I've Found It!

I had a sudden realization this morning. We were struggling, as it often seems, to get everyone ready for school. I was reminding the kids, "Karis, go get your shoes on." ... "Ben, let's brush your teeth." ... "Nate, you need to get your jacket on." This morning we actually needed to be at school a few minutes earlier than usual because the boys had a field trip and they were leaving the school at a certain time. So today, time was definitely of the essence. As we were nearing the point of everyone finally being ready, I saw this on the desk.....



and a light bulb went off in my head - a true "aha!" moment. I bought this new little gadget while out shopping yesterday and the kids played with it last night for nearly two hours. Now what do you know... I can turn this "toy" of a stop watch into something productive! Ha! And my plan worked. "Let's see how fast you can all get your backpacks on" ... "Nate, why don't you time how long it takes us to get to the van" ... etc. What a concept! I'm sure the newness and excitement will wear off over time, but for now, for this morning, it was a big help to get us out the door and to school early.