Our Family’s Morning Routine

Have you ever dealt with the feeling of burn out? When your wheels are spinning a million miles an hour, but you’re just not getting where you want to go? I’ve been there. Mornings with my kids were rushed and hectic, I felt behind in work, and I wanted to spend more time cultivating my friendships. When I felt like my mornings needed an “overhaul”, what I found was that I actually needed the exact opposite. 

Items Mentioned In This Post:

I shared all about my morning routine on Instagram and I got so much feedback to not just share more, but put it in a place that people can reference. That is exactly what I’m doing today! Below is exactly how I structure my morning to not just feel my best, but also put my best foot forward for my family.

Did you know we did a complete remodel of our home last year? I wrote two posts all about the process!

• Kitchen Remodel : Before & After
• My Dining Room Update with Savannah Kay Designs

Small Changes Made A Huge Difference

Instead of “overhauling” our morning, instead, I made small changes that compounded over time. Truthfully, this all still feels new to me, but making micro changes to our day has lead to such a big impact – I just have to share!

This entire thought process is based on the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. In this book, he explains that we are a product of our daily habits. But changing habits is so hard, right? He teaches in the book how to “habit stack”, or add on new habits on top of habits and routines you’ve already established.

 

All About Habit Stacking

A good example of this is taking a morning vitamin. If you were struggling to remember to take it, you could place the bottle next to your toothbrush – something that you know you will do every single day. When you brush your teeth, you’ll see the vitamin, and remember to take it! Eventually, you won’t need to keep your vitamins next to your toothbrush because it will be an established part of your routine. And that is exactly what I did with my morning! I added new habits on top of existing ones to create a better morning for my family.

My Morning Routine:

• I set my alarm early enough to start my day with stillness and prayer. This is a new habit for me because I’m used to waking up at 7am (when my kids have to get up) and rushing everyone out the door. When my alarm goes off, I spend some quiet time by myself reflecting, praying, and filling my heart with gratitude. I’m telling you – there is no better way to start your day! This concept came from the books The Morning Miracle and Stillness Is The Key. I highly recommend them if this is something you’re interested in.
• Next, I grab my Stanley and my airpods and head to my workout! I workout at a local gym with friends and it is SO much fun! It is very motivating to meet friends at the gym. If that is something you can do with your core group of girls, you absolutely should!
• By the time I’m home, my kids are just about ready to get up and get dressed. Now that my kids are older, I make sure they are out of bed, but the rest is up to them! 
• While they are getting ready, I’m making breakfast! I’ve been sharing my breakfasts every single day on stories which is how this conversation initially got started. My kids are so busy with after school activities and we were missing more and more family dinners due to everyone’s schedules. Knowing that we are all always home in the mornings, we made the change to having family breakfast every single day. We still try to have dinner together, but at least we know we have sat down at the table for one meal each day. Below are some recipes we love!
  • Acai Bowls
  • Egg in a Hole
  • The Best Pancakes
  • German Pancakes
  • Bacon Breakfast Hash

Our Morning Must-Have – Music!

The remainder of the morning is spent doing hair, having dance parties, and getting shoes on. If you make ONE change to your morning, my recommendation would be to add music! This record player was gifted to me last year and we use it every.single.morning! It is a special family item that we love so much. You get one here.

I never realized how much this could change the mood of the whole family. If we are running late or trying to find missing homework, emotions can run high quickly. Having some music on while my kids are getting out the door keeps everyone in high spirits as they head out for their day.

My Attitude Impacts Everyone!

Ultimately, my biggest reason for changing my morning routine was set my kids up for success. I didn’t want them running out the door stressed, without feeling prepared, or hungry because they didn’t have time to finish their meal. Our mornings are fun and family-centered – what more could we ask for?!