Morning help.

No personal experience, but how about some sort of check list for the boys? You could write it up and have a picture for each one (like draw a picture of a toothbrush.... or you could take a pic of each boy doing each task, so a pic of him brushing his teeth). Then if you put a little tick box next to each task and laminate it, they can mark off each task with a whiteboard marker as they do it. Could be fun.

And then as a natural consequence of getting ready early (not a 'reward' but just, hey you got ready quickly so now you have extra time) they could have something they're allowed to do until you need to leave.... like play with toys or watch a tv programme or something. But ONLY after every thing on their list is completed and you've checked it. Might get a bit of natural competition going between the boys too, nothing wrong with that

Argh I know the feeling.

Yes we have a morning checklist. The other thing to do is to make sure that you have has much possible done the nightbefore.

We make lunch and layout our clothes for the next day.

Oh the other thing to try is using a timer... tell them right I'm setting the buzzer for breakfast when the buzzer goes you are finished eating.

Well personally I think that one trip to school/kindy in their jammies would ensure it wouldn't happen again.

What they have on when the timer goes off is what they wear to school.

Some good ideas. I know for a fact that my dd wouldn't be in the slightest bit phased by going to kindy in her pj's....little monkey!

We've had success with saying she can have TV once she has had breakfast and is dressed. Now she eats quickly and complies with dressing as she knows the faster it is done the more TV she will get before it is time to leave. At first it didn't seem to work but she has cottoned on now.

I too get lunches, clothes etc set out the night before. I also make sure her breakfast portion size is quite small...she can always ask for more but seems to be put off if her bowl of cereal is too big.

all they need to do is get up, have breakfast, brush teeth and wash hands and faces, get dressed, put lunch or fruit in bags and viola!

this week gabriel has started saying he is still hungry after breakfast and wanting a biscuit - which i will not give him.
this is how this morning went:
he went into the lounge while i was in the shower and so i turned the tv off at 7.30 and he threw something at me and tried to give me a karate hit! then theres the dirty looks and scowls that go with them.   then he was playing with an acorn and got upset when i took it off him cause he wouldnt get dressed.. we have to pick up the cat a couple of times...play in the bathroom and not wash our faces at all!

i hate mornings!

fiona they arent supposed to have the tv on. My husband turns it on for eden if she gets up while i am in the shower or trying to get dressed but come 7.30 it is off.

maybe i just need to get them and me out of bed earlier!

I take my hat off to you regardless...getting 3 kids ready and out the door in time for school sounds like hard work! I only have 2 and the earliest we need to be out is 8.25 on Sundays.   5 days of it would be hard work!

i have had great success with the oven timer 2 mornings now... the boys love having something to beat. but the shortest time is 5 mins so i think i need to buy a little timer.

ugh mornings, this is what I do ,(obviously Im lucky enough to be able to )
I lie there pretending to be asleep and say
"DH Im too tired/ sore/sick/crampy/dead to take C to school , can you get her ready and take her ? thanks hun "


would your boys move faster if it was a race between them ?

I did the chart thing with my 4 year old who is now 9years. We had it on the fridge and there was a pic for each task. 5 total from memory. We had a magnet that he moved down the list. I think it was breakfast, brush teeth, get dressed, pack bag and shoes on. I just used regular clip art pics from word for each. 5 years on and he still does it in order. The chart has long gone but the routine has stayed. Boys are so visual so it really worked for us. On mornings where he slept in we could get thru it in 15-20mins but most mornings it was about 35mins.   I really recommend it as it worked so well for us. Good luck there is nothing like a house full of kids and the morning school rush to bring the mummyzilla out.