I Ate a Bag of Chips for Breakfast This Morning, HELP!

Try to do everything at night. I take all of their clothing the night before, socks, hats, coats, etc. I line them up on the couch so when they wake up and have had their morning milk it's time to brush the teeth and to the living room to collect the clothes. My girls are 4 and 6, I also put the toothpaste on their brushes and start breakfast while they brushing. I get them dressed sit them down to eat and do their hair while they are eating (don't judge, thankfully no hair has fallen). It helps when I do everything the night before. I line up the book-bags by the door and on top of the bookbags are the coats, hats, etc. Good luck I know it can't be easy with that many kids but it will get better.

I like to make my own sausage biscuits (like the kind you get from McD's) buy baking a can of my own biscuits, getting pre cooked sausage patties, and putting them in plastic bags in the freezer for the week. Best part is it only take 30 secs in the microwave to warm it up (you can even add egg and cheese and it freezes pretty well for the week).
My boyfriend and I just tried the quaker oatmeal cereal, and its pretty tasty. Try mini bagels & individual cream cheeses or peanut butters. Hey I feel just making it out of the house with 4 kids should be an accomplishment (I don't know if I would ever be on time)! =) Good Luck!

wait, is there something wrong with chips for breakfast??? LOL been there done that! but same as several have suggested, prepare the night before. I'm not a fan of the breakfast bars but I will have hard boiled eggs around that I can grab and go with... I'm a SAHM with 3 boys, and I usually eat after I drop them off at school. or I grab a PBJ while I'm fixin their lunches... it does get easier as they grow, I promise!

Your title made me chuckle! =0) I think you're much more normal than you think! LOL Usually, starbucks is my breakfast. Does that even count since you're not even chewing???! ;0)

Don't feel bad. I had a bag of chips for dinner last night. :/

Awww, give yourself a break mom! I'm sure you are evening out your diet elsewhere. Mornings are hectic, period. The fact that you are getting your kids well fed and off to a good start is great. For yourself? How about keeping a Fiber One bar in your car or purse? Or any protein bar for that matter (I really like the Special K ones too.) Oh, and I heard about a cool website from another post here, it's called Flylady.com and it has some good tips on staying organized. I think you are just fine, chips and all.

Yeah, you're right, the chips aren't great but no need to beat yourself up for it. I think all of us busy moms have mornings like this. Hey...at least you ate something for breakfast as opposed to having a super-binge for a mid-morning snack or during lunch.

On the weekends, maybe you can throw together your 'to-go' breakfasts that can be eaten in the car. Go ahead and portion out one ounce servings of nuts (almonds are great and Planters have 'NUTrition' blends that include dried fruits and such) into little baggies so you grab that along with a string cheese for a great AM punch, complete with good carbs, fats, proteins, and fiber. You can also make baggies of cereal and pair them with a fruit like a banana, apple, pear, or anything else that doesn't require 'work' to eat. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich (natural nut butter and prepared on a whole grain bread) as well as a turkey and swiss sandwich would work too - hand held, you can make it ahead of time, and can grab and go in the am. You could even eat cut up veggies like cucumbers, strips of peppers, baby carrots, celery, etc.

The key is to get everything ready on Sunday so that during the week you can grab and go. Don't feel trapped into the typical breakfast foods either - it is perfect acceptable to have a sandwich in the AM :)

Get them bathed the night before and then put the three little ones in their clothes for the next day. As long as it is sweats or wash and wear play clothes, it will look fine. Get them all cute bob haircuts so you are not messing with braids and ponytails or kids crying while you are brushing out knots. In the morning on work/school days only offer cereal and milk and maybe a banana or something. As long as it is a healthy whole grain cereal, they are fine! No hot breakfast during the week. Have the 8 year old pour everyone some cereal (make sure you have plastic cups/bowls and then let them eat while you get ready. Even the 1 year old can do cheerios and banana chunks on a tray. When they are done eating--have them watch a cartoon while you finish getting ready. Most of all, get a strict routine and stick to it! With 4 kids you don't have time to be wasting arguing about things, so have a schedule and expect them all to follow it. If they don't finish breakfast--cartoons don't go on. If they don't finish eating by the time they have to leave, they go to school hungry. Trust me they will get ob board fast once they know you mean business. The key is getting everyone in a routine and getting as much done the night before as possible. Wishing you the best! And don't worry about what you ate for breakfast--we've all been there! Get some cereal bars or something and stash in your car glovebox so you have a go-to option =)

I would do as much prep the night before. Cut up bowls of fruit for everyone (including mama) the night before.

I eat a bowl of oatmeal (not instant, but quick cooking. It's in the tall cylinder container.) I make it with milk and zap it for 1 min. 30 seconds. Then I add raisins or craisins and walnuts. It's healthy and fast. You could have it pre-measured the night before along with premeasured toppings.

Here is a recipe for Breakfast cookies. My kids LOVE them. My 1 year old will eat 6 at a time. They freeze well too.

Healthy eating takes pre-planning. Good luck!

Breakfast Cookies
3 mashed bananas (ripe), 1/3 cup apple sauce, 2 cups uncooked quick-cooking oats, 1/4 cup skim milk, 1/2 cup raisins (or any other dried fruit you want to add), 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tbsp Splenda, sugar or other sweetener.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a bowl really well. Let this mixture stand for at least 5 minutes to let the oats become good and hydrated. Heap the dough by teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes and let cool.

Variations: If you add some chopped nuts, you have a grab and go breakfast that includes protein as well as fruits and grains. Dried cranberries are also a great addition if you don't care for raisins. Cardamom fans may want to substitute that spice for the cinnamon.

WOW! You are one busy Mom in the morning! You still take the time to make a healthy breakfast for your kids...how awesome is that!

O.K. I know not what you are asking =-)

You're doing better than me actually. All I've had is coffee. At least chips have some protein!

What I have done is keep a lunch bag in my car with granola bars, breakfast cereal bars and trail mix. That way when I’m running around there is always a snack in the car for me & the kids.

Get rid of the chips...replace them with cereal/granola bars.

The night before everyone should participate in preparing their clothes for the next morning from the undershirt to the shoes. None of this should be decided in the a.m. The chaos is much better in the evening than in the morning when you are pressed for time. Think Gosslin Family, I am sure they must think far ahead in order to make a schedule. I know she has help, but this really helps me with my 1 little friendly ball of chaos.

hahahaha... Baked ruffles taste like cardboard, why are you torturing yourself?

What you ought to try to do is get into the habit of is getting EVERYTHING totally layed out the night before. Even have your breakfast menu figured out.
There will be a lot less drama in the morning which will make it easier to deal with the little unexpected things that will rear their ugly heads, like someone spilling milk, or a diaper explosion.
4 kids, holy mackerel.... My hat is off to you. You will laugh at all of this frenzy one day, guaranteed.
Now, since all you have is a bag of cardboard ruffles in your tummy find yourself something a little more nourishing and enjoy the rest of your day ;)

If you can get yourself and 4 kids - including 2 preschoolers and a baby - out the door in 90 minutes, you should be posting your tips! You are remarkable!

That said, my favorite grab and go breakfasts from my working days are egg-cheese-salsa wraps (frozen and nuked), chicken apple sausage (premade & I eat them cold) and whole wheat carrot zucchini muffins. Don't forget to take care of yourself when you are an amazing single mom!

a single mom of 4, wow!!! hats off to you already, girlie!
and kudos for making sure your kids had a good breakfast even while you were shortchanging yourself. we've all done the chip thing at some point. just bear in mind, not in a guilt-trip way but a nurturing one, that like your kids you have a lot to handle every day and you NEED to be well-fueled. take as good care of yourself as you do your kids.
i echo the advice to set yourself up the night before. keep bananas or granola bars handy for those emergency in-the-car meals. sometimes i'll even make a protein shake or green drink the night before and keep it in the fridge in one of those blender cups with the shaker ball inside (do those have an easy name??) so in the morning i can just shake, chug and go.
have your kids lay out their clothes (including socks!) the night before too. the older 2 can easily do this, and even the 3 year old can help.
good luck!
khairete
S.

Sounds like you are doing a pretty good job already. If you find yourself once in a while having to grab whatever is in the car for your breakfast... just plan that that is going to happen occasionally, and stock something breakfast "worthy" in the car!

A pack of peanut butter crackers sounds like junk, but actually has a serving of protein (I think 6 or 7 grams) and that's what you need in the morning. Or keep a couple of your favorite healthy cereal or granola bars (Kashi are my favorites). A ziploc bag with a handful of almonds or walnuts is healthy also. All these things you can stick in your glove box or the flip up compartment in the console.

No tricks, just lots of planning and establishing routines.
-Make the coffee the night before and set the timer (you must need it!)
-Lay out their clothes the night before- including you. Let them pick it out and have a strict "no switche" rule in the morning
-Have the 8 yr. old help dress one of the toddlers
-Pack lunches (if you need to) the night before and have them "bagged" in the fridge
-Pack ALL bags the night before and put them in the car (including your purse if you have a garage). Leave your keys and cell phone together and always in the same place
-Sit down and eat with your children, if you can
-Keep a box of cereal bars in your car along with a 6pack of water or juice
-Wake up 20 minutes before your kids. Have a cup of coffee and get yourself "half ready" before they get up.

I get up at 5:15 so that I can get myself made-up, dressed and caffeinated before my husband and son are up at 6. It really makes a difference and I feel less "scattered". I do everything the night before. All-in-all the packing and preparing takes 30 minutes at night, but would take much longer in the morning!

Thanks for posting this.... It sounds as if we live in the same house.... On day last week, I had a fortune cookie and some Outburst Candy... LOL... That was what was sitting in the car! I have had everyone also preach the "night before" routine to me; but I will be honest, I am soooo darn tired the night before I just see it as torture! (AHHH- to have to do one more thing. I did the SAME thing this morning. Got up, got the kids a healthy breakfast made, clothes ironed and on, lunches made and then I popped about 10 "Baked Veggie Chips" for breakfast. So I will be intrested in what others have to say. I just want you to know you are not alone.

Stock your car or desk drawer with good eats ahead of time so you're prepared and have something good to eat on the go. I'm a single mom too and I have to admit....I make sure my daughter gets a good breakfast...but most of the time I skip breakfast or have something at work when I get there. ..sometimes it's just coffee for breakfast.

I literally keep a stash of socks ( 2pairs each) downstairs by shoes and coats and stuff. Even if I lay them out for my kids, they somehow don't always get on their feet and then i don't relize it until we're getting ready to run out the door almost late!

Doing as much as you can the night before is the number one thing, but also not sabotaging yourself by having food on hand that is easy to eat on the go...a banana, cereal bars, I like the fruit and grain ones, they are tasty. I used to think...oh I am too tired in the evening I don't want to do x, y, z...but after so many mornings of feeling like my heart was going to beat out of my chest from anxiety I have decided it is so worth the time, I use FlyLady and she gets you on healthy habits, the best for me is my before bedtime routine...now I have one bad morning every once in a while instead of every morning feeling rushed and frazzled.

Lay clothes out the night before.Try staggering their wakeup times by 15 mins. Sit down and eat breakfast with your kids.I made lunches and set the coffee the night before.

Well, first of all, a big hats off to you for going it alone. It takes a lot of planning, scheduling, and balancing to have that many with little to no help. I know; I have 5kids (8, 7, 5, 3, & 2) but the hubby leaves shortly after they wake up. Mornings aren't a breeze at my house, but I can share how we do things. If any of it helps, use it, but if not toss it to the side.
First, I wake up before I get the girls up. Even if I don't shower and dress (which I should do), I am up getting their things ready and details finalized. Sometimes I know that I'll be back home after dropping the big girls off the school and just plan a shower then. Girls are up at 6, so I am (supposed to be) up at 5:03. THis sounds better than 5 am. I iron clothes if I need to, set up toothbrushing stuff, and lay out clothes. We pick out clothes by the week and lay them on the dresser.They get dressed in the one room where I've laid the clothes. All five are never doing the same thing and the same time. 1 is brushing teeth while 1 is getting dressed while 1 is taking the morning potty. We rotate those stations with getting shoes on, cleaning the big 2's glasses, getting out hair stuff (we're an African American house of all girls and a husband), and picking out breakfast. There are mornings when I cook breakfast--pancakes, biscuits, or something--but these are usually rare during the week. We also have days when I say pick a cereal or pick your pop tart or yogurt, and everyone eats the same kind of thing that morning. THats how every Thursday is because I let them sleep in an extra 15 mins because of the late night at church on Wednesday. The TV doesn't go on their channel until all have had breakfast and I'm just combing hair. THere are limited distractions, save the conversations and regular morning areguments of a household this size. But we try to leave at 7:30 or "when Arthur goes off" so I feel your pain. Try the things that may work for you. Good Luck!

For a while I was making yogurt parfaits on Sundays and taking them with me as I left for work. But here are a couple of more tips. (Full disclosure:
I work for Texas Health Resources and our Mom blog recently had a post from a dietitian with some healthy, quick breakfasts. http://texashealthmoms.blogspot.com/2010/10/breakfast-tip...)

She recommended:

--2 slices 100% whole wheat toast each with 1 Tbs. natural peanut butter and top with slices banana
--1 scrambled egg, 2 oz turkey sausage, 1 whole 100% wheat mini bagel with 2 Tbs. 100% fruit jelly and 8 oz low-fat milk
--1 cup cooked oatmeal topped with ½ cup fresh blueberries and 2 Tbs. chopped pecans, 8 oz low-fat milk
--Yogurt Parfait: 6 oz low-fat Greek yogurt, 1 Tbs. honey, ¾ cup whole grain cereal and 2 Tbs. chopped nuts (or flaxseed)
--Non-traditional breakfast: 1 – 100% whole wheat tortilla rolled with 2 oz turkey and 1 slice 2% cheese in addition to a pre-made yogurt smoothie

I'm going to be echoing a few comments...First try try try and prepare the clothing the night before. It has helped me immensly. Wake yourself and the 8 year old up and dress yourself before you wake anyone else. Or at least do a few things that are time consuming. THen wake up the crew perhaps one by one. Dress and go to the next. I'm not in your shoes so it would have to be a practice and try different things.
Now with breakfast, Keep a granola bar, nutrigrain, something to snack on if need be. I have two kids and I go hours with out eating in the morning. But I try to pack something like the bars to hold me over. Also, water, drink water and it will keep you from eating the chips. AND don't have chips in the car. No temptation.
Hope this helps.
But if you are like me

No judging here! LOL been there done that! I found it is VERY helpful to have everything possible laid out the night before. My kids pick out the outfit they will wear before they go to bed all the way down to shoes. Folders are signed, lunchboxes ready to go, snacks for school already in bag, and breakfast picked out. Our morning generally take (from wake up to out the door) about 30 minutes. For the little ones, have diaper bag and clothes all ready and waiting by the door. For you, have a container in your vehicle with healthier foods like granola bars, baggies of your favorite cereal, or some fruit.

In my single days, this would've sounded good. I remember eating one of those packets of little chocolate donuts & Dr. Pepper for breakfast! When I was going to Jr. College, I would go through McDonald's every morning & get an Egg McMuffin (no egg--hated eggs then), hash browns and a Dr. Pepper, sometime I'd have an apple danish.

The way I would get 7 of us ready for church on Sunday morning was to start preparing on Saturday night. The kids had to show me their clothes, all the way to shoes, and have them ironed & ready to go before bed. Make it fun & give them a colored plastic basket to put their clothes in that they are wearing the next day.

Yogurt is good for you & easy to take along if need be. Activia vanilla is wonderful. Breakfast bars, instant oatmeal, bagels are always quick & easy.

God bless you for raising 4 little ones all by yourself. I have 5 children and I can not imagine raising them alone. Best of luck to you.

I work swing shift, by the time I get home at night and wind down it's really late and then get up first thing in the morning to get my son ready for pre-school can be a chore at times. We normally have fresh fruit in a big basket and sometimes I just grab a banana or an apple or something like that when I'm rushed out the door. Sometimes it's not exactly what I want to eat, but atleast it's nutritional. I am also on Advocare a nutritional vitamin based weight loss program that requires you to eat. You just have to make the choices of what you want to eat. I wouldn't beat yourself up about having the chips - they are there and it was quick.
If you feel you need to change things then it's time to take a step back and see the bigger picture - look at what you are doing and see if you can tweek it to make it better. Try to get up 5 or 10 more minutes earlier everyday (that's a lot better than a hour before you normally get up) and see if that helps if you can't get it all organized the night before. Plus we are creatures of habit....YOU are the one that has to change it and YOU are the one that has to WANT to have the change.
Also - I wouldn't do drastic changes at first either - that's how you fail and fall backwards into the normal you call now. Baby steps.

Good luck hun - you can do it if you want to. PS - hats off to you managing 4 kiddos too!!! hugs.

We make breakfast burritos in bulk using the following as our guide:

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2009/02/20/bulk-breakfast-...

Obviously you can use whatever you like, but I was new to bulk cooking when I found this blog. It took me one Saturday morning and we had breakfast for 2-3 weeks. Saved my rear. My tip if you use it? Take the burritos out of the freezer and let them thaw overnight in the fridge. Saves a ton of time on reheating in the morning.

Hi Mama-

I could use a few tricks for me too!! Daddy works the weekends and I often find myself traveling with the kids on my own and have often found myself reaching for a bag of chips!

Don't worry, we all have been there as long as we don't let it become a habit.

I look forward to reading some of the hints.

~C.

Well...you are doing great to give the kids a healthy breakfast. Some things I do are laying out clothes for myself and my son the previous night. Also I keep granola bars and oatmeal that I can microwave at my desk in my office which I have for breakfast in case I cannot eat at home.Maybe this helps!

I've head you can put water and oatmeal in a thermos the night before and the next morning it's hot and cooked. you can also keep a fiber one bar in your car or other easy, hand foods in the car for you to eat on the way to work. When I was working, I used to fix a cup with cereal and milk and eat at red lights from the cup. Then I'd drink the milk and breakfast was done! I'm thinking you just need some good alternatives in your car in order for you to have something. I'm sure you know the rest of these tricks, like getting everyone's clothes out the night before, maybe put the little ones things on the couch so you can put a show on for them and dress them all in the same room; pull out whatever you need in the morning for breakfast the night before like if it's cereal, put the bowls on the table with the box. the 8 year old could even pour for everyone if he gets there before you. If you are having fruit, cut it the night before. The biggest problem I have with the "night before" stuff is that I'm so tired the night before I don't want to do anything else!!! I commend you for looking for tricks because yes, a bag of chips is doing you no service. So, think of hand foods you like, granola bar, breakfast fruit bar, yogurt (either in a cup to eat at red lights or in a tube), think about putting a stash at work if you can so if it's not in the car you can at least grab it from your desk when you get there. You could even keep some oatmeal packets there if it's acceptable for you to eat at your desk. Hang in there! It will get easier as your kids get older!

Ha. OMG, you made me laugh this morning! Thank you. I've been known to eat a hand full of cheese puffs or grapes with my coffee (while making the kids lunch). But when I'm "on-it" I have shopped during the weekend, brought the quaker breakfast bars and juicebox sized orange juice. Things that can be eaten by me and the kids in the car. We shower & set out clothes, get backpacks (and now jackets) ready and lined up by the door all the night before. Perhaps your eight year old can be responsible for "helping" the 4 y/o. Leaving you with only 2 kids plus yourself to get ready? Also, your make up can be done at work, get a good haircut to make getting yourself ready. Good luck, hang in there, I'm sure it's not as bad as you think!

Wow, you have some great suggestions here. One that I haven't seen is a trick my friend with 3 kiddos managed with. Her youngest had CP and needed extensive streching in the mornings. She finally figured out that it was best for them to dress at night in sweats for the next day. They didn't look any worse than everybody else and it took a lot of pressure off of everybody. Sounds great for the little ones especially during the winter. She took a lot of teasing from those who knew but she accomplished her goal of less stressful mornings. They are all successful In HS and college so no long term damage (lol)! Take charge, think out of the box and do it YOUR way, you have everybody's permission (like that matters)!

Keep in mind i am working the kinks out of morning routine myself! Can you get up a 5am and have 15 minutes of meditation or exercise and then take a shower and then wake up the children? Maybe laying the clothes and putting outthe breakfast bowls at night would help as well.

Get everything laid out and ready the night before. This will make your mornings run more smoothly. Also, check out flylady.net. She has great ideas for getting organized and staying on top of cleaning without beating yourself up or driving yourself crazy. Good luck!

The trick that best helps me is getting as much ready the night before (i.e., socks) as possible! Things will surely come up in the morning, but if you have clothes picked out (and ironed if necessary), lunches mostly ready, and their backpacks ready, it will help you a whole lot. Don't forget to get your clothes ready, too. Maybe you could eat a granola bar for breakfast? Pick one of those healthy fruit and nut ones. Anyway, I still end up late more than I'd like, but preparing the night before seems to be the best way to end the morning craziness!

Goodness you're h*** o* yourself. Big deal. Glad you realize that its not healthy to continue. Stock healthier breakfast bars or yogert drinks. I can't even imagine balancing 4 young children. Searching for socks frantically? There is room for improvement for sure. That will drive you crazy. I'd make sure they all have 2 weeks worth of socks and underwear just in case you have a bad week. Good luck to you. Read some of those organizational books. Other than that, don't be h*** o* yourself. You have a huge responsibility!

We keep ZBars and CLIF bars in the house for the early busy mornings. They are reat for on the run. You got some great tips. Praying that you find a groove that works for you. Blessings! I second having the children helping you, even the little ones can do some of it. An idea is to buddy the 8 year old with one of the little ones, and have him/her get that child ready to go (dress, help with breakfast,etc).

I see you already have 41 answers, so I might be repeating everything. You have a lot on your plate and it's more than chips! However, I too ate chips in the morning (ok Cheetos) quite a bit. They were delicious. Looks like this is just a job for preplanning...crockpots for dinner planning, cooking meats on weekends then throwing things together at night with vegetables, also work. Toss breakfast bars into the back of the car, pre portioned fruits, etc. If you have any warehouse stores stop in those and make it an outing to get large quantities of packaged lunch meat, etc.
No time for laundry? Hang up things that look alright immediately so they are ready for a different day (alternate of course-I always think people notice two days in a row). Except for stinky shirts of course. And corral everybody at night and get it all ready. Hard to do, but I grew up in a family with a single mother and six kids. The eight year old can probably handle his/her own clothing choices. If you want to laugh my son had a philosophy that worked until he decided clothes shouldn't be wrinkled. He went to sleep in what he was going to wear the next day. As long as its clean...I know it is hard. You will have to skip things since you need your sleep. If you are somebody that has to vacuum, oh well, let that go. If you think everyone's beds should be made so what. Don't invite anyone over. If they show up that's their tough luck. What if you make certain days of the week red clothes day, green day, etc. Ok, I'm not there so I might not be helpful, but if one thing works, I'll be happy. In the meantime here's a hug and God bless you.

LOL...A., I think we have all been there and done that! At least they were baked! ;)

Seriously though, I have found with my kiddos (8 and 5) that preparing as much as possible the night before is the best and easiest thing to do. I am a horrible morning person, as is my daughter. My son wakes up smiling but has his bad days, too. Needless to say, we need every extra minute we can get in the AM.

They have a chore list and their "before bed routine" includes the usuals like brushing teeth but also includes packing their own backpack, making sure I haven't over looked any papers that need to be signed, etc., picking out their clothes (socks, undies, shoes and all) for the next day, and getting their snack together. Their teacher gave me a schedule of their "specials" (p.e., music, etc.) and it's posted near there chore list so they know what kind of clothes to pick out and there aren't any "OMG...I need tennis shoes today!!" mornings. I also printed out a school lunch menu and every Sunday they look at the following week and write a "B" in blue (ds) or red (dd) marker on days they will buy lunch and "H" for days they will bring lunch from home. This way I am able to look at the menu and know who is or isn't getting lunch from home the next day.

Also, put breakfast together the night before. Put cereal in a bowl with a cup of milk and keep it in the fridge. You can ask your 8 year old to help you with this. Each kiddo gets a bowl of cereal and cup of milk and they can pour the milk on themselves and eat. There are also really great omelette-to-go recipes that are super easy:
Spray a muffin tin (or use one of those non stick rubber kind) with cooking spray. Mix up eggs or beaters (whatever preference you have) with your favorite omelette toppings. Either line the bottom of each muffin tin with a slice of pre cooked canadian bacon or a piece of bacon cut in half, or dice up the meat and add it right to the egg mixture. I will sneak in finely diced mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes (hahaha!) and the kid don't even know they are there. Pour the egg mixture into each tin about 1/2 or 3/4 way up and bake for about 20 minutes at 350. Store them in a tupperware container in the fridge and you've got a good to go breakfast for every day!

I hope some of these suggestions help. Even when I am dragging and dead tired, I still try to do these little things the night before. I am definitely thanking myself the next morning! :)

Buy a box of granola bars or trail mix. Carnation instant breakfast used to be one of my favorites can have high fat and calories but also some nutrition and any of them would be a better choice than chips and just as easy. Good luck and what a super woman you are for having that many kids and doing it all yourself.

www.BestBreakfastEver.com

Never leave home without it! LOL!

B.
Family Success Coach

herbalife protein shake easy to make and fast

Could you set out things the night before? I mean like EVERYONE'S outfit down to socks and hairbows as well as any bags, already packed, that need to go with you. Also, my almost 4 and 5 year old are getting better at being self sufficient in the morning. I made a picture list of the things I need them to do and have velcro next to the items. Each time they finish one, they take a sticker (with another piece of velcro on the back) and can check off what they've done. They get dressed (clothes all ready laid out), brush teeth, and make their bed. The 5 year old's personality and age make him a snap, but the other one needs more goading but not for me to do it. We also make a game of "can you beat the timer?" to get all of their stuff done.