Monday, August 27, 2012

Theme week: Morning Routine

Good morning!  How was your weekend?  Will took Friday off which was so nice since he worked all day yesterday (he's a youth director at a local church and yesterday was their big kick-off).  A lazy Friday and Saturday was just what we needed before getting back into our fall schedule. 

As the title suggests, this week we'll all be posting about our morning routines.  Check out how we start our days, and get a favorite breakfast recipe from each of us on Thursday.

Snug as bugs in rugs!  Morning playtime.

Since Annabel was born last August, my morning routine has definitely not been set in stone.  Although I like to try and get up early to have a little time to myself to gear up for the day before children join me, it's been hard to keep that schedule when the nights with a baby are so unpredictable.  Now that she's (finally) starting to sleep through the night on a fairly consistent basis, and since Tommy starts Kindergarten a week from tomorrow, I am determined to get into a comfortable morning rhythm.  One thing I remember clearly from when I was growing up is that my mom was always up before the sun, showered, dressed, ready, before the girlies and I even opened our eyes.  I've never asked her, but I think it probably made it easier for her to help us get ready since she didn't have to worry about getting herself ready, too.  Now that I'm going to have a child in school (what?!) I'm going to follow her example.  So here's what my morning routine will be (which is sort of what it is now, except this new one will start earlier and not include children...hopefully):

The night before (a very important part of my morning routine): 
-Get coffee ready
-Pick out clothes (because I don't want to spend 10 minutes picking out my clothes every morning)
-Make lunches
-Make sure kitchen is clean and living room is picked up
-Have Tommy's backpack, Annabel's diaper bag, and my purse ready to go
-GO TO BED BEFORE 11 (this will be a challenge for me - I really am more of a night owl)

Lots of oatmeal for breakfast and leftovers for muffins.

In the morning:
-Wake up at 5:30, sleepily walk to prepared-the-night-before coffee machine, press start.  (Yes, I know you can set the timer on those things, but if it starts automatically, it's just another excuse for me to stay in bed for a few more minutes.  I need to push the button.)
-Quick shower while coffee brews, get dressed
-Pour the perfect first cup of coffee, sit down at the table
-Do my daily readings from Simple Abundance and the Bible, fill my notebooks with thoughts and things to remember
-Write out daily schedule in my main moleskin notebook (I have lots of notebooks but at the moment, my most important day-to-day info/lists/dinner schedule/appointments/etc are kept in a yellow moleskin)

If I'm still kid-free at this point, I would probably sit on the couch with my coffee and a book or my knitting and enjoy a few quiet minutes. 

Strawberry banana muffins

Once the kids are up, usually between 6:30 and 7:30, I give Tommy the run-down on possible breakfast choices (cereal/toast/oatmeal/eggs/waffles/fruit) and am willing to make him whatever he wants to ensure that he eats well before starting his long day (no half-day K around here).  I fix Annabel her standard cheerios and bananas and add a little of whatever else we're eating - toast, waffles, other fruit, etc.  I usually eat eggs and veggies or oatmeal and fruit, but I love to make blueberry/banana muffins occasionally, too.  I can't do cereal - it doesn't fill me up which makes me want snacks which makes me eat too much which makes me not fit into my jeans which makes me feel gross.....no cereal.  After breakfast, it's time to get dressed, brush teeth, comb down Tommy's wild morning hair, re-check the backpack and play some trucks or get wrapped up as snug as bugs.  We'll be out the door just before 9 to walk to school, as we are fortunate enough to live just down the road from Big T's Elementary School and have about a 5 minute walk to the front doors. 

The one thing that I can't fit in bright and early is exercise.  I'm planning to head to the gym sometime between lunch and Annabel's afternoon nap.

So there you have it!  My morning routine.  How do you start your day?  I love hearing how other people get going in the morning!

P.s.  With the big surprise party prep, I wasn't able to finish Annabel's blanket, but it's close now!  I'll have pictures next week.  Also, how's your cooking-at-home going?  Doing good here.  Update coming next week, also.  Happy Monday!

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