All Moms, Stay-at-Home, Homeschooling and Working Moms need a morning routine
Don’t you hate when you wake up, realize its way later than it should be and you are running around, half-crazed trying to get everyone out the door? Not only does this make for a hectic morning, but it just starts your day off on the wrong foot. Having a simple routine you do every day will make all the crazy, frazzled, pulling-your-haircut kind of mornings a thing of the past. All moms deserve to have a more simple morning routine.
I am a SAHM with two school-aged children. When school is in full swing, instead of feeling frazzled, I usually feel fully in control. I thrive on routine and starting each day with a plan makes our days so much better.
When I was growing up, our mornings were always crazy. We were always rushing out the door, generally a bit late and it was hectic.
I can not handle that. I need organization and structure and so do my kids.
Daily Routine of A Mother – Wake Up Time
Now, I have a rule that I don’t force myself to get up before my kids. You know, those moms who set their alarm so they can get up and have a little “me time” before the kids get up? Yea, I like my sleep more than alone time! However, when the school year is in full swing you really do need to get up at a reasonable time to get your life in order.
The great thing about this simple morning routine is moms are still allowed to get their sleep! Everything you need to get done can be accomplished in no time at all once you have your plan in place.
First we are going to decide on what we want to include in our morning schedule. Once you decide on what you want to get done each morning, then its time to decide what time to wake up! So lets wait until we get our plans laid out before we start setting our alarms!
So moms, what should be included in your simple morning schedule?
We are all about keeping it simple here! Lets hit the basics first. I do leave room for a few extras if that is your thing, just don’t stretch yourself too thin. The whole purpose of creating a morning schedule is to simplify your day, not to add more to-dos to your list.
First, Feed Yourself and Your Family
I hope this one is obvious but if not, please take a few minutes and feed yourself too! You can not and should not run on coffee only!
Also, try not to stick to the basic cereal or pop tarts routine. There are much more nutritious and just as easy ways to feed your kids each day. Check out my Easy Breakfast Meal Plan from Basic Pantry Staples for some ideas.
Part of creating a more simplistic lifestyle for you and your family includes slowing things down and enjoying the everyday moments. Try and build in time for you to actually sit down at the table together, even if it’s just five minutes, and have breakfast together.
Second, Get Dressed
I like to leave getting dressed until after breakfast in my house. Mostly because my kids are either messy eaters or just pain clumsy depending on which child we are talking about. So, I prefer to only have them only get dressed once!
Do not leave yourself out of this step! Getting yourself dressed and looking somewhat presentable (yes a mom bun counts as presentable) will make you feel much more prepared for the day.
I include teeth and hair in this section too. It always ends up being the worst part of the morning. Somehow toothbrushes are always missing and nobody likes having their hair brushed.
My kids bathe at night and I shower in the middle of the day after my workout. I would highly recommend not bathing in the mornings but that’s totally up to you.
Third, Take Care of A Few Housekeeping Tasks
If you are using our PM routine you should wake up to a fairly clean home! Yay you!
Make your bed! Even if you don’t think its important, just do it! It automatically makes your room look cleaner and more inviting.
My kids have started making their own bed this year. They are four and six. While the beds don’t actually look fantastic I think its a good for them to start learning and they will get better with practice. Plus it means one less thing for mom to take care of!
Throw in a load of laundry. I know not everyone does laundry everyday so skip this step if you don’t have any. Then email me and tell me your secrets! Seriously, I have at least one if not two loads of laundry every day!
I do have a cleaning routine I stick to during the week. It helps me to spend an hour or less each day cleaning and yet still make sure my entire home is getting cleaned. You can find the Cleaning Schedule here.
Each day on my cleaning schedule has specific tasks so I like to check and see if the daily task can be started now. For example, on Mondays, one of the tasks is to wash bed linens. No, I can’t get all that done in my one hour BUT I can get all the beds stripped and one load, maybe even a second load started before I leave.
Fourth, Create Your Schedule of Events for the Day
This is IMPORTANT. Take 5 min and look at your planner and see what you have going on. Add any errands you need to run or things you might need to pick up while you are out.
If you aren’t already using a planner, stop what you are doing and get one already! A physical paper and pen kinda planner is the absolute BEST way to simplify your life!
When you know your schedule before you even leave the house you are less likely to forget things.
Keep in mind a planner will only work if you are making the time to use it. I recently agreed to take my parents dog to the vet for them because they were both working. It wasn’t written down and of course I forgot. By the time someone reminded me I actually had to call the Vet and ask them to keep the office open until I got there! If it was in my planner, I could have seen it and added it to my brain before my day even really got started.
Lastly, Pack Lunches & Check Backpacks
You want to make sure that your kids have everything they need before stepping out the door.
I like to do a backpack check the night before too just to make sure there isn’t anything I need to sign and return. Also gives me a chance to remove anything weird from my daughters’ backpack. Pinecones and rocks are usually what I find!
Covid has made going to school super weird so we’ve added lots of new stuff to our “out the door” checks. Masks, backup masks, lanyards, hand sanitizer ect.
If your kids are homeschooled this is when you could start getting things set up for the day.
No kids in school? Work on getting things set up for whatever else you might have going on. Play-dates or trips to the park?
Extras for your Morning Schedule
I know there are other things some people like to do before heading out for the day. I personally wait until later in the day to do my devotional and my workout. If you like doing these early in the day just add those right on into your plan.
If you are doing a crock-pot meal or something that needs a little prep you might want to take care of it now too.
Lets Put is All Together to Create our Simple Morning Routine
Now that you have an idea of what all you want to accomplish before heading out the door to school, starting homeschool or just settling in for the day, you should decide on a wakeup time.
-You need to decide how much time you want to give yourself each morning to get everything done. I give myself one hour. We are out of the bed at 7 and out the door at 8.- This used to be my wake-up time when I only had two kids and school started at 8:15
Now our mornings start at 6:30 and we are out of the house by 7:45. I have three little girls to get ready and two different schools to go to.
You may need more or less depending on your family situation so take that into account when deciding on a time. Take into account how long it takes everyone to get moving in your home too. I like to have my cup of coffee before starting anything. My husband needs WAY longer to wake then anyone else in our house.
Final Thoughts on Creating a Simple Morning Schedule
Your routing my look different from mine. Each routine should contain the same elements but the order will vary.
Like I said previously, I dress my kids after breakfast so they don’t get their clothes dirty. I usually throw on some clothes before but wait to do my hair and teeth until after. You may have a different preference in order and that’s totally fine.
No need to be a hot mess running out the door in cat slippers, no bra, and messy hair every morning. Being organized and in control just takes a little planning and willpower.
Wake up on time, follow your schedule, and stick to it! Using this simple morning routine will have your AMs running so smoothly that all the other cat-slipper-wearing moms will be jealous!
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