One Trick That Made Our Morning Routines a Little Bit Smoother

Getting four kids out the door and off to school is, um, a little crazy, to say the least. Zach is out the door before the kids wake, so I am flying solo. I have found one small trick that has helped our mornings run just a little bit smoother.

Illustration by Tomi Um

Right before it becomes crunch time (for us, it's about five minutes before we need to walk out the door), music plays. It's set as an alarm for the same time every day. Instead of me yelling "it's time to go!" (again...), it's something else reminding the kids that it's really time to get moving. We change the music frequently to add a bit of fun. Zach picks fun songs that relate to the moment (seasonal tunes, birthday songs, soundtracks that relate to what is happening in our days.) 

Hint: If you have Sonos, this is easy to set up as an alarm through Sonos. You could also set this up on your cell phone alarm or even use a simple radio alarm clock. 

In case this doesn't work, here are two things that might help you laugh it off: 

Your Child's Bedtime Routine: Fantasy vs. Reality

Reasons Your Child May Repeatedly Yelling "Mom!" from the Top of the Stairs