Mommy Mornings+Tips to Start the Day

Before having kids, I was not a morning person. Like, at all. To this day it amazes me that I passed any of my college classes that were scheduled earlier than 10a.m. (I mean, I didn't pass with flying colors but I did pass, so... success). 

After having kids, I'm still not a morning person.

Am I right? Just ask Derek; poor dude has been the unfortunate victim of my morning wrath on numerous occasions. Like the time I basically melted him with laser eyes after he made the mistake of singing "The Wheels on the Bus" before the coffee machine was turned on. Yet he lived to tell the tale...

I don't want to steal the phrase "mombie" here, because it seems that the novelty of the word has worn off, but alas, it's just true; most mornings I am a walking mom/zombie. 

For whatever reason, most days I just don't feel ready to find my stride any earlier than 10:30 in the am. It just seems unnatural to me that some humans purposefully wake up before the sun is shining.

Preach.

It's taken some time for me to figure out a routine that works for this non-morning person. Morning time and I are pretty good buddies now, even if it is awkward sometimes. In the name of solidarity I'm going to assume that I'm not the only SAHM out there that struggles with anti-morning-itus. Or maybe you just need some ideas to find a little balance in the mornings. Here are my tips for starting the day.

Get up before everyone else.

Ok, hear me out. I know this sounds painful if you're not a morning person, but seriously it can make a big difference. On the days that I'm able to get up before everyone else is up (which is somewhere around 5:30 and 6) I usually feel much more accomplished. On these days I usually make my coffee and curl up on the couch for a little quiet time with a devotional; or I just sit in the dark and savor the opportunity to actually drink my coffee, instead of reheating it a thousand times.

But let's be real, it's just not always physically possible to get up that early on the regular. Zoe has spent a good part of her little life being a terrible sleeper (we're working on it...) so most days it literally makes my eyeballs hurt to get up before anyone else after I've spent most of the night awake. On those days I get up when the kids get up, somewhere between 6 and 7, and we go from there. 

Establish a self-care routine.

So it's basically common knowledge that us mamas don't always shower on the reg (I'm working day three right now... boom), but I am a firm believer that taking a few moments to make ourselves feel sorta human can make a big difference in our day. Maybe you like to squeeze in a quick workout, or actually putting on real clothes makes you feel ready for the day. Whatever it is try to make a little time for yourself in the morning. For me, I try to make sure to take five minutes to brush my teeth and wash my face before breakfast. It only takes a few moments, and simple as it might sound it makes me feel really good going into my day. 

Simplify breakfast.

I used to have dreams of being that mom that made pancakes from fresh ground wheat along with free-range organic scrambled eggs and berries that I picked myself early that morning.

And then I realized that I was out of my flippin' mind. 

So don't feel like you have to be Betty Crocker in the morning. Keep things easy and even try to get your kids involved in preparing breakfast. Toby likes to help make oatmeal and now that he's older I can put him in charge of getting out plates and utensils.

I do my best to make sure that we have healthy breakfast options on hand, but I've learned to keep things simple. Things like greek yogurt topped with granola, eggs and toast, or chicken sausage with fruit. Anything that can be prepared fast enough for my coffee to remain hot by the time I sit down at the table with the kiddos. It's also helpful because Toby is basically a hobbit so I almost always end up making another breakfast.

Set the mood.

After the initial morning rush to get breakfast made and Derek gets on his way to work, I like to turn on some music to help fill the atmosphere. We have a Roku set up on our tv in the living room and it has a Pandora app on it, which is nice because then the music can be heard throughout the whole house. Music is good for kids and it really can help set the tone for the day; for example everyone seems to be much more easygoing when there's a continuous stream of vintage jazz playing. 

Here's some of my favorite stations:

Rend Collective Experiement

Ray Lamontagne

Walk the Moon

Dave Brubeck

Adele

Hipster Cocktail Radio (no joke, that's what it's called)

Harry Belofante

Raffi 

Beauty and the Beast (for some reason just typing in "Disney" didn't pull up any actual Disney music)

Michael Jackson (for the days when we need an extra pep in our step; or for dance parties)

Play.

Making sure that I get real play time in with the kids can be hard once I get the day going, but I know how important it is to spend that time with them. For us, morning time is the perfect time in the day to sit down and play together; I can sip my coffee while we sit on the floor and build with legos, or put together a puzzle.  

Take time to connect with your wee ones, even if it's just for a little bit. Read some books, invite their favorite stuffed animals to join in for breakfast (in our case, it's any Star Wars action figure; Han Solo is a frequent visitor), or get the kids involved in planning the days events by making a checklist in crayon. Whatever fits your style, the point is to set aside the time to be with your peeps.

I'd love to hear from all you other mamas out there! What are some of your favorite "start the day" tips? Leave a comment!