August 14, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I, II, III & IV • Page 9 Make the morning rush to school a lot less hectic Weekday mornings during the school year can be hectic. Parents who must get their youngsters ready for school while preparing for their own day often find themselves rushing through the morning and wishing for just a little more time before they have to run out the door. While parents can’t add another hour to the morning unless they wake up earlier, there are ways they can be more efficient in the morning. An efficient morning is typ- ically a less hectic one, and the following are a few ways families can work together to make more efficient use of their time. Get a head start the night before. Perhaps the most effec- tive way to make mornings less hectic during the school year is to accomplish as much as possible the night before. Instead of making kids’ lunches each morning, make them at night right before you go to bed. Along with your kids, lay out their clothes for the next day before they go to sleep each night. This way kids won’t waste time in the morning agonizing over what to wear, and they are liable to put up less of a fuss in the morning if they had a hand in choosing their attire for the day. Avoid turning the kitchen into a diner each morning. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it also can be the most indecisive meal of the day. Kids likely will not want to eat the same thing for breakfast every day, but give them fewer options so let time will be spent discussing what they are going to eat. The more closely the breakfast options resemble those of a diner, the more time a child is liable to waste choosing what to eat. Limit time spent in the bathroom. Spending too much time in the bathroom is another way families waste time on weekday mornings. Bathroom time should be limited to a set amount of time per person so everyone can get where they need to go on time. How much time adults and chil- dren spend in the bathroom each morning should depend on how many bathrooms available and how many people are sharing them. Even if everyone has a private bathroom, try to limit the time spent in the bathroom to 15 minutes per person. Locate must-have items before going to bed at night. Car keys, cell phones, wallets, eyeglasses, and backpacks are a handful of items that will be needed at some point during the day. Locate these items before going to bed each night and place them in the same convenient place. This saves the trouble of running around in the morning look- ing for lost car keys or wondering where an item ended up the night before. Turn off the television. Watching television in the morning can be very distracting, which can make it harder for adults and kids alike to get out the door on time. Kids might want to watch cartoons, which may keep them from preparing for school or brushing their teeth. Adults can grow easily distracted by news programs and morning shows, which will eat up time they need to get ready for the day ahead. Gas up the car the night before. A pit stop at the gas station en route to school or the office will only add to the hectic nature of the morning. Check the fuel gauge each night before arriving home and refuel your vehicle, if nec- essary. Weekday mornings during the school year can quickly become frenetic. However, using a few time-saving tips can ensure that everyone will start off the day a lot more relaxed.