8:20am is the time we need to be out the door on school mornings.
The kids know what time it is because Buzzy Bee starts on ABC4KIDS.
YES we watch cartoons in the mornings.
I am a mum of four kids. Master 6, Master 4, Miss 2 and little Master 6 months. I think I spaced them just nicely thanks!
Preparations for our 8.20am deadline start the night before. After dinner while the kids are getting in their last bit of play time, I try to get lunches ready. Master 6 is in year 1, Master 4 is in kindy and Miss 2 goes to occasional care in the kindy (at her request, to be “like the boys!”) On Wednesday mornings.
Our lunchboxes consist of a variety of things! We have the cool lunchboxes with the compartments on top of the lids to put things in called quaddies by sistema.
Master 6 hates fruit, any fruit. We have tried everything. Miss 2 eats fruit by the bucket-load and Master 4 will sometimes eat it, but on his own accord. Everything is on his own accord. He’s rather free spirited! Which we love of course!
Everyone has a sandwich. Although Miss 2 is not so fond of bread, she will however eat what’s inside the bread, which includes licking whatever is on the bread too, yep gross! Some of our favorites are ham, cheese and mayo, fritz and sauce, vegemite and jam rollies (flattened bread with crusts cut off then rolled up). They all get a muesli bar of some kind, sometimes they’re home made bars and a mini muffin. I have a container in the freezer with all different ones so its pot luck there!
They all love yogurt. We have experimented with these over the years and we now always get the sqeezie yoghurts. We freeze them so they act as a cooler in the lunchbox, and are then more fresh when it comes to eating them. They are a lot less mess, especially if your kids are like mine and leave their rubbish in their lunchboxes. Yogurt everywhere! They all get either some popcorn, crackers or chips in one of the little compartments, depending on what is open in the cupboard. And in the other two compartments I try to change it up each day. We vary, cheese, cold meat, left over mac n cheese, a cookie (usually homemade) extra fruit for those that eat it, dip for crackers and cheese and whatever else I find!
Once lunches are done I put their clothes on their dressing tables ready for the morning.
In the mornings each kid wakes at a different time. But Master 4 is usually the last up (he gets that from his dad!!!) But usual wake up time is about 7-7.30am.
Im usually breastfeeding Master 6 months around this time so slowly one by one they get up, come find me feeding bubba, give us a kiss then watch cartoons while I finish up.
Once everyone is up we have breakkie. Cereal or toast. Usually one says they want toast, so the rest say they want toast. Then one will change their mind, the rest change their mind. This can go on for sometime before a decision is made!!
After breakkie hands and face are washed. We get dressed. Hair brushed, Miss 2’s hair is down to her butt!! Shoes on, once they are found. Which can take some time as we have a “shoe monster” that always hides one shoe to each pair!! Bags are packed and put by the front door.
I can usually get dressed while they are looking for the “shoe monsters” lair! I give Master 6 months some breakkie just before we go. On a good day I can get most things done with Master 6 months playing in his exersaucer thingy and watching us all rush around. On a not so good day I need to do everything while holding him.
Buzz Bee starts and Master 6 and 4 yell, its time to go or we’ll be late!!! Sometimes we’re ready to go. Most times we are still hunting a shoe!
And that’s how I manage to get out the door most morning!!
Written By School Mum Sarah Fry
