The school summer holidays have ended and the kids are back at school - but are you really ready?
There&apos;s always an intention that this time there will be a routine and structure to getting the little ones out of the door to school.
So, for those that might find getting ready for the school run a stressful time, here are some amazing life hacks that will make it a smooth operation.
There&apos;s only one way to start the day and that&apos;s by being up and ready for the little mites. This way you will be mentally prepared and can get everything in place for the kids, when they surface from their beds.
Pep up proceedings by making a playlist and challenging the children to do a task per song, from brushing teeth to getting dressed.
Belfast Live reported that you can make life easier in the morning by laying out uniform and shoes the night before.
The only constant with the British weather is that it can change at a drop of a hat. Be prepared for this by organising outdoor garments into wet and dry baskets and possibly one for cold mornings.
Here you can place umbrellas, raincoats, wellies, as well as suncream and sun hats. Basically, whatever the weather, just dip in to the respective box.
With time in the morning at a premium, laying the table the night before with all the non-perishables can save precious minutes.
A great way of making sure that a routine is kept and all the tasks are completed before leaving for school, is by having a laminated &apos;to-do&apos; list.
Add a wipe-off marker and all the jobs that need doing, from getting dressed to filling water bottles can be ticked off by the children.
A full line of ticks means that all is good to start the day.
There&apos;s always that moment when the best laid plans go out of the window and the spilling of breakfast is one of them.
There&apos;s nothing like a errant cornflake to make a pristine uniform look like it&apos;s days old. Top tip is to put an old t-shirt over the uniforms, then anything that doesn&apos;t go in the mouth will not lead to a change in school wear.
Packed lunches can be a time-consuming affair, so mass producing these on a Sunday night can help throughout the week.
Fruit and veg snacks can be pre-made and stored in the fridge, while there&apos;s an option of packing up bagged snacks so that they are all ready to be dropped into lunch boxes each morning.
To save more time, have two lunch boxes per child so that you can always be a day ahead.
The fridge door has a finite amount of space for school letters to be attached to with a magnet and similarly, if filed away they quickly become out of sight and out of mind.
Keep it simple, just use a pinboard and then for each member of the family have a bulldog clip attached, which can grab those important communications.
There&apos;s a great way to make sure all those important family details are never forgotten. Fixing a chalkboard to a wall not only gives the kids somewhere to doodle, it also means you can write important information for the week.
The kids will never be late with their homework again, or forget their P.E. kit.
When was the last time you checked in your child&apos;s school bag? That&apos;s good, you are one of the more organised parents. For others though, make sure you look through the bag as soon as you are home each day and help prepare it for the next day.
It&apos;s almost certain that breakfast will find its way around the faces of the little ones, so always keep a pack of baby wipes at the ready for a last minute face freshener before school.
There&apos;s no greater time waster in the morning than getting sucked into social media or reaching out for mobile or tablet to catch up with the latest news or games.
Look to limit the amount of interaction with your screen before the school run and maybe use it as a reward for the children, for getting all tasks done before school.