Our Morning Routine

We're rounding out the school year, so this post isn't very timely, but I thought I'd share a little bit of what our morning routine looks like. Because getting out the door in the morning is never an easy task, and maybe it'll give you some ideas on how to manage your mornings, and heck, maybe you'll even share some time saving tips with me!

First off, confession time. 

I'm always late. I really try hard to not be late, but my Type A personality at home means that I have certain things I want done before I leave the house for the day. 

I really wish I wasn't this controlling. It's a total flaw, but by doing these things, I feel like we can start off the day on the right foot. 

Since I'm not a morning person, it's often hard to actually crawl out of bed. But, since we came back to school in April, I started setting my alarm earlier and making it a point to wake up no later than 6:15. (I still fail some mornings, but most mornings I'm awake by then.) 

My alarm is set for 6. I snooze once, and then I'm out of bed by 6:15. 

My shower routine varies on if I showered the night before and if I need to wash my hair. 

Typically, I take a quick shower, because I only wash  my hair twice a week, get out, throw on a robe, and put on make up. 

Also, we have to talk about this girl and her routine. Her alarm also goes off at 6, and she hops right out of bed, gets dressed, and goes downstairs to make herself breakfast. When I finally drag myself out of bed at 6:15, it's because I hear her in the kitchen, fixing her breakfast, and I usually feel guilty that my child is wide awake before I am. 

Once I have my make up on, usually by 7:15, I can begin to function a little more. 

Most mornings, Megan and Adalyn will wander in, use the restroom, and I remind them to get their breakfast. 

Now, I don't know if I'm totally winning or a slacker mom, but all of my kids fix their own breakfast. Adalyn still needs a little help, but not a ton. They fix themselves a bagel, toast, get a yogurt, applesauce, heat up sausage..... they just do a lot of it themselves. This gives me time to do other things. 

Like, make our bed and do a load of laundry. 

Laundry comes in different forms. Some mornings, I'm only able to carry the dirty clothes to the laundry room and sort them. Other mornings, I take a load out of the dryer and put the load fromt he washer in the dryer. Some mornings, I fold the clothes, and other mornings, I just throw them on our bed, because it forces me to do them the next evening. But, some form of laundry gets done every morning. 

We take turns letting the dog out and in. Bailey usually goes out 3 or 4 times in the morning. Sometimes, we let her out because we don't know someone already did, and sometimes she starts yapping around because she wants food and we just think she needs out. 

I make myself breakfast. I've been making it a point to give myself at least 15 minutes for breakfast. I use to eat like a child, and I love a big bowl of chocolate rice cereal in the morning- think cocoa krispies, but non GMO.... in January, I started forcing myself to eat breakfast like a grownup, so this is typically what a morning breakfast looks like. I usually heat up a batch of sweet potatoes, store then in the fridge, and then just microwave a few with sausage, while I cook myself an egg, and help the girls with their breakfasts, or get them a drink. 

I'm usually picking up their dishes too. 

Once I've eaten, it's a mad scramble. The girls all come down to my bathroom and I fix their hair. It's usually a quick straighten for Gretchen, a ponytail for Megan, and then Adalyn usually wants fancy hair. Some days it's a clip, and other days its braids. 

I get my gym bag together. We usually head to the gym after school 2 nights a week, so on those days, I make sure my bag is together so we can go straight there. 

When it's not football season, and DJ is home in the mornings, he helps out a ton! Some mornings he makes the bed, other mornings he unloads or loads the dishwasher, or helps the girls with breakfast. When he's around, we're able to accomplish a lot more in the mornings. 

Once the girls hair is fixed, they have instructions to get their stuff together. Get shoes on, grab their lunchboxes, pick out a snack, and get their backpacks. 

(Let me back up.... Gretchen picks out her own clothes...I usually set out a few outfit selections for Megan the night before, or she chooses her own outfits..... I always set out Adalyn's outfit the night before. If I don't there's no telling what kind of ensemble she'll have on. All of the girls can dress themselves. I never thought this day would come when they were younger! Adalyn will sometimes whine (she's the baby after all) and want us to dress her. So, we have her get dressed in our bathroom, or in the living room. I think she really just wants to be with us. But, when you're three kids in, there has to be a level of independence established.)

After the girls have their hair fixed, I quickly fix my hair. This could be running the straightener through it or throwing it up in to a bun. I've really gotten to a point, where I don't care what my hair looks like too much because it's typically in a ponytail by the end of the day..... and we're late in the school year. 

On days where I can't wear jeans, I spend too much time in my closet. There are days where I know exactly what I'm wearing, and other days where I try on ten different outfits. Those are the days when we're late. I really need to figure out what to wear the night before. Only one week this school year, have I been successful with that. 

Once I'm dressed, I throw my lunch in a bag, turn on the roomba, and we're out the door. 

All smiles and ready for the day.

Except, if I'm being honest, I'm usually feeling flustered and someone is usually arguing with a sister, or whining about their buckles. 

Addy gets dropped off first, and I walk her inside to her classroom.

Then, it's off to school for the rest of us. Thankfully, our buildings is only a few minutes away from Adalyn's. 

Because I have to be in a few minutes before the bell actually rings, the girls hang out in my office, and I get some work done, while they play school :) Once their bell rings, they're off! 

Whew! Our mornings are often hectic and crazy! 

If you have any tips on getting out the door, or things you do each morning, I'd love to hear them! I'm always looking for a few more ways to be more efficient with our time!