If you’re feeling done with the day by 9am and looking to create a morning rhythm that leaves you feeling peaceful and energized for the day ahead, keep reading for a glimpse into our mornings and how to create a rhythm that works for your family.
Wake up before your children (if you can)
Currently, I wake up with my children around 7am.
I know, I just said my first suggestion is to get up before your children. But as moms, it’s heavy on the “if you can.”
The fact is that it can really help our mental state when we can get up before them and get ourselves-our hearts and minds ready for the day.
The reality is that, as moms, it’s not always ideal. You have to know yourself and even test it out to know if it’s sustainable and beneficial for you. Postpartum, countless nighttime wakings, and cosleeping are all reasons it may not be the best choice right now.
My toddler has been waking up between four or five in the morning so my husband will bring him to our bed so I can hopefully get a few more hours of sleep. This rhythm has helped me survive the newborn phase, but it’s not what I’d necessarily encourage once life becomes a little more manageable.
So although I don’t think it’s the best choice for me now, I do plan on returning to this rhythm soon.
Get everyone dressed early in the morning
After feeding my daughter, we start getting dressed. I’ll typically get dressed and then get my children ready for the day.
It was only after having my daughter that I became consistent with this. I’ve found that the days flow so much better and I feel so much better and productive when I have clothes on.
Now, I don’t always choose formal clothes. The main thing for me is just getting out of my pajamas.
A pro tip for those with two under two: it makes leaving the house later in the day actually doable. When I started leaving the house with my kids, I noticed it felt like I was stuck in a never-ending cycle. A cycle of diapers, clothes, food, mess, drinks. It felt like every time something was caught up, something else needed to get changed or fixed before we left the house. It took FOREVER to leave the house and honestly, made me want to stay home at a certain point.
Even if clothes have to be changed later in the day, I’ve noticed that the simple task of getting dressed in the morning helps stay on top of it and makes leaving the house in the middle of the day so much easier.
Delegate your least favorite task (or prep ahead of time)
After getting dressed, we give my son his multivitamin and warm up breakfast.
Shortly after having my daughter, I would wake up feeling behind. Just the thought of getting us all ready and fed paralyzed me. My nursing baby would wake up ready to eat and my toddler was repeatedly asking for milk or a snack. I felt dread for the major hump of the morning.
Because I wasn’t in the position to get up before my children yet, I asked my husband to take over the task of preparing our breakfast. This was a GAME CHANGER. It blesses us every single morning.
I highly recommend that you reflect on the part of your morning that you find is most stressful. Either try to delegate it to your husband or see if you can prepare in advance. If making breakfast is the struggle, you can meal prep it the night before or once a week. If getting them dressed is your hurdle, you can have the clothes already laid out the night before.
And if you feel hesitant about asking for help, just know: it doesn’t have to be forever.
When my son started taking his multivitamin, I was trying to give it to him while babywearing a newborn. It did not work.
He hated the taste and it was hard to hold him and give it without creating a huge mess. So I asked my husband to take this over.
How’s it going? Well my son is used to it (I’d even say enjoys it). So I can give it to him and we brush his teeth-easily, no problem!
Just because you ask for help doesn’t mean it has to be forever. Things eventually change and you can take it back over then.
Make sure you are eating breakfast too
The next part of our morning is to eat breakfast as a family.
I almost forgot to include this, because one thing about me is, I’m gonna eat. Even if the food is cold or my children keep asking for my food, I’m going to make time for some food, honey.
But I really get it, I do! It’s so tempting to rush past breakfast because the day ahead feels so daunting. You may want to squeeze a few tasks in the kitchen while your children are sitting still eating their meal.
But sis, please slow down and eat with your children. You’ve already taken the time to make your kids food to ensure they are fed and taken care of. Please feed and take care of yourself, too.
It is hard to show up for the ones we love when we ourselves are running on fumes. Your body needs fuel for the rest of the day.
Restore order as you go
After breakfast, we clean the dishes and reset the dining space.
It’s tempting to get in the mindset of “Well, we’re just going to make another mess at lunch time, so I’ll just save it until then” But, I strongly encourage you to clean up as you go.
Yes, although it’s going to get done again soon, it makes a huge difference in your environment and mind when you’re not having to constantly worry about your toddler stepping in leftover yogurt and tracking it across the floor. Or having to rush and clean the high chair tray as your child is already hungry and ready to eat.
Resetting your spaces helps your future self. Every. Single. Time.
Prioritize time with God
Our last, but most important part of the morning, is to do our morning devotion as a family.
During this part of our morning, I will typically read a Bible story and we may do some Bible related flash cards. Sometimes, we will include a song and typically end in prayer for the day ahead.
This habit is not only good for teaching your children about God, but it also fills you up spiritually. We cannot live by bread alone. We need God’s Word every day just like we need to eat.
I would love to get up before my children and have a longer study and devotion with the Lord and highly suggest it if you can. But even when I do restart that discipline, I still plan on having family devotion time as it teaches my children the importance of meeting with God at the start of their day.
However, if you are in a season of doing your devotions after eating in the morning, I recommend putting off any other forms of entertainment until you’ve met with God to keep our hearts reserved for Him first. One way we try to do this is by listening to worship or Gospel music as we get dressed or settled for breakfast.
That’s our morning!
All in all, it takes us about three hours from waking up to finishing our family devotion to get our days started. I appreciate this rhythm as it helps energize and set me up for success to be productive and get tasks accomplished later in the day.
After this, I’ll typically then move onto one of my two to three priorities for the day in this window of time before lunch. If you’re wondering how to choose the next best thing to do in the flexible parts of your day, check out my blog post where I discuss how I plan my weeks for more productive and smoother weeks as a stay-at-home mom.
Watch the video here!
I hope you have a blessed day, mama!
