How I established my new morning routine (and how you can too!).
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I’ve been staying home with Little A full time now for about 6 months. And it’s taken me almost 6 months to get into a somewhat normal routine. I’m sure a lot has to do with the pregnancy, but a lot also has to do with the newness of being home all day every day. Little A and I have both had our fair share of challenges adapting to me being home full time; times have been hard, I’ve had thoughts of going back to work, I’ve felt lost and alone and just very tired. But I always come back to why I wanted to stay home in the first place: to be the one raising my children full time.
So I’ve finally established what will be my morning routine for the next few months. I’m sure once baby boy comes in March things will change for a while until we get adjusted to our new life with an infant.
It took me quite some time to figure out how I wanted my mornings to look. When I was working part time I only had 2 mornings home to myself and I got up very early to make the most of not having to get ready for work. Now that I have 5 days, I still get up earlier than our daughter, but not as early as previously. I’ve found that I function better and my mood is much better when I get a little extra sleep, but still have time for myself.
I went back to my morning rituals post because I still fully believe those 5 things can help start my day off right; waking up early being #1. The days I sleep in until Little A gets up are not our best. Making sure I have some time for myself to do whatever I want makes me a better mom. We all need time alone every so often, to recharge, reconnect with ourselves and just breathe.
Here is my new morning routine:
My alarm goes off at 6:30 (goal is 6:15…will get there soon if I can get to bed a bit earlier) and before I even get out of bed I write in my journal. I’ve shared about this journal multiple times, but I swear y’all, journaling will change your life. All it takes is 5 minutes a day.
I then come downstairs and grab a banana, book and get to stretching. Instead of listening to something motivating, I read. I just finished Raising Your Spirited Child (highly recommend if you have a child with a temperament you may not fully understand) and am currently reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (which is seriously life-changing y’all). I’ll read for about 20-30 minutes while I do some stretching.
I stretch for about 10-15 minutes of my reading time, then on about half the days I make my morning coffee. I haven’t been wanting coffee every day, which is very unlike me, but on those mornings I’m extra tired I’ll have a small cup of decaf. Even the decaf makes me feel better.
After stretching and reading I spend a little time on social media. Usually Instagram and Facebook. I’ll check my planner for the day to see if we have anything going on, then I’ll do a little blog reading or reply to comments if the kiddo sleeps in beyond 7:15.
After she wakes up, I make my breakfast. Lately it’s been yogurt with granola or eggs on toast. I’ll sometimes make overnight oatmeal, which is probably my favorite breakfast, if I can remember to make it the night before.
Little A will either watch a little Disney Jr, or we’ll play or cuddle for a bit until she’s hungry. She likes to eat later, around 8:00-8:30. While she eats I wash my face, get dressed and do my makeup. Now that I don’t have to go into an office every day my makeup routine has been paired down and I can do it all in under 5 minutes.
Depending on the day we either then get dressed for school, or we have play time until it’s time to get ready for dance or running errands.
The key for making my morning routine a success is writing it down. I created a daily routine for us and detailed out what I want to get accomplished each morning. Most things are the same every day, but a few things vary a bit depending on the day as far as Little A’s schedule goes. I also vary what I do related to the blog. M, W, F I read and comment on blogs if I have the extra time in the mornings. T, Th I’ll usually reply to email and comments on my blog, or I’ll review my blog to do’s and try to do a bit of work on those.
Not only did I write our routine down, but I review it every day. That has been so helpful in keeping me motivated. If you just write it down and never look at it again, how likely are you to stick with it? Not very I’d assume.
[Tweet “Having time for myself makes me a better mom. We all need a little alone time.”]
I was in such a rut when I first started staying home. A large part of that discontentment was because I hadn’t established a morning routine. Starting your day on the right foot with some time for yourself can really change not only your attitude, but also your motivation and outlook on life. I’m so much happier now that I’ve finally found my groove.
For 2016, I’m really trying to focus in on what my readers want to see. I did a survey last year that helped me better understand my readers, and I want to do that again. I’ve grown quite a bit since my last reader survey, so I’m looking to really focus on bringing you what you enjoy to read here on the ol’ blog. The survey is really quick with less than 10 questions.
Thanks so much for taking the time to fill it out!
So tell me, what makes your morning routine successful for you?
I think your routine is great and I’m so happy to hear that you’re happy with it now!! I love that you journal in the morning!! xo, Biana –BlovedBoston
Morning routines are essential as SAHM’s! I think that’s why I feel so out of place now… We’re not quite yet into a routine. Both my kiddos are on the 7-7 sleep schedule (thank you Jesus!) but sometimes I go back to bed if I’ve been up a lot and hubs is home to take both the boys for another hour. It’s just not consistent. I need to make myself get up and stay up after both are awake, but it’s so hard if I’ve been up half the night! You’ve got this down. Hopefully by the time you have baby boy, I’ll have some tips for you in the 2 kiddo morning routine schedule!
I love that you journal before you even get out of bed! That is impressive!
I’m so glad that you’ve found something that works for you. If I don’t start my morning off right, I feel like it effects my whole day. Not fun!
Having that time to yourself I feel is so important! I always try to answer a few emails with my coffee before heading out and its such a great way to start the day. That and stretching love that 😉
I love this! We have been off our normal routine for the last two months since my husband was out of town last month and this month we have all been out of town. But we are headed home this weekend and I can’t wait to get back to normal! Thanks for sharing this! I’m going to try waking up early and maybe even journaling in the morning!
Creating a routine is really helpful in getting things done. I hope you get to keep some of this routine when the baby arrives, but I’m sure you’ll tweak it to make things work 🙂
What a great routine! I wish mine was more like that! I haven’t gotten one down since Christmas and I know that it’s about to change as soon as we get kids. I can’t even imagine writing right after I wake up. I’m too groggy. I’m better at something like that right before I go to bed.
Tiffany, can I live with you and adopt your morning routine? It sounds heavenly. How old is your little one? My daughter is 1, and I’m in a bit of a weird morning sleeping situation with her recently. She used to sleep through the night since she was brand new but for the past few months gets up several times and will only be soothed by being held or nursed – like literally, you can pick her up crying in the crib and the moment she knows she’s held, she back to sleep. Anyway, so now I’ll just take her to bed with me (something I said I would NEVER do) in the early morning so we can both get sleep. Because of that, my morning routine is dependent on her. I work part-time as a teacher, so I only work 11:30-2:50, which means I get my mornings home with my daughter. I also LOVE overnight oats – did you know you can let them soak for only 30 minutes if you use quick oats? Fun fact of the day. : ) I also love that you offer a different perspective about staying home that most people don’t think about: The fact that moms may miss being at work.
HAHA Lindsay! My daughter is 4 1/2. We struggled with sleep the first year big time. She didn’t sleep through the night until about 15 months. It was a rough go. She still has times when she struggles with sleep (right now it’s being “afraid” of her room), but she’s much better and usually sleeps about 7:45-7:15 every day. All I can tell you is some kids go through phases and it will get better. I promise. I thought our girl would never sleep through the night! And yes to the overnight oats! Sometimes I’ll make it in the morning and heat it in the microwave a bit to get them soft faster. It’s just such a good meal.
Great routine. Feeling a little guilty just coming to visit you. You visited me some time back and I just found it in my waiting to be approved folder, but here I am.
You have a great routine Tiffany!
We all need that time to ourselves before we get thrown into our days. I love how you’ve been able to carve out that time for yourself. I should check out that journal – it looks awesome.
Thanks for sharing.
xoxo
Taking time for yourself is so important. I’ve wanted to journal first thing I wake up because of the benefits, but my mornings are so hectic… I know that’s a terrible excuse. 🙂