I LOVE me some SCIENCE

As I venture into another week of work, I thought it would be a good time to discuss organization! It is my job in the morning to get my 2 and 4 year olds up, fed, dressed, lunches made and out the door with clean teeth and faces (along with my hubby) within 45 minutes of arriving home from work. I was thinking of the one thing that really makes my mornings go smoothly, and it boiled down to one item in particular that I had purchased about 2 years ago from Lilly's Kids. They are the Weekday Closet Organizer, and I have one for both of the kiddos. Every Sunday, after laundry is done, I put the kiddos' school uniforms in this neat little contraption, and then for the rest of the week, it's a daily no brainer on where their uniforms are or which uniform to wear on that day! It's especially great when I have to work late and my hubby has to get the kiddos ready!

My list of 5 more things that help get the kiddos and hubby out the door on time include:

1. I keep a plastic place mat (which I purchased at Wal-Mart for about a dollar) near the front door for the kiddos to keep their school shoes on. The kiddos know when they come in from school to take off their shoes and put them on the mat, and that way, we never have to play the "where is my other shoe" game. It's also very easy and quick to pick up when company is coming over.

2. We keep and USE a hook by the door for my keys, so we don't have to play the "where did I put my keys" game.

3. I try to plan out the kids' lunches the weekend before and get everything I need at the store on Sunday (after coupons have been cut). Once I get home, I wash all the fruits and divide them up into single lunch servings before storing them in plastic containers. That way if I did not have time to make the lunch the night before, it's just grab and go.***Just a side note, I really hate using plastic bags or ziplock bags for the kids' lunches, so I really love sandwich containers, and I was able to find some really cute ones at Target for only $1, which I love even more!

4. My daughter has long hair, so in order to keep her clips in order, I purchased a large wooden letter from Hobby Lobby (on sale for $1.50) and used my hot glue gun to secure two long strands of ribbon to attach the clips to. It's cute, effective and inexpensive!

5. My final quick tip to get through the morning rush is no TV. I only get the 45 minutes to get them ready AND get in as many kisses, hugs and conversations as I can, so I don't want to waste any time competing with Dora for my kids' attention. Plus, it has been my observation that in the past, when TV was allowed, those ended up being the "late" mornings. So, the TV stays off, I stay sane and the kids arrive on time . . . there REALLY is a SCIENCE to it, and I love me some science:)!!