Getting the Most Out of Your Back to School Morning Routine

People say marathons are exhausting. Those people do not have kids. Because at least in a marathon there’s a finish line, and it’s over. In parenthood, there is no finish line. Every morning I find myself running full speed and huffing and puffing trying to get them to class on time.

Throughout my years of experience as a parent, I’ve learned some helpful hacks to save time during morning routines so I can better spend more time enjoying the company of my chiquitos. All you need is just a few handy accessories and thankfully they’re available at your already favorite Back to School shop, Target. 

Just one speedy trip to Target or a few quick clicks on the app and you’ll have these multi-use products in your home ready to spring yourself and your kids into the new semester. 

1. Put the kids in the mood to jump out of bed — with música. 

Young or old, no one really likes waking up early. My mom used to open the blinds and pull the covers off of me to get me to wake up, but that never made getting up any fun. There’s something that universally puts everyone in a good mood — and that’s music. I started using music as an alarm clock and it has been life-changing. All I do is play the kids’ favorite music from my phone and into the JBL Bluetooth speaker that I purchased from Target, and it’ll slowly start waking them up. The kids wake up in the mood to rumba and this gets the drag out of the morning. 

Click here to shop JBL Charge 4 Bluetooth Wireless speaker at Target.

2. Get outfits ready the night before. 

A great outfit is such an immediate mood booster for adults and kids alike. However, I know my fashion sense isn’t always the sharpest at 6 a.m. I like to get my little fashionistas’ OOTDs ready the night before, so there’s no scrambling in the morning. We pick their looks together the night before, lay them out on the side, so when they wake up, they’re excited to jump into their cool, well-planned getups. To get two steps ahead of the morning routine, I made sure I got my Back to School shopping done a few weeks before. I went to target.com and picked out a handful of outfits, that way my kids were extra excited to plan their outfits for the week. 

Click here to shop this toddler girls’ short sleeve unicorn graphic t-shirt.

3. Make a list, check it twice. 

There have been times when my kids and I were out the door when I realized someone had forgotten to pack their instrument, their notebook or their lunchbox. All it takes is one forgotten item to turn your morning into a whirlwind. That problem was solved when I created a routine chart. I never thought I could find dry erase products in such a fun, thin material until one day I stumbled upon these decals at Target! These are great because they’re not bulky and don’t take up much space. So, I placed these fun dry-erase decals by the door so they can look at their personalized checklist every day before walking out ¡y listo!

Click here to shop Wall Pops! Dry erase decals. 

4. Make sure everything has a casita. 

A checklist is only useful if I know where everything is. When I initially purchased our dry erase decals, my chiquitos still struggled to make it out the door on time because they were scrambling to find the items on the list. I made an addition that single-handedly improved our productivity in the morning — a cubby! Now cada cosa tiene su lugar and they know to place each item on the checklist in their cubby the night before, and where to find it in the morning. Target has a great assortment of cubby textiles and colors. We especially love our Pillowfort cubbies we bought from the Target app. 

Click here to shop the entire selection Pillowfort cubbies at Target.

5. Have breakfast, lunch and snacks prepped and ready to go.

The way to someone’s heart is through their stomach and kids are no different. I know that when I pack my kids a unique meal and something that speaks to their culture, they appreciate the effort I put into making sure they have a delicious meal. I love being able to provide snacks and lunches that I know not many other kids have. However, I know that cooking breakfast and lunch isn’t realistic during the morning marathon, so I make sure to pack their meals into containers the night before. I’m a huge fan of these Stasher sandwich bags I purchased from Target. They’re flexible, easy for my kids to handle and they hold enough food to keep them full all day. Prepping these containers the evening before saves time and also the guesswork of what I’m going to feed them that day. 

Click here to shop Stasher food storage containers at Target.

6. But first… café!

This mamá is only as strong as my coffee. So before I start playing tunes for my kids to wake up, before I start gathering their belongings, I make sure I have my extra-strength mom juice ready to help me tackle the morning with my favorite humans. I’ve tried a few different coffee makers and these days I’m obsessed with my Keurig K-Mini Single-Serve K-Cup Pod coffee maker I was gifted from Target. For years, I wanted a coffee maker that wasn’t bulky but had the strength to get me going in the morning. I received this coffee maker as a gift and instantly loved how it fit perfectly on my kitchen counter without taking up much space — but that wasn’t even the best part. My favorite thing about this Keurig is how easy it is to use! When I’m half-awake in the morning, this tiny but mighty machine takes charge and does all the hard work for me. 

Click here to shop Target’s Keurig K-Mini Single-Serve K-Cup Pod coffee maker