With the summer quickly coming to a close and the new school year started in just a few short weeks, routines have been on my mind. This will be the first year that T will be attending an early childhood program in the morning. This means that 2 days a week we will have to get him ready and out the door for school. Our routines have been making a lot of adjustments lately: from one kid to two kids, from maternity leave to back to work. This will be the last big change for a while, hopefully.

I am a big proponent of having an evening routine that will assist in having a smooth morning. Therefore, I put together a list of things that need to or at least should get done the night before so that the next morning is easy breezy, or at least easier.

Hailey

Since Hailey is the easiest one, we can start with her. Since this girl is already up at 5:30 everyday and generally fed and dressed by 6-6:10, her prep the night before is pretty simple.

Lay out outfit for the following day in her play pen
Make sure she has a bottle of milk ready
Make sure that diaper bag is packed

Tyler

Tyler will need slightly more prep since he's the one actually going to school. His program starts at 9am and with travel time being at least 30 minutes with traffic, they will probably leave around 8:20-8:30. T is usually up around 7-7:30, so that leaves plenty of time, in theory, to get ready.

Lay out outfit for the following day on his chair
Make sure that his bag is packed.
Prepare lunch and keep in fridge

Me

As for me, while I plan to take the morning off for T's first day so that I can be there to drop him off, I will not be the one to bring him to school. That job rests with Dad and Hailey. Therefore, not much will be changing as far as what I need to get ready.

Lay out outfit for the following day in closet
Make sure breast pump is packed
Make sure clothes are ready for morning workout

Dad

Dad is on his own. He is definitely not a morning person. He also isn't really into planning ahead. If taking T to school is like any other outing, which I am sure it will be, I will be getting myself and the two kids ready while dad gets out of bed with just enough time to use the bathroom, get dressed, and go.

What do you need to get done in the evening that can help your morning go more smoothly? I put together a printable so that you can make your own list of things to do before bed. The second page has blanks so you can write in your children's names. Have more than 2 kids? Just print more copies of the second page!