MORNING ROUTINES

I find other people's morning routines fascinating, especially if they have a routine that they stick to in order to make the most out of their morning.

Ken asked me the other day why I like hearing other people's morning routines and this is what I came up with:

1) I believe that how you start your morning can set the tone for the rest of the day and can determine whether you have a good day or bad. I've had those mornings where I rush out the door and feel like I am trying to catch up all day, and then I've had those days where I feel like a winner because I am ahead of the day. I prefer the latter. 

2) I have learned over the years how much more efficient, clear-minded and optimistic I am in the mornings. I want to maximize that time and am interested to hear how other people are figuring it out for themselves. 

3) It seems like happy (content? successful?) people have a morning routine down in order to maximize their time and it seems like it probably contributes to their overall satisfaction with life. Attitude is everything and when better to set your attitude than in the mornings?

4) I love breakfast ! I love breakfast food, I love the concept of 'breaking fast' from not having eaten for so long, and I love eating breakfast with others while soaking in the promise of a new day.

These are the elements that make for a great morning for me:

/coffee

/reading and writing time 

/connecting with my kids

/connecting with my husband

/a hearty meal

/a walk or a workout

I can't hit all these elements but I try. During the weekday, my ideal morning usually looks like this:

/Wake at 5:30, focus my mind through some prayers, get myself dressed and ready for work

/Nurse Logan at 6 or 6:30 and then get her dressed 

/Pack up anything that needs to go out the door with me - stuff for Sloane and Logan's day at daycare (lunch, milk, extra clothes, diapers), pumping items for pumping at work, work stuff 

/Ken gets Sloane up and dressed

/Make coffee and try to do a little bit of reading or writing 

/Have breakfast together at 7:15, connect, really hear and see each other 

/Head out the door at 7:45 to drop kids off before getting to work by 8:30

Once Logan starts sleeping through the night consistently, I would love my morning routine to include more writing and reading time, even if it means waking up a little earlier. 

And in a perfect world, or maybe a world where I can get into work a little later, I would be happy to get a workout in a few times a week, but who are we kidding. 

Weekends are similar, except sometimes I'll go back to sleep for another hour after nursing Logan if I can, and we can take even longer with breakfast. 

Which leads to me ask, share your morning routines if you have one? I'm curious. 

This past Saturday, I took Sloane and Logan out for breakfast to a lovely brasserie we have here in town and had ourselves a girls morning out. It was so fun it makes me toes curl remembering it. I got coffee, she got tea, and we chatted over eggs Benedict, baguettes and coffee bread. She loves tea and that tickles me.

This is us taking in a deep breath of the rain soaked day out on the street afterwards. A month ago I would have been nervous to go on an outing with just the three of us, but it is no longer intimidating. Hurray!

I'll end here by throwing in some photos that we took when we got home while waiting for Ken to get home. 

Picture by Sloane, the new budding photographer of the family.

"Hi! I'm almost 12 weeks old and my cheeks are sore because my mom kisses them too much..."