How do you start your day?

[Anonymous]

I find sometimes that it's 11:00 in the morning, and I STILL haven't had a chance to shower and get dressed, let alone put on makeup.

How do you get yourself together in the morning?

Do you get up before the kids, or with the kids? If you have a toddler, what do you DO with them while you shower? Play yard? Block them in their child-proofed (if there is truly such a thing) room?

Would love to hear suggestions.

[ChunkyMonkey25]

I get up about hour half before my little ones get up and make sure I'm ready so I can depend time getting them ready to go.

[danie24]

 Kids usually wake up around 7:30 and they play in their bedrooms or read a book until I wake up around 8

 I make their breakfast and brew my coffee.. then after they eat and I relax for a bit I get dressed, do my hair, brush my teeth and take my oldest to school.

 I usually shower after I work out (after lunch) or before bed so hubby can watch the 3 monsters :)

[lowencope]

I get up at 530 and get ready. Then my kids get up at 6 to get ready. I have to be at work early so we all get up early.

[itsm3]

i get up at 445am every morning to eat a liight snack and then workout at 5am. i workout hard for a good 1hr or so,take a shower, get dressed/ready for work, pack my lunch and leave by 630/640am.  if it's my day to drop dd off at school, then i start getting her things ready and making breakfast and then she gets up around 7am or so.  dd is 4yo.

even when i was at home and if dd had a PA day, i would shower while she plays on her own. 

[theresaphilly]

I am up two hours before he kids. I shower, exercise and have my "ME" time. I have two 2-year old toddlers and if they wake up their dad sees about them. Anyway they rarely wake up before 7am, and my other two kids ages 11 and 9 gets their own selves up and ready for school. It gets hectic, but never out of my control.

[smushy79]

 I have to get up in the morning for work. I have no choice, lol!

[alexsmomaubrys2]

I get up at 6:45, get the kids up and ready for school. They are out the door at 7:45. After that I sit and have a cup of coffee and then I get up and shower and start my day.

When my kids were toddlers I would put them on the couch with a sippy cup and turn on cartoons. They would sit there until I was done. Our house is baby proofed so even if they got up to play it wouldn't have been a big deal.

[CookieMom108]

I start the day by stumbling to the coffee pot.  

When my son was a toddler, I tried to take showers when my husband was home.  If that wasn't possible, I'd put him in the room closest to the bathroom (toddler, not hubby) and pop a movie into the DVD player.  When he was at that in between age, where he could walk around and get into stuff but was still small enough to fit in his high hair, I sat him in there with a board book or blocks, whatever, and hauled that into the bathroom with me.

[mary841108]

 my alarm goes off at 6 am. I go downstairs, make coffee & fix lunches, hop in the shower get dressed, toss my hair up toss on a bit of makeup and head back downstairs and will usually toss in a load of laundry, dust the downstairs and sweep/mop the kitchen. Then it's about 6:45 I go and wake up DH, while he is in the shower I make the bed, gather more laundry and wake the kids (they make their beds and gather their laundry) then I make the kiddos & DH breakfast, vacuum and then take DH to work, kids to school and then come home and put the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher. That is how I start my day every single day lol

[iamcafemom83]

I get up before the kids and have coffee. Walk the dog. While they are eating breakfast (ages 3 and 5) I go get dressed. We usually have to have my daughter at school by 845.
Ever since I started getting up before the kids, it has even much easier.