My top three tips for surviving back to school morning grind with smiles and less SCREAMING!

September 11, 2012 by Melissa Chapman 52 Comments

Congrats to our winner Becky!

I'm pinching myself that another summer full of so many firsts is now memorialized in digital form on my desktop and in the myriad of campy art projects adorning my refrigerator. While this summer was a bit rocky, I think the lessons my girl gleaned from this experience and those she learned about friendship will stay with her for a lifetime. And of course this summer was filled with playing with Legos with my son until my fingers nearly bled, and even enjoying a VERY quick backyard camp-out under the stars, swathed in tons of bug spray– because I think I may have gotten about 20 mosquito bites in under ten minutes.

But now we are once again back to the grind â€” getting up way too early, rushing around to pack lunches and backpacks and then off to school. I'll be honest: Neither of my kids is jumping for joy in regards to the looming school year, so I am on a mission to get them pumped, no matter what it takes. Recently I'm been feeling so nostalgic, and yes slightly sad that in life we are constantly rushing, to get the kids to school and to my very skinny son I'm usually barking “finish your breakfast, ” and I'm usually barking out to my daughter-“Your hair looks fine!” and then it's a mad dash to get out of the house and not forget their lunch totes ( most days I manage this- but some days are more challenging!)

So this year I am trying to survive the back to school morning grind with less barking and more smiling– and trying to be mindful of the fact that in a few years these kids will be making their own breakfasts and soon enough they will be out of the house. I am trying to be mindful of the fact that I will miss these moments, I will miss just sitting with my kids and and savoring their sweetness- my daughter's strawberry colored hair, the freckles that lightly dot her nose and her little arms–I also know if I expressed this to her- she would say-“Mommeeeee…!” so I keep the thoughts to myself and am just trying to really be present in the moment; watch my son eat his cereal as SLOW as molasses, stopping after every bite to tell me just one more thing he'd like to draw and listen patiently to his questions and let him come up with his own answers…

In the morning I'll admit it is so hard to do just that be present in the moment- as my mind is racing with ten other things I need to do- and my newly rescued shih tzu is in the other room- pulling every tissue out of the tissue box with his little teeth. but I'm trying my best! And in this spirit of making mornings easier Rice Krispies asked me to share my three tips on making mornings easier less hectic and more fun for the family. https://www.facebook.com/ricekrispies

Tip #1: We ALWAYS lay out our clothes the morning before and make sure that my kids' have their book bags packed and their homework signed and put away. My daughter has actually even taken it upon herself to pack her own snack bag and water bottle the night before- and I am happy to outsource that task to her!.

Tip #2: I take my kids — if there's time- on a morning walk with out dogs– it's a great way to bond with them- and have spontaneous conversations, teach them responsibility to their furry siblings and it's actually quite relaxing and sets a fun and friendly tone for the morning. Sure it might add a few minutes to our routine– but I find that my son will finish his breakfast faster when he knows that there's the possibility to walk the dogs– and anything that will get food down his gullet makes my morning MUCH easier!

Tip #3: We have BANNED the use of any electronics in the morning- no iPad, iPod, cell phones or tv until ALL the busy work is done.. Those gadgets are great– but gosh darn it– they are a MAJOR time consumer– and get my kids off the get ready for school track. And to be perfectly honest- if there are any extra minutes– we are using them on our dog walks– and not wasting them on MARIO and ANNOYING ORANGE!

And of course my kids are BIG cereal eaters– every weekday morning- and one box of cereal that we are ALWAYS running out of–Kellogg's ® Rice Krispies ® cereal( I make them put their ear down to their bowls so they can hear he SNAP, CRACKLE and POP! The truth is Kellogg's ® Rice Krispies ® cereal and memories go hand in hand. And this back-to-school season, Kellogg's ® Rice Krispies ® cereal wants to help all families spark a moment of joy at the breakfast table with the simple grains of rice you can see and the Snap!â„¢ Crackle! Pop!â„¢ you can hear. With vitamin- and mineral-fortified Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal, moms don't need to worry about sacrificing nutrition when getting their family out the door each morning. Rice Krispies cereal is made with simple ingredients and is fortified with 11 essential vitamins and minerals. Kellogg's ® Rice Krispies ®cereal invites all my fabulous Marriedmysugardaddy.com readers to share their back-to-school magic breakfast moments sparked by Kellogg's Rice Krispies on their Facebook fan page at https://www.facebook.com/ricekrispies

Additionally,Kellogg's ® Rice Krispies ® cereal has graciously agreed to let me giveaway a box of Rice Krispies cereal, a set of four fun cereal bowls, and a Kellogg's Retro Character Scrapbook Album.

For a chance to nab this very cute Breakfast giveaway– leave a comment on the Kellogg's Rice Krispies Facebook fan page at https://www.facebook.com/ricekrispies sharing your tips for making mornings easier, and then post a comment on this blog post that you've done so! For a second entry you can like Married my Sugar Daddy on facebook and for a third entry you can follow @MelissaSChapman on twitter and retweet this giveaway! Good luck giveaway ends September 27th!

This post is part of a sponsored campaign with The Motherhood. But as is always the case, all opinions are my own!