a few weeks ago i put out a tweet asking mom’s about their morning routines.

most days, by 8am i feel done for the day.  and, i know i’m not alone on this.

are you having good mornings?

i want(ed) to know what you all are doing with the morning madness or how you avoid it, combat it, or just don’t let it bother you.

we can learn a lot when we have conversations, ask questions, and exchange ideas.  that’s why i keep h hanging out digitally, almost daily.

so, lets conversate on morning routines.  while, i’ve been a mom for almost 12 years, i seem to keep coming up short in this area, almost, every day.  i’d love to hear what your morning routine is like.  what has worked for you and what hasn’t worked.  the more specific the better.  i want to hear from anybody and everybody.  mothers and non-mothers.  tell me about morning time.

the thing about kids is that no matter how much you plan and prepare they can be unpredictable.  i have, personally, always found (and read over the years) that kids thrive on routine (i went with this approach starting when mine were babies and that worked well for us.  happy to share more on that if anyone wants).  so i like the idea of routine.  i tend to be a routined person, but i do not rate high on adaptability.  so when i make a routine and it doesn’t go according to plan, i have a hard time with that.  and, with 4 kids (two being toddlers), that means pretty much all the time something doesn’t go according to plan or the routine gets wrecked.  if you can have a routine and be flexible and adaptable i think thats the ticket.  would you agree?

but, lets talk talk details and exchange ideas.

here are some things that i have been doing that have very much helped:

–wake up 45 minutes before my kids to have a cup of coffee in the quiet, read, journal, pray and prepare for the day.  this has been hard for me as i’m not a morning person, but i have really surprised myself at how consistently i have been getting up because i like this quiet time so much.  doing something for yourself before you do everything for everyone else is really centering.  maybe for you that is exercise.

-lay out the kids clothes the night before.  i know this is probably like, “duh.” but, i wasn’t doing it.

-pack lunches the night before and have older kids pack their own

-no TV or electronics before school.  i used to always put the tv first thing.  it was habit.  i liked the white noise.  it kept the little ones occupied.  but without fail it would always cause fights or meltdowns.

-decide who gets to sit shotgun for the entire week and then rotate (thank you to my wise friend for this idea)

these are just a few new things that we have been incorporating that have been helping, but our mornings are still hairy, hurried and sometimes end in tears (and, i’m talking about me, here).  i wonder if that is just how it is with 4 kids and the ages and stages we are at.  the thing is i don’t want to send them off on the wrong foot.  i’m looking for some good mornings.

now, i’d love to hear from you.

ps- here are some good tips from parenting.com on the topic

more thoughts on rituals + routines.

image : asia pietrzyk