Set a Simple Routine (That Everyone Can Follow)
Make Breakfast Doable
Having a cupcake pan full of eggy breakfast cups is one way to jump start the day. Get the kids involved: Let them choose and assemble the ingredients they want in their morning breakfast cup, then watch them devour their creation.
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Image via Sweet Makes Three
Prioritize and Stick to It
Yes, 1,052 things need to happen between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., but you can’t do them all. You simply can’t. Prioritize, be realistic, trim away the fat and learn the difference between what would be perfect and what’s the bare minimum to get you out the door. For instance, I’ve got four daughters who need to leave for school by 7 a.m. The only things they are expected to do in the morning is get up, get dressed, brush hair and teeth, and eat breakfast. Beds are NEVER made during the week and PJs sometimes remain on the floor until they get home from school. I’ve learned to shut their bedroom doors.
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Pack a Bento Box the Night Before
Opening up a bento box at lunch is like opening a bunch of presents. It makes lunch FUN (and it’s not just for kids)! Get kids involved in the packing. They get a (controlled) say in what they take and you get help in making lunches. Give them good choices (whole wheat wraps, nut butters, lean meats, cheeses, cut-up vegetables and fruit, quinoa, pasta or whole grain salads, pretzels, dried fruits, etc.). Store in the fridge, wait to add the cooler pack until the morning.
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Image via Wendolonia
Jimmy Dean Delights®
Jump-start your morning with a quick and delicious breakfast from Jimmy Dean’s Delights line. Here are just three of our favorites:
Fully Cooked Sausage Applewood-smoked chicken sausage patties that are only 120 calories per serving.
Breakfast Bowls A savory combo of turkey sausage, scrambled egg whites, potatoes and reduced-fat cheese at just 240 calories.
Turkey Sausage Egg and Cheese Muffin Enjoy a delicious sandwich with turkey sausage, egg whites and cheese. It’s just 250 calories, plus a good source of calcium and whole grains.
Pack School Bags the Night Before
Children are surprisingly responsible, when they are expected to be (and praised for it). The first thing my children do when they get home from school is unpack their book bags, clean out their lunch boxes and look through their homework folder. They don’t have to do their homework at that time, they just need to know what will be coming later that day/evening. Before going to bed, they pack up their book bag with everything except lunch, which is already packed up, but remains in the refrigerator until morning.
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Ready, Set, Charge!
Just before going to bed, shut down and charge all electronics, so that they are ready to go in the morning. Also, set your car keys next to your charging phone, so there won’t be searching in the morning.
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