I write this to you at 10:33 on a Saturday morning. I have about 20-30 minutes before my daughter wakes up, and I feel like I’ve had a fairly productive morning, especially for a Saturday. I am a mom and do not work a conventional job so I have the blessing of staying home with my daughter, but I won’t lie, those nap times are super special and important. I am a wife, homemaker, blogger/influencer, and small business owner on top of being a stay-at-home mom. Since having my daughter, it is a daily challenge to get things done, but being her mom is my first priority and everything else gets done around caring for her.
If you’re anything like me, mornings are your most productive time of the day. I know that if I don’t do certain things in the morning (like cleaning) they won’t happen at all. But the time feels like it FLIES by too quickly every. single. day. Something that helps me is having the same routine. Every day we wake up at the same time, eat breakfast at the same time, play, nap, etc.
In this post I will walk you through MY morning routine. The things I get done are sometimes different but the general flow is the same. I hope it helps you organize your mornings too!
drink the coffee before doing the things
I’m not a suuuper early riser like some people. Each morning we wake up at 7 on the dot. It usually takes me a couple minutes to roll out of bed but within about 10 minutes I have my coffee made and my daughter’s bottle. Since she turned one it’s been easier because I literally just pour 8 oz of whole milk in a bottle and it’s done. I have a Keurig for my coffee and my husband brews his own in a pot because he’s old school lol.
While M drinks her bottle, I drink my coffee and check emails, news, messages, etc. on my phone. Usually I take some time to check Instagram as well and will respond to new DMs and engage on some posts for a little while. M usually plays for about an hour and I don’t do much during this time. This is my time to sit on the couch and relax – I’m not an early bird naturally so I’m pretty out of it in the mornings. Sometimes I knit but usually I don’t.
breakfast
Since the pandemic started, my husband has been home full time so he makes breakfast at 8:30 every morning. I share 3 eggs with M and then get her ready for her nap. I think it’s sooo important to eat some sort of breakfast so you aren’t HANGRY all morning. I also drink a LOT of water. I don’t snack between breakfast and lunch so water keeps me going 100%.
nap time hustle
I always put M down at 9 for alone time. I say alone time because sometimes she goes to sleep and sometimes she just quietly plays with her stuffies. Since we established a nap time routine when she was born, she’s really good about being in her crib even if she chooses not to sleep. This means I have 1.5-2 hours of guaranteed time in the morning to most importantly take care of myself and then get a few things done.
This time always looks a little different for me and evolves over time. I used to make my bed but I stopped caring LOL.
self care
Some mornings I do yoga or a workout on YouTube. Click here to check out my favorites! Some mornings I shower. Yes, I shower every other day! Gasp. Unless you sweat a lot, dermatologists recommend not showering every single day because it’s better for your skin. Regardless of whether or not I shower, I always wash my face, apply moisturizer and brush my teeth. Sometimes I do my hair and put on makeup but it just depends on the day and how I feel. I think self care in this form is so important for every mom. Even just washing your face and brushing your teeth is easily skipped over if you don’t make it a priority.
Another thing I do is get dressed. To be fair, it’s like joggers and a t-shirt, but the point is that it’s not pajamas. Since the beginning of the pandemic we don’t really go anywhere. But even before I didn’t go out every day. Getting dressed makes me feel more like myself and almost tricks my mind into thinking I have my sh*t together (insert laughing emoji). Bottom line, get dressed!
After that I try to read a chapter or at least a few pages in a non-fiction book (I read fiction at night).
clean something
Then I try to do one cleaning project. So one day it’ll be the kitchen, one day it’ll be the bathroom, vacuuming the house, etc. If I need to do something like make food pouches for M I’ll do that during this time as well. This is usually a once a week thing. Click here to check out my easy pouch recipes! If there’s still time I sit on the couch and blog, knit, etc. Whatever needs to get done that day that I still have time to accomplish before 11. During the afternoon nap I like to work on bigger projects while watching a show on Netflix or listening to an audiobook, and take pictures for my feed and create content.
it’s ok to not be productive
I think it’s important to remember that not every day will be as productive as the day before or the day after. Resting is productive in its own way because you are listening to yourself and your needs. On Tuesdays I go pick up groceries and drive thru Chick-Fil-A and that’s a really special morning for me because I get to drive and listen to an audiobook or music. But this also means I missed the first nap and don’t get to do all the things at home that I wanted to do, so it’s a balance.
Give yourself space to relax and realize that everything that needs to get will get done!
Thanks for reading about how I spend my mornings! Let me know in a comment what’s one thing you try to make a priority in the morning every day?
XOXO, Kalley
