It is no secret that mornings with kiddos can be hectic. If you don't start your day off right, it can feel like a herd of bulls ran through your house; leaving you feeling overwhelmed and tired before the AM turns to the PM. After having two kids in two years, I discovered that there were a lot of smaller chores that had to be done in the mornings to just get the day going for everyone. It really seems like there are a thousand things to accomplish in just the small amount of time we call morning. If you're like me, a makeup wearing, hair- doing, praying mama, you know that you have to schedule time for yourself and the Lord each morning BEFORE your squad awakens! That sounds pretty simple...until your alarm goes off at 6AM (or before), and you haven't gotten enough sleep (in years). When I started homeschooling my oldest daughter in Pre-K 3, I knew I HAD to be on top of things in the morning if I wanted a smoothly running school day, so I learned to do these 5 things at night so that my mornings could be less tedious and more successful. Doing these 5 very easy, very simple and really quick tasks before going to bed each night has made my mornings much more enjoyable. I don't have so much on my plate right when I open my eyes and roll out of bed. Whether you have one child or more or whether you are a homeschool mom or not, these nightly habits will give you more peace and more time at the start of each day. Here they are: 1. Prep Breakfast- This may sound like a lot of work to do at night when you are worn out, but it does not have to. Prepping breakfast in our house can mean setting out the plates and utensils along with the pots and/pans I will be using, or it can be boiling the eggs or cutting the fruit and putting them in the fridge so that they are ready to eat in the morning. Prepping breakfast doesn't only allow me to have a little more time for other things in the mornings, but it also forces me to be prepared for the week. Making a breakfast menu for the week helps you figure out what to prep easily. Some mornings, I go really simple for breakfast with toast, jam, fruit and yogurt, while other mornings, usually during the weekends, this meal can be a little more work. Either way, I have found that prepping some part of the breakfast routine is beneficial in many ways especially with feeling less busy in the mornings. 2. Get the small things out of the way- By small things, I literally mean the small things. In my house, these would be things like: - Filling water bottles and/or milk cups. Its so simple to get the kid's water bottles filled up and their milk cups ready for in the morning, I just pop them in the fridge and they are ready to hand over to some sleepy kiddos in the morning. It doesn't take 2 minutes of my time at night, and leaves me with an extra 2 minutes in the morning, Doesn't seem like a lot, but oh, the things a mama can do in two minutes!! And don't forget about yourself, mama! Having your water bottle filled not only saves you time, but jump starts your day in a healthy way! - Making sure snacks are packed for play dates or trips to the park or museum. As a stay at home mom, I try to plan as many out-of-the-house trips as I can each week. From play dates to park visits, my kids always seem to get attacked by the hunger monster as soon as we arrive to our destination. I keep a small, insulated lunch kit on hand, and throw some easy to use snacks in it the night before we go on our adventures. I love this one from Amazon because it's super affordable, and has plenty of pockets for things like eating utensils, hand sanitizer, and it even has pockets for the girls' cups! Once again, this leaves me with extra minutes in the morning. #goals 3. Diaper Bag Readiness- I have forgotten about this one many times!! It's time to load up the car, and look down to see that my diaper bag is missing a few crucial items like diapers and wipes!! Even worse, I have actually gotten to where we were going only to discover that I was diaperless!! OH NO! Not fun! Making sure that the diaper bag is packed and ready to go is one of the best nightly habits because waiting to the last minute to stuff essential items into your bag will only leave it messy and unorganized which makes it difficult to find the very thing you need in the moment. If I pack the diaper bag the morning of, it takes up time, and I find that I usually forget something in the rush. So this one saves time and keeps things organized! Can't beat that! 4. SET THE COFFEE!!! This is my favorite night time habit. Waking up to the smell of coffee and having it ready for me when I stumble into the kitchen is like the best morning gift I can give myself! My coffee pot and I have a very special relationship! I don't even want to imagine mornings without it! Setting the coffee pot to automatically make my morning happy juice takes a total of 1 minute before heading to bed, so it's one of the easiest things to do. When I forget to do this one or just choose not to, probably due to my bed calling my name a little too loudly, I always regret it in the morning, and wish I would have just taken the extra one minute the night before to make the coffee. 5. Lay Out Outfits- This one I still struggle with a little, but when I stay on top of accomplishing this before hitting the hay, I always find it to be super successful in the morning, especially with sleepy kiddos. If I pick out my clothes and lay them out, it saves me so much time and effort in the mornings. I don't have to worry about waking up anyone while shuffling through my drawers and closet, and it's always nice to get completely dressed before everyone else wakes up. When I'm dressed and ready to start the day, it gives the day an extra boost of energy! I feel ready because I am ready!! When I pick out my kid's clothes in advance and lay them out, it saves me SO much morning time. Getting my girls dressed and ready is no easy task. I have two curly girls, so morning hair usually takes a good amount of time already. Spending time finding clothes with matching socks and shoes just adds to making the mornings feel rushed and unorganized which is what we are trying to avoid by getting into these simple habits. Simply choosing their outfits for the day and having them ready in the morning helps us get to our destination on time without hustling and bustling.
Calm is how I like my mornings. No rushing, no chaos, just an easy morning routine that helps jump start our day! Mornings like these leave me feeling like an accomplished super mom, and it all starts with an effective nightly routine! Try all of these or some of these, and I promise, your mornings will be less crazy and more relaxing!
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Author- Marianne L. JohnsonThis is a blog about my journey and adventure of being a mom. Let's be honest! Motherhood is nothing but an adventure. Some days you roll with the punches while other days unfold to be little specks of perfection. With whatever kind of day I get presented with, I always find God's glory, grace and blessings. Archives
July 2020
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