Really excited to be working with General Mills today to talk about how we’re getting ready for the FIRST year we’ll have 2 kids in elementary school, and how we’re hoping to keep chaos to a minimum.
The morning rush before school can get loud and panicked at our house real fast, and that was with only ONE child to get out our door and into the school doors by 7:25 am every day. (Yeah, I’m still bitter about that super early start time.)
Honestly, I’m really scared of how it’s going to be with two of them this year. I don’t want the new normal to be sending them both off to a full day of learning after we all yell at each other and run around trying to find what we need.
Mornings are going to have to change, and mostly that means that Kendall (8 years old, going into 3rd grade) is going to have to step it up and be more self sufficient. He’s 100% capable of doing this.
I think so much of his success will depend on how well we empower him, so we’ve got a three-step morning routine that we’ve laid out for him, and we’re doing everything we can to make it an easy transition.
1. Pick Your Clothes, Dress Yourself
Yes, my 8 year old son will still gladly let me pick out his clothes for him. And this is great sometimes, except when he relies on it. What will be even better is if he can choose what he wants to wear the day before, and then set it out so it’s ready to go.
How we’re supporting him: We hang outfits- shirts and shorts/pants – together on the same hanger so he just has to grab a hanger of clothes and he’s good to go. We also provide the kids a single place in the house where shoes (are supposed to) go, hopefully eliminating the frustrating shoe search. We call it the shoe closet, it’s downstairs under our staircase, and yes, it smells awful.
2. Wake To An Alarm
Probably the BIGGEST change is we’re going to expect him to wake to an alarm clock (and not one he calls mom or dad), get those clothes on, and get downstairs in a reasonable amount of time. We’re simply not going to have the time to micromanage two kids in the morning, especially once baby #4 gets here in December.
How we’re supporting him: Luckily, he seems to be buying my story about how the alarm clock is a huge right of passage and totally equals growing up. For now. We also bought him a basic, easy to use alarm clock with no extra features and big numbers. May possibly move it across the room depending on how quick he figures out the snooze button.
3. Make Your Breakfast, And Help Your Sister Make Her’s Too
Breakfast is not our favorite meal of the day around here. I don’t make hot breakfasts for the kids, and they don’t ask for them. It must be genetic because I have never enjoyed bacon & eggs for breakfast. BUT we do recognize that it’s a very important meal, especially for kids, and we always make sure the kids eat before they go to school.
We love keeping General Mills Cereal in the pantry. I don’t feel any guilt over my kids’ first meal of the day being cereal because kids who eat cereal are more likely to meet daily requirements for key nutrients, and it’s the number one source of vitamin D and calcium.
I am also mega impressed that their Big G cereals contain more whole grain than any other ingredient, and by how hard General Mills is working to remove artificial flavors and colors from artificial sources from their cereals.
“Cinnamon toast crunch uses real cinnamon, Cocoa Puffs & Reese’s Puffs use real cocoa, and Honey Nut Cheerios uses real honey for flavor. For color, Trix and Fruity Cheerios use extract from blueberries, purple carrots, and turmeric.” – General Mills
Plus? Kendall can TOTALLY get a couple bowls, spoons, boxes of cereal, and milk out, and make his sister and himself some breakfast, which is going to be immensely helpful mornings I’m stuck on the couch breastfeeding a newborn and finding the toddler’s favorite Netflix show while their dad is out of town.
How we’re supporting him: We always let the kids each pick out their own favorite box of cereal, and now we’re keeping them in the pantry on a shelf that is within their reach. We also moved some cereal bowls and spoons right next to them.
We’re hopeful Kendall will embrace these three steps quickly, and not only will our mornings be easier because of it, but he’ll feel proud of himself. It’s a little daunting to take that leap where you go from doing everything for your kid (I mean, last year I put his socks and shoes on him while he ate the bowl of cereal I poured him) to expecting them to do it themselves. I think I need to get out of our way here, though. He’s got this.
Big thanks to General Mills for sponsoring this post, and also for making a breakfast option that makes my life so much easier with no guilt attached.
Available now: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
- 133Shares
11 comments
7:25?!!
wasn’t there a video of this somewhere?
I must express my passion for your kind-heartedness for those who absolutely need assistance with this issue. Your very own commitment to getting the message across ended up being especially helpful and have all the time made employees like me to reach their aims. Your amazing warm and friendly hints and tips indicates so much a person like me and especially to my mates. Best wishes; from each one of us.
Needed to compose you the little bit of note to help say thank you once again for your personal exceptional advice you’ve documented on this page. This is really shockingly generous with you to deliver freely just what most of us would’ve distributed for an e-book to help make some profit for their own end, specifically now that you could possibly have done it if you decided. The pointers also acted to become a good way to know that other people have similar zeal really like my personal own to know the truth lots more on the topic of this matter. I am sure there are millions of more pleasant sessions ahead for individuals that view your blog post.
I truly wanted to develop a simple word to be able to say thanks to you for all of the superb tactics you are writing here. My incredibly long internet lookup has now been rewarded with reasonable concept to exchange with my neighbours. I would assert that many of us visitors actually are truly lucky to be in a superb community with very many perfect people with insightful things. I feel very lucky to have discovered the webpage and look forward to so many more enjoyable times reading here. Thank you once more for everything.
I just wanted to develop a brief message to be able to thank you for those stunning steps you are writing on this site. My time intensive internet investigation has now been honored with high-quality points to exchange with my friends and family. I ‘d tell you that we site visitors are unquestionably lucky to be in a fine website with very many awesome individuals with valuable plans. I feel very much blessed to have used the website and look forward to so many more thrilling minutes reading here. Thanks a lot once again for all the details.
I and also my friends appeared to be checking out the great tips found on your web page and then then came up with an awful feeling I never thanked the web site owner for those strategies. All of the men were absolutely thrilled to study all of them and have in effect surely been loving these things. Thank you for really being considerably considerate and for choosing some helpful issues most people are really eager to know about. Our honest regret for not saying thanks to you earlier.
I simply wanted to thank you very much again. I am not sure what I would’ve carried out without the type of advice shared by you over such subject matter. It truly was the fearsome matter for me, however , coming across a specialised way you solved the issue made me to leap over delight. I will be happy for the work and then believe you know what an amazing job you have been doing teaching the mediocre ones all through a blog. Probably you haven’t got to know all of us.
[…] all, our oldest is kinda a pro at making bowls of cereal for himself and his brother and […]
I really needed to build up a basic word to have the capacity to express profound gratitude to you for the majority of the heavenly strategies you are composing here. My extraordinarily long web query has now been compensated with sensible idea to trade with my neighbors. I would state that huge numbers of us guests really are genuinely fortunate to be in an eminent group with a lot of ideal individuals with shrewd things. I feel exceptionally fortunate to have found the site page and anticipate such a variety of more charming circumstances perusing here. Much obliged to you yet again to everything.
laughed at the principal line when you discussed the second prior to the balls dropped… I didn’t understand you were looking at ping pong balls instead of a view on a sonogram. So it was an astonishing quip! Leyna will be awesome – puppies improve everything!