In 10 years of parenting, I’ve learned that I’m a balanced, structured type. My mornings… my whole days, really, are better that way. And, so, I’ve learned a few strategies that have helped my family and me to make our mornings better.
The Night Before
I love mornings when I actually wake up and jump out of bed. They’re far and few between because I tend to stay up late… doing laundry, reading, knitting, talking with my husband… and often my sleeps are interrupted (no wonder why on that one, ahem. Three kids.) But the mornings like today, when I don’t roll out of bed but happily get out of bed with a full idea of what will make my day successful and happy, those are the best mornings.
How do I do it? Obviously, getting to bed at a decent hour helps. Two years ago I announced a goal to be in bed each evening before midnight. It took a while to get into the routine, but once I did, my mornings ran more smoothly. Now, and maybe it’s because I’m older, I’m trying to be in bed by 11. Oftentimes I’m still getting things done—the lights go out when I’m really finished, but 11:00 is becoming more reachable.
I’ve also found that if I take 5-10 minutes to look ahead to the next day, reviewing my plans and short-term goals, it’s easier to be set to go. At night, I’ve trained myself to go to bed thinking about how my tomorrow will run. Which means I already know the types of clothing I’ll need to wear, whether we’ll be rushed to run an errand before school drop offs and if I’ll need to make time to chat with a teacher. When I have work the next morning, I’ll often sneak down to my office to create a list of things to do, so that when I sit down at my desk, my plans are already set. And I can breathe.
In the morning
If all things go well, I’m up, showered and ready to roll before the kids, but because you can never count on who’s going to be up early, who will have crawled into your bed at 5 am and who will be hiding under her sheets, I know most mornings will include a bit of a morning shuffle—getting everyone, including me, ready. I have my make-up and hair down to a well-practiced routine.
The kids are fairly self-sufficient at breakfast and I make sure to set aside some to quickly grab a bowl of cereal while I check my emails and social media updates. This way, if there’s anything that needs attention before my run to the gym or to volunteer or just to take the kids to their schools, I can jump on it.
The best of mornings include exercise
My favorite mornings are those that I hit the gym first, before I sit down to work. The endorphin’s get me moving and enthused, so I find I get so much more accomplished on work out days. And I love to shower at the gym where I can get ready for the day so much faster—something about being around adults where everyone else is rushing to get going on their days, plus the lack of distractions in the gym locker room… I always get moving faster in there. Plus, there’s no decision over what to wear — I already packed it into my gym bag earlier that morning.
Making it a better morning
Whether I squeezed the gym in or not, what always makes my mornings perfect is taking time to enjoy a cup of coffee. I love to take 20 minutes with a friend, whether in person, on the phone or over a Google Hangout or Skype. Me time is so important to a healthy lifestyle, and taking the time to sit down and enjoy life is imperative to a better morning.
Brewing a Better Morning
I still remember, several years ago, when I contemplated purchasing a Keurig. I had never made a cup of coffee in my life, always running to Wawa on the way to work (which meant spending $1-2 each morning.) Brewing Green Mountain Coffee K-Cup packs have saved us over $300 each year!
With all of the choices of Green Mountain Coffee K-Cup flavors varieties, I now can pick a coffee that suits my mood, enjoy it in my kitchen, quietly, or with friends over. I love inviting friends and not having to worry if they’ll like the coffee that I have—I have several flavors so that everyone is happy.
Thank you to Green Mountain Coffee and Technorati for being sponsors of this article. All opinions expressed here are my own.
© 2013, Julie Meyers Pron. All rights reserved.
