Back to school means back to routine! However, as your little one ages you may be noticing they are becoming more opinionated about their routine. While this is perfectly normal and to be expected, it does make for some stressful situations. I want to encourage Siena to make her own choices and not squash her independence. However, clothes cost money and we have to learn that once you cut the tags off, its yours. Then there is also the issue of hair style. Some mornings we simply do not have the time for double french braids or the tears that come when you break the news.

While everyone is prepping lunchboxes, backpacks, and school supplies. I went to work thinking of ways I can make our mornings a bit easier. Will they perfect? No! But I hate when she leaves for school after we have had a rocky morning it bothers me all day long. Again, it happens, but why not try to make those mornings far and few in between.

Sunday Prep

On Sunday night we spend a couple of minutes picking out at least 3 outfits for the week. Looking at the weather and keeping the school activities each day in mind. For example, Wednesdays are gym so lets make sure we always wear sneakers.

-Make sure you try everything on if its new or you are unsure if they grew out of it. There have been so many mornings I have ended up ripping her closet apart because a pair of pants didn’t fit her anymore.

-SOCKSSSSSS! Another thing that really gets me is having socks on hand. As you get closer to laundry day the shortage is real. Make sure you have socks for each outfit. I can’t tell you how many times I have got stuck hunting around the house for a lost sock or in the washed yet unfolded clothes, haha!

-Place the clothes for each day on hanger marked by day. I found these hanger tags below on amazon which have been helpful. You can also use an over the door organizer or even one of those shoe organizers you can hang on a closet bar.

-In terms of hair, if there is a new hairstyle she wants me to try we practice first on the weekend. Never attempt anything new on a busy morning. That is a recipe for disaster. But more on hair tips below.

Night Before Prep

Before she goes to bed I always check-in with her, remind her of what she is wearing. Then I set out her hair accessories and products. Making sure I am not searching for a bow or hair tie in the morning. I have a little caddy that I put it all in to make it mobile. Sometimes I will do her hair while she is eating, or watching some TV in the morning. Makes it easy just to bring it back up to the bathroom and store it in the cabinet. One product that is ALWAYS in the caddy is the Fairy Tales Hair Care Rosemary Repel line. I use the Hair Spray daily as it has a dual function. It has aloe and chamomile to hydrate the scalp, making it gentle enough for every day use. The mix of rosemary, tea tree and peppermint oil helps to repel lice. So not only does it hold her hair style well, it protects her scalp!

-Hairstyle: we always talk about hair style the night before. That way we aren’t arguing in the morning over what is possible. Siena is usually pretty good with a ponytail but if we budget extra time I like to have fun

-Bows and Hair Ties: I like to buy the bows in bulk from Amazon. They have sets that come with a ton of colors. I then like to go on etsy to find the more specialty bows, or ones for special occasions.

-Wet Brush or detangler brush: this works great for straight and curly hair alike.

At first this all may seem like a lot of work to organize. Just like anything else it becomes routine. One that even your child can learn and start to do on their own. Siena now can set out her own bows the night before and sometime reminds me of the routine. Not arguing with her or spending time stressed out allows for more time to give hugs and pep her up for the day. However, will those mornings still come, will I still search for socks. I am sure there will be mornings like that, because even the best laid plans sometimes go haywire. Just make sure you give each other grace. Remember it is just one morning, and it doesn’t have to dictate the rest of your day.