Manic Monday!!

I have everyone's clothes laid out the night before.
Lunch boxes out and lined up on counter (non-perishable's packed)
Back packs are loaded and lined up by the door.
I get up early enough to get completely ready before I wake up the boys. That way I can focus on getting them out the door by 6:45. While they are getting dressed and brushing their teeth I finish lunches.

everything that has to go out the door .....has to be in position before bedtime. Creates a bottleneck at the foyer, but works well in the end!

Clothes are picked out the night before. Shower schedule is set the night before. Spending $$ is dished out the night before (I have a H.S freshman).

I hate last minute "oh, Mom, I forgot"s! Especially since I have to drive him & be back home by 7am. He has to be there for Band practice prior to school bus pickup at our house......which is "why" our a.m.s are sooo crazy!

& then we have 2day: one of my daycare moms came in & said, "picture day today".....oh, really? My son never told me! We'll have to catch this on the retake day....aaaargh....wait until I see him 2nite!

My kids shower the night before, I sign their agenda books/report cards/permission slips the night before, check to see if anyone needs lunch money the night before, all very similar to Sue's answer. The less we HAVE to do in the morning, the better!

I have 3 kids that are older and they ARE morning people so they are always up early, which helps. I have NEVER had to get them out of bed! =) We have a rack on the wall with hooks that have all backpacks and jackets. That's where they are always kept. The kids all take showers the night before so all they have to do is dress, brush hair and teeth and eat breakfast. Everything they need is in their backpack (I go thru it and put everything in there while they are doing homework) so its ready in the morning. I put their lunch money in there so its done too. All I have to do in the mornings is fill their water bottles with ice and water and put it in their backpacks. So they just grab their backpack and jacket and go out the door. I hope you find some things that work for you! Good luck!

Admittedly, my mornings are not quite so hectic, because I just have one child, and she is in preschool 4 mornings a week, which starts at 9:30, is a 2 minute drive up the street, and DD is usually up between 7 and 7:30. And either my hubby or I am home in the mornings to get her ready and drop her off. I do have her figure out the night before what she wants to wear the next day so we are not wasting time in the morning when she can't make up her mind.

But if I were you, I would try to have as much ready the night before as possible. Have them pick out their clothes for the next day, have everything in their backpacks that they need, have their lunches packed as much as possible, have them decide ahead of time what they might want for breakfast. Oftentimes my DD can be easily distracted by the TV if it's on, so if you happen to have the TV on in the mornings, leave it off until everyone is out the door on time. Maybe post a checklist on the wall that they can see and make sure they've completed everything.

pick out clothes the night before
pack as much lunch as possible
lay out meds
put toothpaste on brush on bathroom counter (mainly so I know who has brushed and who hasn't)
showers/baths the night before
backpacks packed and on hooks by door

My kids have 6 things they need to do in the morning-get dressed, brush hair and teeth, put on shoes (I have no idea why that takes FOREVER), eat breakfast, and take meds.

You have way more to deal with than I ever did, but our daughter is NOT a morning person. She does not like to be asked questions, to have to make decisions.. Hmmm, wonder where she got this from?..

So we talk about what she wanted for breakfast, the night before or when I was going to the grocery store. She lets me know what she wanted for her lunches.

She decided on what she was going to wear the night before.
She showered the night before.

We have a shelf where our shoes go so we always know where they are.

We had a bench by the front door and all backpacks, handbags, school projects.. needed to be by the door. I also signed all papers, placed a forms with money in envelopes (I use the envelopes from advertisements, bills that I pay online etc..)the night before.

She also knew I was not going to run up to school and take her stuff up to her. I always kept money on a lunch card up at school, for just in case. She took her lunch 99% of the time from k - 12th..

She had her own alarm and it had snooze buttons, but she is a deep sleeper, so sometimes, I would go in and ask if she wanted me to give her 5 more minutes..

I ALWAYS wake up first and get everything prepped.

I ALWAYS, time everything, to get done/be ready by, at least 10 minutes BEFORE I actually have to. That way, we are never, late.
Even per my kids getting ready.
I NEVER, wait until its down to the wire.

Then, factor in how long it takes to get all loaded up into the car. That is at least another 5 minutes.

Then, factor in traffic.
And have planned ahead of time, alternate routes or shortcuts on the road, to take in case there is, traffic.

Don't mind me... I'm just here trying to see if I can learn anything. :+D