As our family has grown, the morning time chaos has as well. I’ve had a hard time figuring out how to get 3 kids up, ready for the day, fed, and out of the house by 8 am…. Let alone setting aside some time for myself to enjoy 1/2 a cup of coffee and a 15-second toothbrushing session.
After having an “I can’t do this anymore” moment, I sought out ways I could get a better, happier start to my day without feeling like I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off every morning.
So, for the busy mom who can is trying her best to raise healthy kids when everything from the legos on the floor to the unmade bed feels chaotic, I want to offer some practical ways you can reclaim a little bit more sanity in your morning routine.
Yes, there is a place where you can have a sense of calm, so you don’t find yourself thinking you are at your breaking point:
1. Set your alarm so you wake up before your kids
This is my number one tip! If you don’t read further, at least start here. Yes, I know this can sound like a drag… especially if you are not a morning person.
a. After reading and hearing from many credible sources… in order to set your day up right, in order to be successful, in order to be the best mom, best wife, best employee, etc.… you need to get up before your kids.
b. After hearing it enough times and becoming fed up with too much chaos in the morning time, I thought I would give it a shot. And no, trying this for one day does NOT count. Give it at least 30 days. By then it will be a habit and you will have witnessed over the course of 30 days how your life has changed.
c. I get to have time to myself (keep reading on to see what I do with this “time to myself”) while the kids are still sleeping. So once I hear the crying (a.k.a. “Come get me out of my bed, mom!”) I am more than ready and happy to receive my kids rather than being annoyed with them before I even see their bright, happy faces.
2. After you put your kids to bed… put your house to bed too
For me, this is the hardest thing to find the motivation to do. Once my kids are in bed, I either want to just go to bed myself or I want to do what I want to do… ME time!
a. I have found that once my kids are down if I go straight to the timer and set it for 20 minutes, I’m set up for a more successful morning. I often put on a podcast or an audiobook I’m reading and get to work.
b. Find something that brings you joy or boosts your mood while you tidy up (dance party anyone?). I don’t sit down after I walk out of my kids’ rooms because if I do, I won’t get back up if I do. I also don’t hop on my phone because I’ll waste time and my motivation will be gone.
c. If my house is in shambles (usually the case), I make it a priority to have a clean kitchen and dining room. I can usually get this done in 20 minutes and having it clean honestly makes the rest of the evening more relaxing and enjoyable. The other thing I appreciate about cleaning up while the kids are in bed is that I am not frustrated by Tripp climbing into the dishwasher, or Braedy asking for more dessert… because it’s just me!
3. Prepare a welcoming space for the morning
a. Prep your coffee or drink of choice for the morning. Set up your favorite cozy blanket on your couch or recliner along with your book or journal you want to start your morning with. That way, you have a mental picture of this cozy space you get to enjoy with your craved morning beverage in hand once your alarm goes off in the morning.
b. Preparing this the night before helps you create the desire to get out of bed. I have grown to look forward to this very thing as I lay my head on the pillow at night.
c. I started reading my Bible every morning with my coffee and a cozy blanket, which has been the number one game-changer for me. Reading my Bible used to feel like a chore (I hate to admit it, but it’s true) but my perspective and gratitude for this time has changed. I have become a different mom/person throughout the day!!
4. Have a plan for breakfast
I don’t know about you, but meal times (and bedtime) seem to be the most chaotic times of the day in my household. Maybe because everyone is hungry and I am giving more of my attention to preparing some sort of nourishment for the fam rather than giving attention to the kids.
Not to mention the boiling water on the stove or the burning hot oven. It often looks like the perfect storm. I have found that if I have a plan for breakfast and can begin preparations the night before, breakfast time becomes just a little bit more pleasant in the morning.
a. My favorite healthy breakfast options are Bobs Red mill rolled oats (could be used to make overnight oats)
b. Kodiak thick and fluffy power waffles (quick easy pop them in the toaster and add Kerrygold butter to them, we skip the syrup they are sweet enough without it)
c. And if I am really organized, I love making Joanna Gaines’ 3 cheese quiche that I keep in the fridge and heat up in the morning (this will last me for 2-3 mornings).
d. Having meals prepared ahead of time leaves me more energy to convince my kids to actually eat the food before them.
5. Do your full skincare routine at night (not in the morning!)
Before I hit the sheets, I love breaking out the pretty bottles sitting on my bathroom counter and put them to work.
a. After I wash my face, I do a skincare mask 4 nights a week. I alternate between the charcoal mask Counter+ Charcoal Facial Mask:
b. Smoothing Face Mask:
c. The masks take about 10 minutes to dry before I can wash them off. As an Enneagram 3, I use this time to do things like pick up the laundry off the floor and start a load, brush my teeth, tidy up my bathroom vanity, hang stuff up in my closet, etc.
d. I get 10 more minutes of tidying up before I go to bed which means less clutter for me in the morning. After washing my mask off, I finish my routine with the toner, serum and moisturizer
Countertime Regimen Set:
e. Afterwards, I feel more relaxed and ready to unwind. If you often find yourself “too tired” to do your skincare routine before bed, do it earlier in the evening. There are no rules that say you have to do it RIGHT before you lay your head on the pillow.
f. Try washing your face before you sit on the couch to watch your favorite show, or right when you are changing into something cozier to wear for the evening. When morning comes, I will splash water on my eyes and throw on my Dew Skin Moisturizer (Hello, SPF!) to my face. Nope, I don’t wash my face or start a skincare regimen in the morning (think what you want 😉
Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer:
Look, life isn’t going to decide to get easy for me. The fact that I have three kids with very different needs and a husband who is gone for work days at a time isn’t going to change. And I LOVE my life. I love my kids. I’m literally living our biggest dreams.
So if I want the chaos of the day to change, then I need to look at the systems I have (or don’t have) in place. I can change my attitude, but that can’t just happen by deciding to not let the kitchen stress me out. I have to do what I can to manage both the mess and my mentality.
I hope this leaves you feeling encouraged that you CAN make a practical shift in how you feel in your home so that, well, you can enjoy it more.
And if you have any tips… PLEASE tell me!
[…] From 3:00PM-bedtime, I “clock out.” I don’t know about you, mama, but this is my HARDEST time of day. By 3:00PM, all of my kids are home, they are worn out from the activities of the day, and frankly, so am I.The whine (not wine) is real and so are their needs and desires for attention. I have learned to put my phone away, turn off my brain, and just be mom!!! Go outside and play the game, swim in the pool, go the park … and try to throw something nourishing together for dinner.I try to always have music playing in the background (*insert impromptu dance party*) because music lifts my mood and sets the “vibe” for my home. I have found if I can put my phone away and not worry too much about having the perfect dinner ready, I can roll with the tantrums and the mess that ensues.I also don’t make house chores a priority for myself during this time. If I’m able to throw in a load of laundry, great!! And if not, I can do it once the kids are in bed. (Did you see my blog post on the nightly routines I do to make my mornings less hectic?) […]
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