One of the things I love about this time of year is that we have settled into a schedule.
One of the downsides of a schedule is that now we are watching the clock.
The time for us with the biggest time crunch is in the morning. It seems like there is a lot to do in a short amount of time.
We were inspired to share our school morning routine by our sponsor, goodnessknows® Snack Squares. Days may be getting shorter, but that doesn’t mean that your snacking should fall short!
I am blessed that my kids are early risers, so that definitely helps. But even with wide-awake participants, the morning rush can be overwhelming.
It is my goal that my boys can run morning independently. It is one of the reasons why I play more of an “assistant” role vs. a directing one.
Here are five steps that we go through every morning to make sure everyone gets out of the house on time:
- Pack the backpack. This is done after homework is completed the night before. We found that if you wait until the busy morning hours, things easily get left behind or placed in the backpack in an unorganized manner.
- Grab water. A reusable water bottle is the best solution for us. The water fountains at school are few and far between, but can be used to refill a water bottle. Starting off the morning with ice and fresh water in a bottle gets the day started in the right way.
- Grab a snack. In the lower grades, a snack was mandatory which got us in a good pattern. But I have found that snacks are even more important in the later years when growing kids need regular fuel! Also, providing something like chock-full-of-good-ingredients goodnessknows Snack Squares from home can prevent poor choices later in the day at a vending machine.
- Pack a lunch. My kids have been in charge of packing their own lunches since Kindergarten. I am there in the morning to assist them and help, but not be in charge. Yes, there are often crazy lunch combinations that I would never have put together, but I just try to call that creative expression.
- Hug goodbye. I try to be on the receiving end of that hug, but often Panda our dog has better luck! The boys have a hard time saying goodbye to Panda because it will be a WHOLE EIGHT HOURS before they see her again.
goodnessknows Snack Squares
Goodnessknows Snack Squares are super convenient to have available for any snacking situation. They are delicious and contain whole nuts, real fruits, toasted oats and dark chocolate.
What they don’t contain: artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners!
Each package has four snackable squares (150 calories) has 100 milligrams of naturally-occurring cocoa flavanols. <—the good stuff found inside cocoa beans!
They come in three varieties:
- Cranberry Almond Dark Chocolate
- Peach & Cherry Almond Dark Chocolate – my favorite.
- Apple Almond & Peanut Dark Chocolate – my kids’ favorite. <—they all agree!
They are convenient to grab for a snack at school, a tasty lunchbox treat or after school too. We have a pantry box full of them for easy access.
Where to Buy goodnessknows Products
I was excited to see goodnessknows recently be placed on the shelves of my regular grocery store. It seems like each month they are available more and more places. You can find a place near you by visiting the store list on goodnessknows.
Find out more about goodnessknows on their website, by liking the goodnessknows FB page or following along on Twitter (@gksnacksquares) and IG (@gksnacksquares). Participate in the fun #tryalittlegoodness hashtag!
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