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Tips For Less Hectic Mornings + FREE Printable Lunchbox Notes!

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Free Printable Lunchbox Notes from Musthavemom.com

I don’t know what your house looks like in the morning but around here it can get pretty hectic in our family of 6! Mornings are a time when everyone is busy rushing off to work, school, daycare and hurrying to begin their day on time. Personally I HATE starting off my day in a hurry. That’s why I do my best to plan ahead the night before to ensure a smooth sailing morning! Here are some of my time saving tips and how you can take back control of your mornings too!

Set out a cereal bowl the morning before and a glass of milk in the fridge.

Breakfast is a MUST in our house and if it isn’t in yours then I implore you to ask yourself why your family isn’t putting breakfast first. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I am a strong believer in filling everyone’s tummy before sending them off to start their day. The last thing I want is for my daughter to be sitting in class with a rumbling tummy, unable to concentrate. I may not be able to be there helping her with her schoolwork, but I can ensure that she has the food she needs to be able to concentrate and not be distracted by hunger. It’s important to start any day with a nutritious breakfast full of protein and grains, like Kellogg’s Frosted Mini Wheats, Special K or Raisin Bran cereal and milk.

The night before set the breakfast table. This means putting out a bowl, spoon and napkin for every family member and filling up their bowls with cereal. Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Fill up a glass with milk and cover it with plastic wrap as well and put it in the fridge. If your kids take vitamins in the morning then put those in their spot as well. Now when they wake up they can help themselves to their cup of milk in the fridge and pour it in their cereal and begin eating without you having to referee breakfast.

Pack lunches the night before

The other morning chore that I always do the night before is to pack my kids their lunch. I wait until the following morning to make their sandwiches but you can make those ahead and freeze them if you like! I pack everything that doesn’t need to be in the fridge and the rest of the stuff (fruits, veggies, juice boxes, cheese, yogurt, etc) that does require refrigeration goes in the fridge all portioned and ready to toss in their lunch boxes.

Free printable lunchbox notes

As I mentioned before I hate having a hurried morning and sending my kids off in a rush. I always want to have plenty of time to hug them and kiss them and tell them how much I love them before they hop on the bus. I also want to send cute reminders in the lunchbox so I print off these adorable lunchbox notes ahead of time, cut them out and keep a stack in the pantry so I can toss one in their lunch pail each night when I pack it.

Free Printable Lunchbox Notes -Musthavemom.com

You can print off these free printable lunchbox notes by clicking the link which will open a PDF file and then print them on a regular sheet of paper or a piece of cardstock (sturdier).

One more tip mommy-to-mommy, if you have a printer and love printing free printables, photos, checklists and more then you definitely need to sign up for HP Instant Ink and save 50% on your printer ink! I have been personally using this service for years and print up to 100 pages a month and never worry about how much ink I am using. When your printer starts running low it automatically orders more ink and it shows up at your door! No postage fees! And with plans starting at just $2.99 you can quit worrying about how much ink you are using and print all the color photos and printables you want! This is the best way to save on printer ink! Sign up today and start saving money on your ink.

Dr. Travis Stork has some awesome tips to help you have a smooth morning too! Here are my favorite tips from him that help our mornings run smooth.

  • Lay out your clothes the night before to help streamline your morning routine.
  • Create a “must achieve” list for the morning to help yourself stop stressing about those tasks at night, leading to a more restful night’s sleep.
  • Plan out what to have for breakfast, and nothing is easier than setting out a bowl and spoon for a quick, nutritious and tasty bowl of cereal in the morning.
  • If you’re traveling or on-the-go, making sure to pack a nutritious snack (like a baggie of cereal) in your bag to help you avoid hitting the mid-morning lull and picking something unhealthy.

One thing that I have started doing every morning is to create the must achieve list like he suggests. It’s SO helpful! I make a realistic list of what I absolutely have to get done followed by a list of things I’d like to get done. It gives me goals for the day and helps me stay on track.

How do you prepare for your big day?

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15 Comments

  1. My daughter is 16 and she hates buying her lunch, so I pack hers every day. Even though she is a teenager, she would still get a kick out of my putting a note in her lunchbox. I love these printables!

  2. Those are so cute! My daughter usually eats at school, but when she does bring her own lunch I’d love to put one of these in there for her. They’re really nice!

  3. I keep all of lunch food items together and that alone makes the mornings easier. We also have a simple routine but everyone knows it now. So now if someone is sick, or we forget to take the recycling out on Tuesdays, you can tell when we are off our game and things get hectic. The routine helps!

  4. We have 6 kids so mornings can definitely be hectic! I’m all about preparing ahead of time! I love the lunch box notes! They’re so sweet and I know my kids would love to get a little surprise in their lunches 🙂 Thanks for the printables!

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