7 Things Happy Moms Do Every Morning
I love mornings.
Granted, I used to love them more before I had the twins and didn’t sleep for a year but now that I’m getting the occasional night where no one wakes me up I’m starting to feel a bit more rested and a bit more like myself and I’m ready to reclaim my mornings.
The first few thins you do in the morning can set the tone for your entire day. As a mom, it’s so important to take that time and make sure you get the day started out right. Your kids need you to be at your best during the day and the best way I know how to do that is to start your morning out by making a few good choices.
Take a few minutes for yourself. Before you jump into the craziness of the day, before you start mentally running through your to-do list, take a minute just for yourself. Do something that recharges you. Maybe that’s spending 5 minutes in silence with your favorite morning treat. Maybe that’s reading a chapter in your current book. Maybe it’s even just spending a few extra minutes in the shower with the water running over your skin while you clear your mind. Whatever it is, make sure you carve out some time to take care of your own needs before you start tackling everyone else’s needs.
Plan the day. My days always go smoother if I have at least a rough plan going into them. Check your calendar to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything. Add things to your to-do list (with a caution below). I love having daily routines for my morning and evenings so that a lot of the daily tasks can happen automatically. All I’m left to plan is the extra stuff that comes and goes.
Keep your expectations for the day realistic. I’m a big list fan. My to-do list can get quickly overwhelming if I let it but I’ve learned that if I hit the day at a running start expecting to get everything on my to-do list done then I’m likely to be frustrated by mid-morning. You don’t have to get everything done. Your success does not require you to work yourself into the ground. Choose the most important things and think of everything else as a bonus if you get around to it.
Eat breakfast. Grabbing something on the way out the door is not breakfast. Breakfast is sitting down together and taking the time to enjoy your food as a family. It doesn’t take long. You can make something the night before like these easy overnight oats or pour everyone a bowl of cereal and sit down for a few minutes together at the table. Slowing down will help you be more effective. You’ll remember things you may have forgotten. You’ll be calmer as you head into the day. You won’t have to lose your momentum when you realize you are starving a few hours later because you skipped breakfast.
Greet each person in your family. I can’t tell you how many mornings I have rushed through only to realize that I haven’t even paid attention to my kids as individuals. It’s been all, “Hurry up and grab your bag. Where are your shoes? Who left the milk out?” and no hugs, “How did you sleep?” or “What are you excited about today?”.
Take a few minutes to pay attention to each child. Those moments will not derail your day and they are the moments that your kids will remember.
Stay offline. It’s tempting to grab your phone first thing in the morning to check your emails but as soon as you do that you are letting other people control the direction of your day. Rather than doing the things you want and need to do, you’ll be jumping through hoops to do things that feel urgent but could have waited until you were ready to sit down at your computer. Put the phone down. Leave Facebook alone. Save the electronics until you are ready to consciously work on something that requires you to be online.
Start your day the night before. It’s hard to do much of anything when you are tired. Coming from someone who has been tired for the better part of ten years, trust me on this one. Get to be early the night before. Leave the kitchen clean and do the busy work of laying out clothes for the next day, making lunches, and getting anything else ready that takes time away from your morning. The morning hours can be the most productive hours of the day for me . . . if I’m not running around like a crazy person catching up on things that should have been done the night before.
What do you do to start your morning out right?
Want to take back your mornings?
I’m going through Crystal Paine’s (Money Saving Mom) Make Over your Morning Course and I have been LOVING it! If you need some help in the morning this is definitely worth trying out.
Crystal has an amazing deal going on the the new year. Right now you can get the Make Over your Mornings course for only $9! That includes the 14-day course with daily videos and a PDF workbook. This sale only goes through January 8th and it is not one you want to miss!
Get the Make Over your Mornings course Here
