I'm not embarrassed to say my mornings are often a mix of sheer anarchy. The race to get out the door, with everyone getting to their respective posts in time turns me into someone I'd rather not be at 7am.
Sure, some days go smoothly. No tantrums are had. All breakfasts are liked and eaten. And an hour and a half in the car after getting three of us up, fed, dressed and out of the door with two drop-offs and bumber-to-bumper traffic, is actually not a bad morning to spend with my little people. And sure we have a bit of fun on the way.
Then some go like this: one doesn't like their breakfast, the other refuses to wear what you have carefully chosen. Some start off well – me up half an hour early to have a shower before they wake. Then some kick off with a rude awakening an hour earlier than usual demanding smoothies be made together in the kitchen.
And who could refuse a gorgeous request to make smoothies for everyone from a three-year-old?
But, more often than not, it's chaos. And stressful. And who the hell wants to feel like they've done a day's hard labour before they even step a toe in the office?
Yes, kids are unpredictable, and yes, you can fall out of bed on the wrong side, but, I've discovered, not everyone experiences these levels of chaos like I do.
There are organised people in this world. They do things effortlessly. So, in my quest to reverse being a terrible morning person, I am trying to emulate the annoyingly productive among us.
I asked them, and they shared. Here are some top tips from super-organised mums I know who do it well (I'd hate them only they're all really nice).
1. "Set your alarm for at least 30-45 minutes before the kids usually wake. It's tough, but being dressed and ready to rock when they wake up will make all the difference. Then, all you need to worry about is them and any unscheduled drama can be managed without you losing the rag." Sarah, Mum-of-three, Blackrock.
2. " I turn getting dressed into a game – who can get dressed the quickest gets an extra strawberry in their porridge or I count and see who can get dressed in 20 seconds. For the littlies, I make a song out of getting dressed to amuse them. The best thing to do is not to refer to the actual clothes, like don't say, "isn't this a lovely colour" or it draws attention to the colour, then you run the risk of them changing their minds about what colour they actually want to wear, and adding five minutes to your morning that you can't spare." Amy, mum-of-three, Loughlinstown.
3. "I know it sounds really nerdy but we organise as much as we can on a Sunday night. That means making sure we have groceries for the week and everything for the school lunches, I get five outfits for myself on a rail so I don't even have to think about it in the morning, everything is there ready. Then I lay out all the uniforms and get sports and sports bags ready in advance. It took me a long time to realise that a couple of hours on a Sunday night can make a world of difference to the whole family, for an entire week. We try and do everything and then reward ourselves with an episode of House of Cards or whatever we're streaming when it's all done and we collapse into bed to watch." Emma, mum-of-four Bandon.
4. "Once my kids were old enough to dress themselves, I put the responsibility on them to get ready. I try not to nag. I give them rewards for doing things themselves and it goes on their reward chart at the end of the day. If they get all the chart boxes ticked, they get TV time at the end of the day, and then at the end of the week, they get coins. They save the coins and at the end of the month they can buy something with the coins that's not sugar-related!" Aisling, mum-of-two, Carlow.
5 "Consistency is key. Have the same routine for everyone each day so they know what comes next instinctively. You'll have to remind them to brush their teeth and put their empty bowls in the sink, of course, but when it all becomes second nature, they'll move along easier. They need nudging but it avoids nagging and yelling." Karen, mum-of-three, Sligo.
Wish me good luck. Watch this space to hear how I have revolutionised my mornings... (here's hoping).
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