Mornings set your tone for the day. It is hard to recover from a bad morning, it’s possible, but a struggle. Try to start on the right foot and set yourself up for success. Here are a few thoughts and ideas on stay at home mom morning routine according to how I do my morning routine for stay at home mom. Additionally, a few tips I have gained from friends as well.
Start your day well-rested, in the right mindset, with a morning beverage of choice and a plan, the rest of your day will not feel like such an uphill battle. See some of our tips below!
Get Quality Sleep to Prepare Yourself for Tomorrow
A good morning starts with getting the right amount of sleep the night before. It’s hard when you have to get up for those 3 am feedings. But, when your little one is sleeping like a rock, you get hit with insomnia and is exhausting, it can feel utterly defeating. (We know how it feel when the children randomly wake up…)
You may even believe that you have no one to blame but yourself when you cannot sleep. This still does not mean you should blame yourself, mama. We are a jumble of hormones, stress is a huge factor, and things happen, it is okay.
Sleep deprivation is not a joke.
Keeping a notepad by your bed to jot notes; if your brain let go of things, you will find you can finally shut down a little. Without the stress of feeling like you are going to forget something important in the morning.
Listen to something soothing…
- try some music
- an audiobook
- use a fan for white noise
- get a dedicated white noise machine
Try taking something; Tylenol pm or Melatonin, Valerian Root for a more of a supplement approach.
Stay off the screens, and switch to reading a real book or read a magazine instead. The blue light emitting from your tablets, laptops or phones is harmful to your eyes anyways.
Also, a great tip is that it’s easier to stay asleep in colder temperatures. My husband would not agree since he has to deal with my cold hands and feet. It does seem to improve how well you can sleep when you drop the thermostat a degree or two though. Snuggle up in that bed and get comfortable!
Wake Up with Intention and Joy
Okay, so waking up in the right frame of mind is fantastic. You have more control over that than you may realize. This is another tip in our morning routine for stay at home mom.
For me? The improvement was made by merely changing the art on the bedroom wall. I really wish it weren’t as stupid as it sounded, but it pretty much is. I am equally proud and embarrassed by that epiphany. During a paint night with one of my friends I painted it. The art piece wasn’t terrible, but I was in a horrible headspace at the time.
I also thought it would be great to hang the art opposite the bed. This piece of work was the last thing I saw at night. Also, it was the first thing I saw in the morning. That art was tied to a lot of misery, and it had to go. I finally replaced it with an autographed piece of art from a concert with my husband.
Then I added another piece of hippy memorabilia and another and another. Now I have a wall of achievements and memories that I start the day with, and it has helped drastically.
In our current stage of life, my mornings typically start with my toddler waking me up by climbing into bed. I will take advantage of the cuddles for as long as I can. I know it won’t be forever that he snuggles in for a good 15 to 20 minutes time.
Being able to start the mornings before the little ones wake up has its benefits. But it just doesn’t work for us in this stage of life, and that’s okay. Read a bit of “me time” here to understand how you can take advantage of some quality time for yourself in the morning before the little ones wake up time.
Morning Meditation
A friend of mine has used morning meditation recordings to help her wake up to a slow start. I have heard and attempted meditation recordings before but these are specifically designed to help your brain wake up gently.
The mom used an app called Simple Habit Daily Meditation. There are a few different ones you can try.
Most of the apps are free to download. Some have samples to try, but you have to purchase a subscription to gain more of a selection. Create some DIY essential candles for the morning meditation routine and you have yourself a very soothing wake up routine in the morning.
Start in the Kitchen
When I deem a morning successful, it’s inevitably because I started the night before. Good mornings begin when I can thank “Evening Self” for doing the dishes and getting the coffee pot ready the night before. Walking into the kitchen to find clean counters and available coffee can put you in the right frame of mind.
Learn how to make iced coffee at home here.
If coffee isn’t your thing during breakfast there is green tea, hot water with lemon, bulletproof coffee, the options are near endless. Find a routine drink that is a sign that you are starting your days.
Hydration helps get the mind going, so make sure to finish off at least one glass of water or top of your morning time beverage of choice.
Do not leave breakfast! You might not be hungry first thing out of bed, so circle back around after you take care of your shower and getting dressed but be sure to eat something!
If time is a concern, try some premade breakfasts, you can cook in the microwave or a meal shake. Shakes are also a way I can sneak in vitamins for a very picky eater toddler.Children refuse any new food but gives them a mystery shake with spinach and other things, and he doesn’t blink an eye. It’s a win-win for me. Yogurts are also very great alternatives too!
Plan Your Day
Even if you are staying at home, there is something that helps that mental shift by getting dressed and taking a shower (if you are able). Try your best to stay off of social media and the TV until you get your routine plan together. Even checking one little thing can lead you down a rabbit trail and then you realize that you’ve been scrolling for far too long.
Eliminate any distractions the best you can and sit down to figure out how you need to plan your day, you could use the notes app on your phone, I need a piece of paper that I can add to each category of tasks (My categories normally consist of: work, house, errands, family, social groups, etc.)
Also, there is something satisfying to cross things off a piece of paper. Jot down all the tasks you would like to get done and pick the top three that are the most important, shoot for completing at least those three things and have that be your goal for the day.
Most days are pretty packed with planned activities or obligations. The days feel more productive when we get moving earlier (in all honesty we’re talking about the 9 am a range, and even that is a fantastic accomplishment.) Busy mornings also means less of a fight for the afternoon nap.
If starting in the morning is a struggle, it may be helped to be held accountable by friends or mom groups similar to our private mom group here. This would be my exception to my “No phone/social media” rule, but if you need life encouragement or support to get things going go for it!
Make a To-Do List
Once you have your to-do list and day planned, try to pick something that would be quick to achieve to knock out first. There have been more than a few times that I have seen people share about how making the bed first thing in the morning gives you a productivity boost since it has a tremendous visual impact on how made up your bedroom is and a task that you can complete with minimal effort. It could be some other small chore or job in the yard you want to get done before the heat of the day.
Have your little one help you with chores as well. Feeding the dog is a responsibility that our little one enjoys helping with. Mornings are also a great time to go grocery shopping. Also, pick out what you want to have for dinner, so you don’t have to realize you are missing an ingredient in the middle of cooking and now is the time to get the meat out of the freezer to defrost!
If you do don’t have an important task that needs completing right away, try to go for a walk, start getting activate, read a short story and get the blood pumping. No matter what you choose, pick one small thing, and complete it.
Morning routine for SAHM
Are you able to get on a structured routine, or is it more of a general guideline. What is the one thing that you have to do every morning to feel like you are starting off the day successfully? Thank you for the ‘stay at home mom morning routine‘ read!
I would love to hear what stay at home mom morning routine works for your days. Leave a comment below or find us on facebook!
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