Embrace Mornings: 3 Ways to Calm the Chaos

jenn-171
Photo credit: Allison Corrin Photography

Mornings. Begging your kids to stop screaming so you can make a quick cup of coffee. Bartering with your kids to get to play on the iPad for a few minutes before school if they get dressed. Rushing through breakfast. Skipping breakfast. Making a huge mess in the kitchen. Oh… mornings stress me out.

I want a clean kitchen and quick, calm routine. As a stay-at-home mom, I never had to worry about this until I started working a little more outside the home, and my son started preschool. The calm mornings of snuggling on the couch and watching Daniel Tiger are over.To be honest, they probably won’t be back until the nest is empty.

A friend of mine so beautifully put it: “It’s time to embrace the morning!” Thanks to her inspiration, my husband and I had the conversation about what is and isn’t working with our mornings. These are our morning routine goals for 2015.

1. Get out of bed!
We’re tired. We’re exhausted moms who haven’t really slept for years. It’s hard to get up before your kids. Our family is learning that if we want to keep the morning crazy to a minimum, then I have to get my bum out of bed, a few sips of coffee in my system and a few moments of peace alone. This small, but almost impossible, step changes our mornings and changes our days. Who knew how powerful a couple minutes alone with coffee could be? I’m in a much better place to engage my kids and get us out the door when my day starts this way. This is only possible when I get myself to bed at night. GO to bed moms. The to-do list will still be waiting for you in the morning.

2. Quick, non-messy breakfast
Breakfast could be one of the biggest points of tension in our marriage. My husband loves big messy breakfasts. He would have an omelet every morning with all the fixings if I would make it. But, I won’t. And I won’t let him either. I can’t stand starting a full day with a messy kitchen. It throws me off my game for the rest of the day. As a wellness coach, I know breakfast is important. We have learned to compromise in our house. I do a breakfast prep for the week on Saturday or Sunday and that usually gets us through. We do quick healthy go-to choices like green smoothies that I can freeze and eat all week. The kids love steel cut oatmeal. We can make it early in the week, microwave it and bang – quick and healthy!

3. Prepare the night before
Who knew that simple things like laying clothes out the night before would cut down on so many morning conflicts? The night before we pick out clothes (even my clothes), load backpacks, pack lunches (if needed), and we have a quick chat reminding them of the morning routine. Once they are dressed, eaten breakfast, brushed teeth, etc., they can have the remaining time to watch a show, play on the iPad, or play in the toy room until it’s time to go.

We are two weeks into 2015 and we have not met these three goals perfectly everyday. But, the days we have met them have been better days. To my tired, weary moms friends: make a plan. Don’t feel guilty the days you screw it up. Enjoy the days you get it right!

Jenn
"Jenn is a Special Education teacher turned health enthusiast. Most days she can be found chasing her three kids (4,2, and 8 months) around some park in Kansas City wearing workout clothes and sweaty hair. Jenn is an ACE Certified group fitness instructor and loves teaching group fitness classes around KC. She is also a NETA certified Wellness Coach. You can visit Jenn's wellness coaching website at http://www.jennmarasco.com .Jenn is crazy in love with her husband of seven years, Matthew. Their idea of a great date includes playing or attending some type of sporting event followed by a delicious meal from a local KC restaurant. Jenn and Matt lived in the Midtown neighborhood of KC for four years and recently moved to Overland Park."