Smoothing out the morning bumps

All moms are working moms.  But for those who devote 40-50 hours a week outside the home, it's crucial to attempt to simplify every imaginable area of life.  How does one manage to accomplish the basic things:

• Clean house
• Shop for groceries
• Laundry
• Errands
• Paying bills and financial matters
• Kid's homework
• Be present at kid's activities
• Spending time with your husband
• Cultivate old friendships and make new ones!
• Pursue any personal interest outside of home & work.
• ...and....possibly... sneak in an hour to go to the gym or soak in a bubble bath??!

No wonder women are so exhausted!  So I've begun to think about what sort of things need to take place in order to create a better routine.  Most working moms can attest to the fact that mornings are by far the most rushed.  So here are some things that I've begun to do to smooth out the morning bumps:

Smoothing out the morning bumps

• I do as much as I can the night before.  Set out clothes for the next day (physically-for kids, mentally-for myself).  Lately this has proven to be exhausting since my 6 year old has decided that nothing fits quite right, nothing at all, not even his underwear.  So now HE sets his own clothes out.
• Wake up one full hour before my kids do. This will allow me to get dressed and take care of my own things and get breakfast set out before the house awakes.  Being able to focus my attention solely on them once they are up seems to add exponential time to our morning.
• Plan to arrive everywhere about 20 minutes early. Note--usually we're about 5 minutes late. But this proves to give us a much better shot at showing up on time.