“How I ensure my family and I make it out the door in the morning safely and in one piece.”

Whenever I come to work, I can always tell the difference between my co-workers at Mamamia who have kids and those who don’t. Instantly. The ones who don’t usually come in looking well rested and carrying a takeaway coffee. Their hair is brushed. They appear bright eyed and ready to face the day.

The mothers are another story.

They – we – arrive as though we’ve already lived 1000 lives before our workday even begins because we have. WE HAVE.

It’s not like I don’t remember when the biggest drama pre-work was when the outfit I’d planned in my head looked a bit rubbish when I put it on my body. CRISIS. Yes. A first-world crisis.

But that was literally decades ago. Almost two decades since the only person I had to feed, clothe and co-ordinate in the morning was myself.

The number of variables that can go wrong in the morning multiply with each child and with each activity they do.

“Where are my soccer boots?”
“I can’t find my cricket bat!”
“Have you lost your drink bottle AGAIN?”
“Don’t forget your clarinet!”
“Mum, I can’t find my clarinet!”
“Can’t anyone put their cereal bowl in the dishwasher?”
“My ponytail is too messy! I hate my hair!”
“I hate apples! Why do I have to have them for recess?”
“Has anyone thrown the ball for the dog? WHY NOT!”
“Where’s my phone? Who has been playing on it?”
“You have to sign my homework log!”
“You have to sign my reading log!”
“I need money for the walkathon!”
“It’s silly hat day and I don’t have a silly hat!”
“It’s the last day to send in my permission form for camp!”
“I don’t want to go to after-care!”
“Why can’t I have a lunch order like my friends?”
“One of the dogs has weed in the lounge room.”
“Where are my keys?”
“I can’t find any socks”

Rinse. Repeat. For approximately 15 more years!

And that’s before we even get into the car. I have never been a morning person and I assumed that would change once I had kids and was forced to become one but no. Nope. Nup. Not.

I still don’t function all that well in the mornings. It’s not my peak time. On reflection, I reckon my peak time is around 6-7.30pm. I’m great then.

Mornings, however.

There are just too many variables. Windows and doors that are left open or unlocked. Hair straighteners or irons that are left on. Dogs that are accidentally left to run wild all over the house and eat stray pairs of socks and underpants (I can’t even).

The drive to school for drop-off and then work is consumed with my brain frantically asking myself questions about said doors, windows, irons, dogs and hair straighteners. Did I even close the garage door? Do I even have a garage?

So now that I’ve hooked my house up with Telstra Smart Home, I can check all these things while I’m waiting in the car line to drop off the kids. Iron off? Check. Windows shut? Check. Door closed? Check. And locked! Bonus! Dog in laundry? Yes! I can see her! Hair straightener? Ooops! Best I turn it off from here WHILE I AM IN THE CAR. How cool is that.

I can’t ever imagine being one of those people who springs out of bed and into my day. I’m more of the kind that hits the snooze button on the alarm several times before grudgingly getting up while swearing under my breath. I can’t imagine being one of those super organised people who have my kids’ clothes laid out, musical instruments and sports equipment laid out by the front door, lunchboxes packed the night before…..

But I have discovered a few short cuts. I can use Telstra Smart Home to automatically switch the lights on in my kids’ bedroom to wake them up (I get up earlier to exercise) at a certain time. I can even use a sensor in my bedroom to turn the kettle on as soon as I get out of bed (minutes count in the morning, minutes count).

Now if only there was an app that made me into a morning person…

How do you get yourself organised in the morning? Tell us in the comments section below!

This content was created with thanks to our brand partner Telstra Smart Home.