This post is sponsored by Jimmy Dean but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
A Busy Mom Must-Have Family life gets busy, especially in the morning. Between getting everyone up, fed, ready for school, work, practice, etc. the life of a mom can feel hectic and overwhelming in the morning.
This post is written by me on behalf of General Mills. All opinions are entirely my own. This shop has been compensated by Acorn Influence, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
My favorite times with my family is around the kitchen table. As the kids have gotten older, I’ve realized this is one of the few times that they are all able to get along and focus on sharing what is going on in their lives. However, by the time all three children reached school age, getting everyone to the breakfast table became my most dreaded time of the day. With three children to get dressed, homework to find, lunches to pack, and of course that one missing shoe to find as the bus pulls down the road, food just wasn’t on my mind.
Yet I still missed that special time in the morning when I could look around the table and love on my family before the day starts and life gets messy. After a few weeks of chaos and my mommy intuition nagging at me, I took a few steps to make sure we all got to the breakfast table every morning.
1. Lay out everything the kids will need the next day before bed. I used to do this as a kid, but with my oldest son being incredibly picky about clothes and my daughter wanting to wear every accessorie she owns, I tried to just let them have a free for all to avoid a mommy melt down. Big mistake! Now they have 30 minutes before bed to decide exactly what they want to wear down to their socks and undies.
Also backpacks are fully packed. If homework is not finished by bedtime, they have to explain it to their teacher because gone are the days of rushed homework before school. Lastly shoes are left by the door and ready to go, no more missing pairs. Plus I may or may not have threatened to make them wear their snowboots to school the next time they loose their shoes (we moved to Florida this year, snowboots arn’t in fashion). Having absolutly everything ready to go has helped smooth out our mornings the most.
2. Wake up 15 minutes before I have to wake up the kids. I used to roll out of bed, stumble to drag each child out of bed, before pushing the start button on the coffee maker. I am now a morning person at all, so waking up even just 15 minutes early was a transition for me, but it has been a huge help. In that 15 minutes, I am able to drink some coffee and take a minute to enjoy the calm before the storm. In turn the kids feed off of my more relaxed energy and have a much more pleasant morning.
3. Get easy and quick breakfast options everyone likes, like Big G Cereal! Big G Cereal keeps my kids smiling with cereals such as Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Trix, and Cookie Crisp. Plus they have mommy’s favorite Honey Nut Cheerios, so everytime I’m at Publix I make sure to stock up on all my families favorites. By putting the kid’s favorite Big G Cereals on the table, everyone comes to the breakfast table happy and ready to enjoy some family time.
These Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls are the perfect way to start any Fall morning!
Have I mentioned that I love Fall? The cool air, the hint that Winter is on its way, and the fact that everyone you turn, it’s getting closer and closer to apple picking time!
Backing with apples is actually quite a bit of fun. Depending on the type of apple that you get, you can make something sweet, tart or downright mouth-puckering good. The great part about cooking with apples? They are actually quite forgiving and simple to use!
Nothing says Fall better than these Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls. Warm from the oven are an amazing way to eat them but truth be told, they are seriously just as good eating them the next morning. (or in the middle of the night when you need a pick me up!)
Keep this recipe handy because it’s a winner for sure. I love making these for the kiddos before school or even having a fresh pan waiting for them after. And be ready…there’s no way that anyone can stop at one. Trust me…We’ve tested this theory out time and time again!
