Moms' on-time tips for avoiding the morning school rush

Here are the entries we're received so far from At Home readers hoping to win the Organizables brand weekday hanging bags for organizing a week's worth of school clothes and accessories. There's still time to enter the contest to win the pink set, so for a chance to win, e-mail win(at)athomenj.com by Oct. 26 and share your strategies for getting the kids to school on time. Also, check back for more tips, or just post your own in the comments area. You'll still need to e-mail to enter the contest, however.

My second-grader is naturally very competitive, so I make getting ready each morning a game. Whoever gets ready first wins. So far, she has been happy just being “The Winner.” I'll probably have to come up with prizes at some point to keep it exciting. Then we'll start keeping track of who has the most wins in the week.

W. V. – Clark

I package all the lunch snacks in baggies for the week. I check the package for the number of cookies per serving and divide them that way. It helps with making lunch in the morning and with portion control. Plus, I'm less likely to eat them myself if they are all divided up.

K. S. – Fanwood

My kids still need me to wake them up in the morning, but I am trying a new strategy of setting an alarm every morning for the time we need to be out of the door to get to school on time. When the buzzer goes off, everyone has to stop what they are doing and be ready to walk out of the door. It's meant some adjustments need to be made in the car, but I'm hoping they will get used to getting themselves ready in a limited amount of time.

M.P. – Berkeley Heghts

I usually pack my son's lunch every day, but we both look forward to Fridays when I give myself a break by sending him with money for pizza lunch at school.

J.C. – Scotch Plains