My Morning Routine

My morning routine is everything. If I deviate from this routine, I feel off the rest of the day. I feel like I am running late or behind schedule the whole day. Everyone’s morning routine should be unique to them. Here are just some keys that make my morning routine set my day up for success.

Wake Up Before the Kids Wake Up

I don’t know about your kids, but mine don’t do well without a routine also. When they are left to their own devices because Martin or I are busy (or sleeping in), it isn’t good. I could wake up to ice cream out, youtube blaring, chip crumbs scattered. Then guess who isn’t hungry for a healthy breakfast? And guess who is annoyed that the youtube video they are watching gets taken away? You can imagine. We are now all grumpy! The extra 30 min of sleep are never worth it to me. Come talk to me again once the teenage years hit and my kids can sleep in past 7:00am. Maybe I’ll be rested then.

Start Your Day with Jesus

Open your bible. Start a prayer journal. Meditate on a bible verse. Spend time in talking with God. 

This will change your life. I am a much better wife and mother because of this. My perspective of life is filled with love and appreciation. I use this time to reflect on the previous day and ask God to help me with patience, being present, or giving myself more grace. The list of things I ask God’s help with is…. long. 

I personally use the Bible Recap to help structure my bible reading. I also enjoy my bible app. I like to listen to the bible read aloud while I follow along. It helps me stay focused and less distracted with all the different bible names that are harder to pronounce. I also feel like I comprehend better when I can listen to the audio. 

Don’t forget, your kids are watching. Even if they are asleep, they will see your bible out, they will notice the fruits of the spirit in you, they will see your marked up bible, they will hear you share what you read about that day. Be the person you want them to be. 

Add a Beverage

My morning latte is maybe my biggest motivator to get up and going. I love making it, I love smelling it, I love drinking it, I love the way I feel with a warm latte sitting by my journal while I am reading the bible. I feel so put together and sophisticated, which is so rare in my life.

So I encourage you to find a beverage that can start your day off, give you that extra pep in your step. Find a way to create that drink at home, tweak it, and make it just the way you like. 

Move Your Body

I am a morning workout person. I love that I get my workout for the day checked off first thing in the morning. A few years ago, I was a TOTAL BEAR if I did not get my workout in first thing. I played around with my morning routine and I found that any type of movement would suffice for the morning. While most mornings I do get a good 30-45 min. However, I have found that a 10 min. stretch or a walk with the dog around the block, gives me the endorphins that my body needs to start the day well.

PSA: Never listen to the part of your brain that tells you “I will workout later, just sleep in.” That voice in my head is always lying to me, and I really don’t like her much at the end of the day when I never did that workout and I am STILL exhausted despite those extra minutes of sleep that morning.

Stay Off Your Phone

To be honest, I am still working on this one. Like I said earlier, I do like to use my phone for my bible reading. What I am talking about here are when the phone is distracting. An email, or text message, or a social media post can derail a morning routine so quickly. It can grab your attention and demand that it gets priority. We both know that responding to one of these items can wait until after your morning routine. 

I also can be guilty of checking my weather app, checking what the school lunch is for the day, looking at my calendar app to see what is in store, or checking all my friends activity rings to see what workout they did. All of these things add up very quickly and can rob you of precious time.

Have a Backup Plan

If your kids are anything like my kids, they can be a bit demanding in the mornings. Sometimes they wake up way too early. Good times, am I right? I like to have a backup plan for these mornings. I like to have healthy breakfast type snacks available, that can hold them over until the real breakfast. I like to have an educational show ready for them to watch while I finish my workout or bible study. I also lay out their clothes the night before, so they can get them on without my supervision. 

I try really hard to not get upset that they are intruding on my morning routine. There have been many mornings that one of my kids is snuggled on my lap while I listen to my audio reading of the bible. Or that I read aloud what I wrote in my prayer journal. Some mornings, my child will also write in my prayer journal while I am reading. I couldn’t count how many times one of my kids has done my workout with me or just watched their mom kill a workout.

I hope that you find a morning routine that is unique to you, makes you excited to start each day, and provides you with energy that lasts all day long.