This post is sponsored by NESTLÉ® NESQUIK® but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

I may have grew up in the North going back to school in September but my kids are growing up in the South, which means they go back to school in August. My little northern heart can hardly take it. School in August!? Say it isn’t so! I think I have a harder time than they do when it’s time to go back to school. Mornings are just not my thing. But I don’t have a choice, during the school year, they have to be my thing. There are things that make our mornings easier, and there are things that make them harder. My hard mornings have taught me 5 tips for a great morning.

5 Tips for a Great Morning

Check Bags

Whether you’re preparing for the first day of school or it’s day 102 as soon as the kids get home from school check their bags and make sure you have everything they need. Have a paper that needs to be signed? Field Trip money that needs to be sent in? Take care of it the night before. Then place the bag in its designated spot and move on to the other things that need to be done for a great morning.

Pick Clothes the night Before

Picking clothes the night before may not be a huge time saver for some but when you have a child who is particular about their clothes it can be a huge time saver. Even with it not being a gigantic time saver having clothes picked out right down to socks and underwear ensures that you have everything you need for the kids to get dressed in the morning, and if you don’t, add laundry to the list.

Pack Lunches

Buying or packing it’s good to know what you’re doing the morning before. If they’re buying make sure their account has enough money, if they’re not buying get to packing. Prepare their lunch, water and snack. Make sure everything is good to go for the morning saves you time because you don’t have to worry about it in the morning and if you’re out of anything you need you know the night before instead of the morning of saving you time and stress.

Know What’s for Breakfast

Lately meal planning has been huge for me. Knowing what we’re having for breakfast and dinner especially have been huge in keeping our routines running smoothly. I love to give the kids options in the morning from things I know that we already have. So while they have options, the options aren’t a surprise to me and I know that I can pull it together for them.

We just came off this two week grocery store strike where we didn’t go to the grocery store for two weeks. Our goal was to get rid of a lot of stuff we had in our pantry for a long time as well as change our mindset to figure out what we did and didn’t need throughout the week. It also helped us determine what our families staples where and what we couldn’t afford to run out of during the week. For breakfast we know that we need things that are quick and easy like fruit, Einkorn waffles or pancakes and eggs. With school just around the corner we headed to Walmart to get some things to help us start the school year right.

After two weeks of not hitting up the grocery store we were all a little bored and wanted something new and exciting but something that was still functional for our family. NESTLÉ® NESQUIK® Super Breakfast hit the spot for us. You can find it right where we found it, in the juice aisle! It comes in Chocolate and Vanilla!

For the kids it was a special treat but for me, I knew that it was packed with 12 grams of protein and has no artificial sweeteners, flavors, colors or high fructose corn syrup. It also has vitamin A & D and of course calcium! Combined with half a homemade Einkorn waffle and a banana it made breakfast complete for the kiddos. Another win for mom? Saving $1.50 thanks to this coupon!

Wake Up Early

Perhaps the most important tip. Wake up early. Don’t hit snooze. Running behind, no matter how prepared you are never helps your day get off to a great start. With all things being ready the night before your best bet is to wake up an hour and a half  to two hours before work. I most often stick to 1 and 1/2 hours (remember I’m not a morning person) and I find that it gives me plenty of time for the kids to get ready and for a good breakfast no matter what they choose.

Choose Happy.

A bonus tip. No matter how the morning is going choose happy. Things aren’t always going to go as planned. You may be running behind at some point, it happens to me, it happens to the best of us. How we react to any situation that comes up has the ability to set the tone for the entire day. Not just for you but your family as well. So choose happy. And remember, even when things are running behind. There are always things you can take on the go!