Summer is quickly coming to an end and for me, that means getting back into a structured morning routine! I don’t know about you, but similar to my kids, I like some structure to my day and knowing what lies ahead to an extent!
During the summer, we get lazy. If we don’t have plans or its a later activity, I started moving slowly and sort of “on the fly” which is not what I typically feel comfortable with. But since the boys sometimes will sleep in, I enjoyed that time to catch a bit more sleep as well whenever possible.
Now that we are going to be more on a daily schedule, I’ve decided that I need to get myself back on track! Here are some of the things I am going to do as a part of preparing for or during my morning routine!
During the summer, we get lazy. If we don’t have plans or its a later activity, I started moving slowly and sort of “on the fly” which is not what I typically feel comfortable with. But since the boys sometimes will sleep in, I enjoyed that time to catch a bit more sleep as well whenever possible.
Now that we are going to be more on a daily schedule, I’ve decided that I need to get myself back on track! Here are some of the things I am going to do as a part of preparing for or during my morning routine!
Prepare the Kitchen
Going to bed with a clean kitchen, empty sink, prepared breakfast and a coffee maker that is ready to go. Whew. Sounds like a lot, but in reality, these are the things I’ve tried to consistently do. When you wake up to a mess and a sink full of dirty dishes, it just doesn’t feel pleasant. I’ve made it a habit to get the dishwasher loaded and started (by myself or Todd) so that it is one less thing on the to do list for the following morning.
Thieves Household Cleaner
- 2 capfuls Thieves Household Cleaner concentrate
- Fill rest of 16 oz spray bottle with water
optional: add 5 drops lemon essential oil
I also like to have a batch of overnight oats or pre-made pancakes for the boys to make breakfast quick and easy right when they wake up! This is especially handy for school mornings when we’re on a time crunch if anyone decides to sleep in!
Overnight Oats Recipe
1 cup gluten-free oats
1 cup almond milk
1 tbsp chia seeds
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 shake cinnamon
1 tbsp peanut butter
Mix all ingredients in a mason jar and refrigerate overnight (or for several hours). If too thick, add more almond milk or water to thin out.
Now, this seems silly, but having the coffee maker just ready to go makes me so happy! We had a Keurig for the past 5 years, so this actual coffee pot that needs to be emptied, cleaned and filled is just a new step, but so worthwhile for a smooth, enjoyable morning!
Going to bed with a clean kitchen, empty sink, prepared breakfast and a coffee maker that is ready to go. Whew. Sounds like a lot, but in reality, these are the things I’ve tried to consistently do. When you wake up to a mess and a sink full of dirty dishes, it just doesn’t feel pleasant. I’ve made it a habit to get the dishwasher loaded and started (by myself or Todd) so that it is one less thing on the to do list for the following morning.
Thieves Household Cleaner
- 2 capfuls Thieves Household Cleaner concentrate
- Fill rest of 16 oz spray bottle with water
optional: add 5 drops lemon essential oil
I also like to have a batch of overnight oats or pre-made pancakes for the boys to make breakfast quick and easy right when they wake up! This is especially handy for school mornings when we’re on a time crunch if anyone decides to sleep in!
Overnight Oats Recipe
1 cup gluten-free oats
1 cup almond milk
1 tbsp chia seeds
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 shake cinnamon
1 tbsp peanut butter
Mix all ingredients in a mason jar and refrigerate overnight (or for several hours). If too thick, add more almond milk or water to thin out.
Now, this seems silly, but having the coffee maker just ready to go makes me so happy! We had a Keurig for the past 5 years, so this actual coffee pot that needs to be emptied, cleaned and filled is just a new step, but so worthwhile for a smooth, enjoyable morning!
Set an Alarm
Since I started staying home, I’ve found it very difficult to wake up before it is necessary. If the boys sleep til 7, sometimes I do too (and that’s ok!). But, for me, I always feel better when I am a step ahead of them whenever possible. Setting an alarm and allowing myself to get ready for the day before any kids are awake makes a huge difference! I’m making it a goal to be up by 5:30am in order to shower when necessary, maybe even put makeup on, and get downstairs before the boys wake up!
Since I started staying home, I’ve found it very difficult to wake up before it is necessary. If the boys sleep til 7, sometimes I do too (and that’s ok!). But, for me, I always feel better when I am a step ahead of them whenever possible. Setting an alarm and allowing myself to get ready for the day before any kids are awake makes a huge difference! I’m making it a goal to be up by 5:30am in order to shower when necessary, maybe even put makeup on, and get downstairs before the boys wake up!
Get Dressed
To piggyback off of the previous step, actually getting dressed, putting makeup on and doing my hair makes me feel a world of a difference! Now that we’ve gotten into a groove and are out of the trenches of having a newborn, I’m making myself a priority in the mornings and I’m going to get myself completely ready before leaving the house on days when we aren’t going to the gym.
This might not be for everyone, and some of you might even think it is silly, but I guess the idea is to do something for yourself before serving others. Make yourself feel positive, confident and ready to take on the day in whatever way you need to!
To piggyback off of the previous step, actually getting dressed, putting makeup on and doing my hair makes me feel a world of a difference! Now that we’ve gotten into a groove and are out of the trenches of having a newborn, I’m making myself a priority in the mornings and I’m going to get myself completely ready before leaving the house on days when we aren’t going to the gym.
This might not be for everyone, and some of you might even think it is silly, but I guess the idea is to do something for yourself before serving others. Make yourself feel positive, confident and ready to take on the day in whatever way you need to!
Young Living Joy Essential Oil, Young Living Lemon Essential Oil, Young Living Desert Mist Diffuser
Start the Diffuser
Before I even get my coffee, I am choosing my essential oils that I want to diffuse in the house and turning it on to create an uplifting, calming atmosphere. With how hectic and stressful life can get around here, I have been typically going with the same blend of Joy and Lemon for the daytime, and either Lavender or Peace & Calming for the evenings. I sometimes don’t notice the scent, but whenever someone walks through the door, they almost always comment on how nice it smells in our house and I love that I can attribute it to a clean and healthy option of of air freshening by diffusing essential oils!
Before I even get my coffee, I am choosing my essential oils that I want to diffuse in the house and turning it on to create an uplifting, calming atmosphere. With how hectic and stressful life can get around here, I have been typically going with the same blend of Joy and Lemon for the daytime, and either Lavender or Peace & Calming for the evenings. I sometimes don’t notice the scent, but whenever someone walks through the door, they almost always comment on how nice it smells in our house and I love that I can attribute it to a clean and healthy option of of air freshening by diffusing essential oils!
Create a Schedule
I have dabbled in writing out visual schedules for the kids to help prepare them for what we need to do that day. Recently, we’ve had more and more difficulty with leaving the house if it was not previously discussed or even just regular transitions from one activity to the next. We’ve started creating a visual schedule for the day and running through the plan with the boys.
It isn’t always fool-proof, but it definitely helps and is another resource to refer back to when a tantrum or difficulty transitioning comes up. Since the weather is sometimes a factor, I usually will wait until the morning to quickly type up and print the schedule. We will most likely move to a laminated and velcro visual schedule system so that we can reuse staple activities and routines throughout the school year.
I hope you enjoyed my morning routine and this helps you to create one for yourself! If you already have a set morning routine, share a brief description in the comments!
I have dabbled in writing out visual schedules for the kids to help prepare them for what we need to do that day. Recently, we’ve had more and more difficulty with leaving the house if it was not previously discussed or even just regular transitions from one activity to the next. We’ve started creating a visual schedule for the day and running through the plan with the boys.
It isn’t always fool-proof, but it definitely helps and is another resource to refer back to when a tantrum or difficulty transitioning comes up. Since the weather is sometimes a factor, I usually will wait until the morning to quickly type up and print the schedule. We will most likely move to a laminated and velcro visual schedule system so that we can reuse staple activities and routines throughout the school year.
I hope you enjoyed my morning routine and this helps you to create one for yourself! If you already have a set morning routine, share a brief description in the comments!
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