Getting a household with children organized in the mornings can be rough, even on the best of days. Add winter weather to the mix, and you’ve got a whole new set of possibilities for things to go wrong. With trying to get the kids off to school, and yourself off to work, appointments etc.,it can all be very stressful. As a mom with five kids, I’ve learned a few tricks through the years to help make winter mornings go a bit more smoothly, with everyone getting to their appointed destinations on time.
One of the most important aspects of keeping the household running smoothly is allowing enough time to do all of the extra things that winter requires. This could include a snowy or icy commute, defrosting cars and scraping windows, and even shoveling out the driveway (or using the snowblower if applicable). All of this requires extra time and a little advanced planning. Make sure to keep up on current weather reports during the winter to know if you can expect to have to shovel or defrost cars for your morning activities. Set the alarm a little earlier if this is what it takes to keep you running on time, as painful as losing a little extra sleep can be. Make plans for shoveling and car defrosting, decide who can help with what task, because if everyone pitches in a little, things can get done much more quickly. Take advantage of automatic starting cars to get things warmed up for easier scraping, or if the car is left outside overnight and has no auto start feature, go out several minutes before you need to leave and get it defrosted so it’s ready to go when you are.
Another thing that is a major factor in getting out the door on time in winter is having all winter wardrobe essentials ready at hand. Nothing is more frustrating than finding out that your child left their winter mittens in their coat pocket and that they are still soggy and wet from recess yesterday. Obviously, they can’t wear soaking wet mittens so always keep a spare dry pair on hand in case of emergency. I always take anything wet from my kids’ outdoor winter apparel and place it in front of a heating vent overnight to ensure it will be dry in the morning. Drying racks work nicely for this purpose as well. Make it part of your after school routine to check for any wet items that need to dry before morning. This small example of advance planning can save you much misery in the mornings.
Be sure to label all of your children’s outdoor winter accessories with their names. This can save a lot of hassle too, as many kids leave these extra items behind and they end up in the lost and found with dozens of other kids’ forgotten items – many which look very similar to each other. Winter brings the need for so many extra pieces of clothing, such as hats, scarves, mittens, and boots that sometimes becomes hard to keep track of things. Also, before you leave the school for the day, be sure that all of your child’s items are in their possession. Most schools request that children bring a regular pair of shoes to wear in the classroom as opposed to wearing winter snow boots all day. One quick check to ensure all belonging are with the child can mean not having to deal with a night, a weekend, or even winter break with them not having a necessary part of their wardrobe. My daughter, as well as many kids at her elementary school, use the reusable canvas tote bags for purposes of carrying winter snow pants and indoor shoes back and forth to school. They are very inexpensive and do the job quite well.
If your student takes a bus home from school remind them each day to check for all of their belongings before boarding the bus for home. Eventually, this will just become habit for them, and help make everyone’s life run a bit more smoothly.
So, the main things to keep in mind for winter readiness are snow and ice removal, preparing the vehicles, having all winter accessories on hand and ready to go, and finally, keeping track of them all. It may sound a little daunting at first, but when you live in an area where Jack Frost visits often each winter, they are just a necessary part of keeping up with your daily routine. With as much extra time and planning as being organized involves, especially during winter, believe me when I tell you it takes more time to be unorganized. Establish a winter morning routine in your household, and stick to it, and you’ll find that things will truly run much more smoothly for everyone.
These are my winter survival tips from one mom to another. Hopefully, you’ve found something in here to make your own life just a little bit easier. Hang in there, and remember Spring will be here before you know it!