Getting Ready In The Morning~Advice from Busy Moms~A Guest Blog Post

Getting ready in the morning can be a challenge. As a mom, I sometimes feel the pain of getting myself and two children out the door. As a Professional Organizer, I’ve come up with a few ways to make sure those rushed and hectic times do not happen often. Here are three tips for making getting ready in the morning a more organized and less stressful way to start the day for you and your kids.

Create a Five Minute Face

Before having children, I promised myself (and my husband) I wouldn’t let myself go days without makeup or a shower. The ‘five minute face’ allows me to look good and feel good in a short amount of time. Determine which makeup you cannot live without and make those pieces the most important elements of your ‘five minute face.’ (Concealer, mascara, and lipstick are my ‘must-haves!) If you have time leftover, add a few ‘extras.’ (mine are eyeshadow and eyeliner). I highly recommend my favorite make up timesaver tool: Sephora Retractable Waterproof Eyeliner. No sharpener needed, just twist, apply and repeat the next day!

Prepare the Night Before…

Not just for the kids but for yourself, too. Pick out clothes, place lunch boxes on the counter, prepare all items needed for the next day’s activities. This will give you extra time in the morning to catch a few more winks or deal with any last-minute issues or emergencies.  And if you’re a mom, you KNOW there will be last minute issues and emergencies! A full diaper, an unsigned permission slip, or misplaced keys are enough to make your kids late for school and make you late for work.

Make it Easy for Your Kids to Be Independent

Tweens, teens, and kids as young as two or three can be responsible for certain tasks in the morning. But first, you’ll need to 1) teach them the task you wish them to do independently and then 2) make it easy for them to accomplish the task successfully. Install hooks so little ones can easily hang up and retrieve their coats then teach them how to use the hook. Place cereal boxes at arm’s reach so your middle schoolers can pour themselves a bowl. Practice making a bowl of cereal together on a less hectic morning. Have teens pack their school bags the night before. Help them to create ‘homes’ for their sporting equipment, library books, etc so they can easily find what they need when they need it. Giving children morning-time responsibilities will free up your time in the mornings and enable them to them grow into self-sufficient adults.

Stacey Agin Murray, owner of Organized Artistry, LLC is a Professional Organizer in Fair Lawn, NJ offering residential organizing services from attic to basement and every space in between. She is the author of 7 Steps to an Organized Wedding Thank You Note, a quick-reference guide for the overwhelmed bride. To learn more about getting organized go to www.organizedartistry.com. Visit Stacey’s blog, Facebook page and her boards and pins on Pinterest.

Link to my blog: http://organizedartistry.blogspot.com

Link o my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/OrganizedArtistryLLC

Link to my Pinterest boards: http://www.pinterest.com/staceyamurray