Dear FlyLady,

I have four school aged children in three schools. Morning used to be pure chaos. Forgotten homework, missing lunches, missed buses, lost sports equipment.. It was painful for both me and my children (My DH leaves for work at 5:00 am)

So I set up launch pad areas for each child. I took the design from the kindergarten room. For each child there is a row of 4 wooden hooks, a mat, and a shelf.. Backpacks, coats, sports gear, Scouting gear, and instruments all on hooks, mats, or shelves in the hall. When the children get home, we go over what is scheduled for tomorrow. After homework is done, backpacks on the hooks.

Instead of hanging the kids’ coats in our small coat closet, they are hung on a hook, so in the morning if it looks like rain, they just grab their raincoat. And as I wash sports gear, it goes back in it’s bag and on the shelf or hook it belongs on.

When the school lunch menu comes out at the beginning of each month we sit down and mark who needs to take lunch on which days. The night before when we are cleaning up from dinner, we set out lunch/snack boxes and prepare the meals (trying to use the leftovers.) I also prep breakfast for my little ones.

In the morning I get up before the children, have my cup of tea and get out their lunch:/snacks. Then start waking them up asking what they want for breakfast (I give them a choice.). No fighting over outfits., no searches for lost anything. When I get the question, “Mom where is my ._____ ” Check your hooks. And guess what – That is where it was.

Thank you for that morning peace because of our bedtime routines.
Fluttering in Central PA

The Miracle Bottle

Dear FlyLady,

I kept reading testimonials about the water bottle and I kept thinking about it. I do have a tendency to succumb to way too many pitches about the latest and greatest product so I kept resisting.

Oh, but I did love the idea of no more plastic water bottles and no more stopping at gas stations for bottled water when the kids and I were out for a long run of errands/shopping. (You really can’t get anything done with thirsty kids!)

I wouldn’t need just one though, I would need three and at $15 a pop plus shipping?that is a lot of water bottles before I have gained back my money.

I finally broke down and ordered the three bottles, they came quickly and I tagged one black, one pink and one orange and we started carrying them with us. I would put some ice and water in them and we’d start our day.

I didn’t fill up mine with ice, don’t like icy water just about 3 cubes at 7:30 a.m. I went into my office about 8:40 AM and I had left my new bottle in the car in our unshaded parking lot?  Oh, well. At 5:40 that afternoon in 93 degree weather I went back to my car. It was hot, the outside of the bottle was warm and, of course, I was sure the ice was melted-probably long before. I opened the bottle and had very cool refreshing water to drink.

I picked up my kids and told them about the bottle and my 7 yr old exclaimed, “whoa! They should call this thing a miracle bottle!”

We love our miracle bottles and I am pleased to see them back in stock — I just ordered 2 more for a friend and I have a co-worker who is stockpiling some for Christmas gifts.

They are more than worth the money spent!

JF in GA