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5 Steps to a Balanced Monday MorningBy
Laura Humphries
It’s Monday morning (again). You glance at the kitchen clock and gulp down a cup
of coffee while attempting to put on your clothes at the same time and realize that
you only have 5 minutes to get your 5 year old dressed and ready for school, not
to mention you still need to pack her lunch. Not soon enough do you remember that
you were warned the previous Thursday by your easy-going boss (not!) for being late
the third day in a row.
Sound all-too familiar? Hey, no one said being a working mom would be easy, but
here are 5 steps to help you achieve that delicate Monday morning balance:
- - First and foremost, be prepared. If need be, pack your child’s lunch the night
before. Give your child a bath the night before as well. Do your washing and ironing
on the weekend so that all clothes are hung and ready to go prepare at least 5 outfits
for each member of the family over the weekend and have your husband and children
assist you in the process.
- - Set your alarm clock 10-15 minutes earlier to allow yourself more time in the
morning. If need be, go to bed 10-15 minutes earlier to make up for the time difference.
Wake up before your kids to shower and dress.
-- Keep breakfast simple and healthy. If you feel that you just don’t have the time
for breakfast, try keeping bananas (and other easy to eat fruit) and vitamin fortified
cereal bars handy and ready to grab and go.
- - Set a routine for you and your family and stick with it. Our bodies crave routine
and that’s a fact. Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same
time every morning. Sticking with a schedule will make it easier to effectively
manage that Monday morning balancing act.
- - Divide your morning into phases. For example, phase 1: Eat Breakfast, phase
2: Get Dressed, etc. Set the phases in 15-30 minute time increments (phasing increments
can vary, depending on the overall time you give yourself). Attempting to accomplish
everything at once will only lead to chaos and confusion. Help your family stay
within the proper phase and ask them to also pitch in and help. Encourage your family
to stick to the morning phases to keep things running smoothly.
The key to achieving any balance, especially that Monday morning balance, is being
prepared. Try a more organized approach to your Monday mornings and you will find
that they turn out to be a lot smoother and less stressful for everyone.
Copyright 2006 Mommy Today Magazine. This publication is a courtesy of
Mommy Today Magazine.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Laura_Humphries
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