash, cut, de-sticker and pre-portion all of your produce and lunch snacks as soon as you get them home. Arrange the snacks in easy to carry containers in the fridge.

Did you know grapes stay fresh longer in the bottom low-humidity drawer in your fridge?!!? Did you know you had a low-humidity drawer? Me either. This book demystifies food storage and was a game changer for me. It helped me to get the most out of e… — *Did you know grapes stay fresh longer in the bottom low-humidity drawer in your fridge?!!? Did you know you had a low-humidity drawer? Me either.* *This book* *demystifies food storage and was a game changer for me. It helped me to get the most out of each shopping trip.*

Make a routine of allowing your kids to pick and pack their own lunch the day before. For me, waiting until night to do anything usually means I’m going to put it off until the morning.

Having your kids pack their lunch the day before makes less work for you, less complaining, and less manic lunch packing and realizing too late that you need to go food shopping.

Ever look in your fridge and there’s nothing but pickles, hot sauce, and cheese? That’s not a lunch. Prep it the day before, Momma.

My kids use this lunch box The snaps are easy to open and has held up well.

2. Freezer Friendly Breakfast

Years of solo-momming has made me appreciate my freezer for the beautiful, time saving darling she is. If you’re not utilizing your freezer you’re straight up wasting food and a lot of your time.

I’m not big on processed food for breakfast. Its not because I am a health nut its more because it just doesn’t work for my kids. I’ve tried to give them a bowl of cereal or bagels or any of the quick breakfast go-tos. Five short minutes after eating they’re hungry again.

They get hangry and ask for seconds and then thirds and the problem with this is I cant keep up with their appetite.

It’s easier for me if I prep earlier in the week to give them a more well-rounded, weekend-style breakfast because they'll actually eat less and feel full for longer.

On weekends I double up on whatever I make for breakfast and stock my freezer for the upcoming week. My staples are:

Big Batch Bacon Cook large amounts of bacon ahead of time in the oven. Huge time saver and way less clean up!

Add bacon to a sheet pan. (optional: add aluminum foil on bottom of sheet pan for easy clean up) Do not preheat oven. Turn oven on and heat to 350 degrees after adding the bacon. Cook for 15 minutes drain fat and flip bacon over to cook until desired crispiness. Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container with paper towels.

Freezer Smoothie Pops Double up on your favorite breakfast smoothies pour them in a pop mold and freeze. Nutritious and quick! Here are my favorite pop molds.

Almond Butter Waffles They freeze great and thaw in the fridge way better than pancakes. This recipe keeps my kiddos full. I make big batches and store in airtight containers in the freezer.

3. The Clothing Dilemma

Both my kids love picking out their own outfits. In the morning when you are up against time it can feel like mild torture telling them everyday that they can’t wear fleece pajamas outside in August.

To remedy this battle of stubbornness we pick out outfits for the week on Sunday. I put their complete outfits away in their closet ready to go. So as they help me sort the infinite pile of tiny clothes on my bed they are also picking out their outfits and saving us all time.

Win for mom and kids because they still get to dress themselves while I get to relax in the morning knowing they’re not trying to wear the most ridiculous thing ever...most of the time.

These are small adjustments that are easy enough to implement and stick with and have helped me conquer my mornings.

You got this.

Xoxo,

Anti-Morning Momma