If you are an avid wellness reader (like moi) you've probably heard all about 'morning rituals' or 'morning routines'.
In my earlier days of motherhood I was waking up when the kids got up.
At their first cry or laugh i would get out of bed.
I would start out the day rushing. Being short with my kids. Not leaving the house feeling put together. Forgetting things.
I would then wonder why my patience would wear thin after about 60 minutes of parenting when I had just gotten up.
How am I already pulling my hair out?
About three years ago I started getting up before the whole house. At LEAST an hour before everyone else in the summer, in the winter its more like 15-30 minutes.
My morning routine morphs and varies due to seasons and I am also very lucky my kids don't get up naturally until 7:30am.
I set my 'Sleep Cycle' alarm to wake me between 6:45-7 in the winter, in the summer I get up earlier for morning runs :) Although lately I have been dragging my ass to the Dorchester Arena for morning runs at 6:30. It is NOT easy.
Because its clearly the dead of winter I will start with what my morning rituals look like right now:
- make a disgusting concoction of apple cider vinegar, hot water, lemon, honey... drink.
- fill up my litre mason jar with water
- start the shower
- do 5 minute journal on my phone while i wait for the shower to warm up (Doesn’t actually take 5 minutes, more like 2)
- take a quick 5-10 minute shower
- get myself ready BEFORE the kids are up. I make lunches the night before so mornings have less of a to do list.
-make my bed!! This is a new one, I am trying to get better at this. It is such a simple addition and makes a HUGE difference.
THIS right here is the KEY to my working mother sanity. Getting me ready; mind, body, appearance, BEFORE those babes are out of bed sets a tone for the day that I have already taken care of ME. I've usually eaten, got a litre of water in, I am clean and ready to take on the day.
What are 6 basic things you can do to improve your morning?
1: Do what you can the night before. They say win the morning, win your day, but I actually believe its plan the night before, THEN you win the morning!
2: Get up before your kids (if you have early risers, I am so sorry, I realize this is daunting)
When you have even 5-10 minutes of time for you, quiet in the morning and waking up how you choose, it is a GAME CHANGER.
3. Choose one thing to accomplish every morning for a week. Start SO small.
-drink water before coffee (I call this an H2O buy in )
-make your bed.
-stretch for 5 minutes (start the coffee maker, stretch while it brews)
-organize something to make your morning EVEN better, this for me is laying out the girls winter stuff, and putting their lunches in their backpacks. Then when they get up all I have to do is get them fed, and out the door. They pick 5 outfits Sunday night and put them in a hanging organizer for the week and also I let them do their own hair. Does it look amazing every day, no. But its one more thing off of my plate.
4. Don't reinvent the wheel. The kids have two choices for breakfast, eggs and yogurt, or oatmeal. Don't get crazy. Save the French toast and pancakes for weekends.
5. Music. We always have a better morning when there is background music. Usually I put on a Spotify 'guilty pleasures' playlist and we have some good laughs and moves.
6. Have something to look forward to. I have a long drive to work. I set up a podcast to listen to in the car, and I drink my coffee on the way to work. Its 30 minutes 2x a day that is my time to consume podcasts and audiobooks and exercise my brain.
Not all of these things are accomplished every single morning, but usually at least 3 are. The days I do stay in bed and hit snooze I almost ALWAYS regret. I can always go to bed earlier if I need to, but my morning alone time is precious to me.
Do any of you have morning routines you adore?!
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