To start out, we can’t always control what happens through out a day, but having a simple and consistent routine after you wake up can help the mornings go better. We are in the midst of messy, needy, sticky toddlerhood. Although we love so much of this stage, it takes a lot of intentionality to make mornings slow for the whole family. We value slow. To be really honest with you, this list was born out of a time when I was totally overwhelmed with the needs of my young kids, lonely from moving and exhausted by pregnancy. I needed to have a win early in the day, before the defeat of the day settled over me. These four things gave me a simple sense of accomplishment and success right away in the morning. It changed my mood and therefore changed the atmosphere of the home. The further I am from that season, the more I realize the depth of sadness that accompanied me through the days. These simple morning tasks were a beacon of hope in my storm. If you are in that place, know that tomorrow really can be better than yesterday.
FOUR EASY TASKS TO START
Just give it a try.
1. MAKE THE BED
Hang in there with me. Trust me, your friend from Kansas that you met on the internet, and just flip the covers up when you roll or slide out of bed.
2. GET DRESSED
Getting into pants that can leave the house. Many times we wake up to read and have coffee, but days when we sleep in a little too long – it really helps to have jeans on right away. That way we don’t have to change before we start choring, making breakfast and moving towards leaving the house.
3. DRINK ONE CUP OF WARM DRINK
In our house, we chose coffee. But it might be breakfast tea or honey lemon water in your house. Whatever warm drink you prefer, settle in a seat, stand beside a window or with your feet on the grass and be still. For the five or ten minutes it takes to let a warm cup sit in your hands. Rest, breath in the warm steam and a take chance to think before the day thinks for you. While you sip on your warm drink, take a few deep breaths.
4. GRADITUDES
This is something many people have heard about – speaking or writing gratitude is one of the best ways to experience joy in your life. Yes – I said joy. Included in joy is better rates of happiness, more mental clarity and more generous giving. It won’t happen immediately, but I can guarantee that if you spend time being thankful in the morning, you will see a difference.
If you click HERE we have a free gratitude printable. We have two specific activities – one is a weekly print off that you can use to write three simple gratitudes every day and you will have one page for each week. We really encourage you to continue this practice for at least four weeks. The second activity is the write three short gratitude letters a week to people who have impacted you. This could be a parent, sibling, grocery store clerk, content creator or blogger. The benefit to you is in writing the letters. Sending these letters will be a blessing to the other person – but we know it can be hard to be vulnerable. Do what you feel would be best right now. It might change in the future.
Our brains are always in the process of rewiring and that can be really good news for you and me. Writing gratitudes are a simple way to keep rewiring your brain. You will start seeing beauty in places you haven’t seen it before and hoping where it has felt like all hope is lost. Friend, be encouraged, there is better in your tomorrow than what you saw yesterday.
This practice now has medical studies to back up the experienced benefits. You can read more about one such study HERE from UC Berkeley.
BONUS
These are additional, helpful items that will make your mornings go better.
5. NO PHONES
It’s so tempting to check on Instagram, Candy Crush or emails right away in the morning. It can even feel like the most productive way to go. If you give it a try, we really think you will see that you benefit more from at least 10 minutes of slow wake time before you start to check up on the world.
6. READY TO GO BREAKFAST
There are a bunch of make ahead, one serving, meal prep ideas for breakfast. If that works for you- that’s awesome. What we are talking about here is making a double recipe of oatmeal on Monday morning and reheating it on Tuesday. Or make a sheet pan of baked oatmeal at the beginning of the week. Breakfast burritos, egg bake, hash brown egg casserole, double batch of pancakes or waffles, or toast with peanut butter… Something that you bake once and eat for the whole week to make the mornings go better. We have many of these recipes listed below. Other options could be cereal. pop tarts or store bough frozen waffles. If that works best for you right now – do it.
All I am trying to get across is to have a plan that makes breakfast a breeze. Learn what types of meals work best. An example is that I don’t serve pancakes if we have to get out the door quickly that morning because the baby gets COVERED in peanut butter and dutch honey. Here are our two favorite make ahead breakfast recipes.
