January 8, 2013

In Desperate Need of a Morning Routine

For me the morning sets the tone for the day.  If I am sluggish in the morning that will usually continue all day.  However, if I start out on the right foot, a productive day usually results.  Lately, I have not been on top of things in the morning, and that has translated to disorganized days.  Now that we are settled into our new home, new life, and new year I knew I was in need of a new morning routine.

Don't worry, I am not going to tell you how I have all the answers.  I don't.  I don't even have a routine established yet, and we are already a week into the new year.  However, I have found a few things that are giving a bit of order to our usual morning chaos.

*I am now showering in the evening because Leah screams the entire time I shower if she is in the bouncy seat.  Now this may result in a few additional bad hair days, but I'll take that over an upset baby any day.  Plus it allows me to get ready quicker in the morning.

*This may sound small, but it makes a huge difference for me:  open the curtains and let the light in.  When I don't open the curtains, I tend to stay in pjs all day as if I'm hiding in the comforts of my home. The nice, bright light of day gets me moving like no other.

*Getting myself dressed in real clothes and putting a little bit of makeup on motivates me to get stuff done like you wouldn't believe.  I think I feel like I don't want to waste all the effort I put into my appearance on just sitting around all day.

*Planning breakfast the night before is a priority.  Of course I feed my kids breakfast, but whether it is goldfish and packaged snacks or an actual healthy breakfast makes a big difference not only for their little bellies, but also for the trend of the day.  So to prevent the morning rush for food, I take a few minutes in the evening to think about what I'm going give the kids when they wake up.  If I have the food ready before they start asking for it in the morning that is a bonus.

*I wish I could say that laying out the kids clothes was on this list.  It's a great idea, but I haven't mastered it yet.  If I did I bet our mornings would be much easier.  So I guess you can consider this on the list of things I am still working on implementing in the mornings.

*Lastly, a hot cup of coffee (or two) doesn't hurt.

What are the keys to your morning routine?

3 comments:

Kate @ Daffodils said...

I shower at night as well, the extra 15 minutes (plus time to dry my hair...pleeeaasse) just doesn't happen in the morning. It actually has become a very calming end of the day for me and I really enjoy it!

Robyn said...

Ahhh, morning routines! With Porter in school full day it makes it so much harder! It is so easy to throw on a hat, take him to school, and then come back home and get ready. Right now, I get up, get Porter up, pump, feed Vander, make breakfast, rush Porter to get his stupid shoes on, and rush out the door and to school. Every day is different about whether I have something planned (ie. crossfit, shopping, coffee date, appointments, etc).

Have you thought about having Ryan start to get his own clothes out? Could you have a set drawer for pants, underwear, socks, and tops? And, tell him to pick one from each of them?

The Fischer Family said...

I am so with you my friend! When Eli had me up 3 times a night to eat I dreaded mornings!! I would get up, drink my coffee, bleary eyed get Bri off to the bus. It was a good day if I was dressed by the time Jonah got on the bus at 11:30!! Now that Eli is sleeping through the night (generally 9-9!!) I feel the need for a routine. I'm trying to fashion mine after Flylady. Get up, dressed, hair, brush teeth, empty dishwasher, switch out/start laundry, breakfast/coffee, reload dishwasher. I make the bed after Steven and Eli are up (I put him in bed with Steven after I feed him around 6). This morning I even managed a declutter of the China cabinet, called and made 4 appointments and made pursed bananas for Eli! It's only one day but it felt great!! Good luck!!

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