The a.m. can be chaotic for any number of reasons, and
getting you and your family out the door is no easy task. Let these
expert fixes for five real women's struggles guide you closer to
pre-nine 'o-clock bliss.
Cut out the breakfast bustle
The problem:
"My husband has to travel sometimes, and when he's not around to cook
breakfast, our routine falls apart," says Cheri, 34, a mother of two. "I
need to figure out how to make nutritious breakfasts quickly—ones that I
can take with me on the go."
The solution: "Each
Sunday, Cheri should use a loaf of whole-wheat bread to make 16 slices
of French toast with nonfat milk, eggs, and cinnamon, and then freeze
them in zipped plastic bags," says registered dietitian Joan Salge
Blake. "The egg provides protein, the bread contains filling whole
grains, and flavorful cinnamon cuts the need for sugary syrup overload.
Each weekday morning, pop a couple of slices in the toaster to heat
them. She could even use the French toast as a base for a peanut butter
sandwich." Another option that contains whole grains and protein: Buy a
week's worth of whole-wheat pitas and a bag of shredded, reduced-fat
cheese. Each morning, put the cheese in the pita pocket and microwave it
for a minute, and voilĂ —instant grilled cheese. Remember, lunch foods
can work well as breakfast fare, too.
Get dressed faster
The problem:
"My big hurdle is putting together an outfit that works each morning,"
says Elizabeth, 44. "Sometimes my skirt isn't ironed, my shirt isn't
clean, or I can't track down my rain boots. I know I should think about
all of this the night before, but I get up so early that by the evening
I'm exhausted!"
The solution:
Elizabeth should plan out a week's worth of outfits every weekend, says
Susan Fox, a life coach with A.I.M. High Coaching. "Each Sunday, take a
look at the five-day forecast, open your closet, and lay out five full
outfits—including shoes and accessories. If your bedroom is too crowded
to lay out the outfits, use a guest room, the basement, or the attic.
This way, you'll notice if any pieces of clothing are dirty or wrinkled
in advance, so you can take the time to wash or iron whatever you
need—or choose a different outfit." The payoff: no-think weekday
mornings where you can cruise on autopilot.
Balance work and working out
The problem:
"At 8 a.m. I'm supposed to go to the gym, but by the time I get there,
warm up, take a class, cool down, shower, and change clothes, I lose
three hours," says Carrie, 38. "I'm tempted to skip the workout and get
three more hours of work done—I'm a food and health blogger and could
work 24/7 if I didn't stop myself. But if I do that, I feel guilty for
neglecting my physical health."
The solution: "Like someone who feels compelled to eat an entire box of cookies or watch 12 consecutive episodes of Breaking Bad,
Carrie has a compulsion to work," says Samantha Sutton, president of
Handel Group Life Coaching in New York City. "It's time for her to take
back some ownership and learn how to be more disciplined about finding a
balance. For one thing, she can make the gym a phone-free zone. She can
also limit her workout time more by say, going for a half-hour walk
around the block instead of taking a spinning class, so she's giving up
less work time but still being active. She might also try rewarding
herself for each gym session clocked, whether that's with a piece of
dark chocolate, a manicure, or lunch at her favorite café."
Give up helicopter parenting
The problem:
"It is really, really hard for my teen girls to get out of bed in the
morning," says Nicole, 40. "When the girls get up late, it's difficult
to stick to our schedule and get out the door on time."
The solution:
That's not really Nicole's problem, says Fox. The girls will soon be on
their own in college, and will need to learn that their actions have
consequences. "If I were Nicole, first I'd have a conversation and say,
'Going forward, I'm not going to scream my head off trying to wake you
up. If you're going to be late for school, it will be your problem. I'm
not doing this to punish you—I'm doing this to teach you how to take
responsibility for your actions.' If you try to force a teen to follow
strict rules and treat her like a little kid, she may rebel, and you
don't want to have to be micromanaging her nighttime schedule too.
Instead of telling her daughters what they can and can't do, she should
treat them like adults and ask them to come up with their own solution."
Get up and out faster
The problem:
"My kids both wake up with no problem, but then they seem to dawdle and
move in slow motion," says Lauren, 29, of her 2- and 4-year-olds. "When
I tell my daughter to wash her hands, she pumps out soap from the
dispenser 20 times. When I tell my son to get dressed, he gets fussy and
refuses to wear shorts with buttons or socks with bumpy seams. I try to
stress how we need to get to school on time, but it doesn't register."
The solution:
"Every mother I know says exactly what Lauren is saying: How does such a
simple task take 20 minutes?" says Sutton. "Since Lauren's kids are so
young, she can't really reason with them or let them take responsibility
for their actions, so she needs to restructure her schedule to allow
for more getting-ready time in the morning. For instance, she could try
putting the kids to bed a half-hour earlier each evening and waking them
up a half-hour earlier each morning." Another strategy is to take note
of common problems and try to prevent them from happening in the first
place, says Fox. For example, if Lauren's son is always fussy with
clothes, it may be time to donate any shorts with buttons and any socks
with bumpy seams to charity so he doesn't find them in his dresser and
start crying. And if her daughter always becomes obsessed with the soap
dispenser, give her bar soap only.
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