Cindy collapses on the couch after getting the last of all 3 kids to bed. She feels like she has been living in the fast lane lately. And no wonder, between school and the kids' activities, Cindy is spending most of her day either getting the kids ready to go somewhere or driving in the car. The whole process is exhausting. First thing in the morning, she cant get the kids to wake up. Well, except for 1 1/2 year old Zachary that is, who rises at 5:30 am. Next, is the battle to get everyone dressed and ready for school. Theres the dawdling, the I cant find my...., and the occasional defiant I am not going to school today." There are lunches to be made, shoes to find, mouths to wipe and diapers to change. Its a wonder Cindy hasnt pulled her hair out by 8am. Then of course they are always running late, and just when they are about to jump in the car, Nicole will remember her library book is due that day. By the time they leave, they are so late, Cindy has the pedal to the metal driving to school. And, if she had a really hectic morning and didnt grab a snack for Zachary on the way out the door, she has the privilege of hearing him whine during the drive as well.

Today had been one of those days and in her rush to get Nicole to school, she got pulled over. When the police officer asked for her insurance card and registration, Cindy looked at him as if he were crazy. She gave him her license and while he went to run it, she was scrambling through the various glove compartments and storage areas in the car. After 10 minutes of searching, she produced a crumpled registration and 3 expired insurance cards. Cindy was given a speeding ticket and a ticket for failure to have insurance. Megan was whining about wanting to watch a movie, Zachary was crying because he was hungry, and Nicole was tardy.

Tracy is up at 5:30 am with Alex. Her days start early which is why she usually tries to sneak in a nap during Alexs nap and Brandons room time. While Kevin is having breakfast with Alex, Tracy jumps in the shower. Meanwhile, Brooks alarm goes off and she starts her day. Getting Brook her own alarm clock and teaching her to use it was a solution that eliminated some of the morning conflict between Tracy and Brook. In the process of this, they also figured out that Brook is a slow mover in the morning and does better if she has more time to get ready and isnt rushed.

While Tracy is getting dressed and getting Alex ready, Brandon and Nicole start on their Morning Cards, which allow them to get ready for school independently. Due to the older kids independence, Tracy has enough time to get Alex dressed, get ready herself, and make Nicoles lunch as well. There are still the occasional challenges in the morning, but having a workable routine makes life in the fast lane much more manageable. At 7:25, Tracy announces that the bus (really the family van) is leaving in 5 minutes. Before leaving, everyone stops in the mud room to grab their belongings. The mud room houses all of things the family needs to get out the door. Each person has a place to put their belongings as well as labeled hooks to hang backpacks, jackets, diaper bags and purses. At 7:30, everyone is loaded in the van and although the ride to school is not perfect, at least they arent rushed.

Tips for getting out the door with your sanity intact:

Getting up 15 minutes earlier can make all the difference between rushing out the door in the morning and being more relaxed.

Using something like Morning Cards eliminates the conflict between mom and kids during the morning rush hour. It also promotes independence and self esteem in children. If you are interested in purchasing Morning Cards, please contact me.

Have a place to hang your keys near the door. Creating a regular place to hang the keys in the house eliminates last minute key searches. If you have small children, be sure to hang them out of reach of little hands!

Designating a place for backpacks, jackets and shoes near the door, simplifies the leaving process. If your house does not have a mud room, consider creative options to create one. Go to http://www.perfectlyplaced.org and click on the photo gallery link to see a picture of what I did with one client to solve the problem in her home.

Keep a snack bin or drawer in the pantry for single size snacks. This makes packing lunches easier, as well as giving kids more independence in grabbing snacks.

Once in awhile, empty nearly empty cracker and cereal boxes into plastic baggies and place into the snack bin.

Keep a plastic coated folder with clear page protectors in your vehicle to store current insurance card, card registration and warranty information. That way, if you should get pulled over, you will be able to locate the information needed.

Keeping only a few items at a time in the family vehicle for the kids to do keep clutter at bay. For preschool-school aged kids, consider an inexpensive art kit and a notepad for each child. Label them to avoid arguments and store in the pockets behind the front seats.

There are items available (www.finderskeypurse.com) to save the frustration of digging through your purse to find your keys. These hooks are only available wholesale but I have a client who sells them. If you are interested in purchasing one, please contact me.