Editorial Team
The day has just begun and you already feel overwhelmed and stressed. Sound familiar? Mornings are insane and as a working mom, you can multiply that fact by 10.
The good news is, that there are ways to make mornings easier as a working mom.
There’s no fool-proof plan to make mornings run smoothly however I have found that these things definitely help and alleviate many morning issues.
Prep your day the evening before
Whether it’s packing the diaper bag, making lunches, or making sure all of the items needed for the next morning are gathered and ready to go, this makes it much less likely to forget something you need as you head out the door.
Pick clothes the day before
For yourself and the kids, lay clothes out the night before. It cuts down on having to decide that morning. When kids are old enough, you can have them lay out their clothes that night. It still saves time on them trying to decide that morning or having to send them to change because it doesn’t match.
Create a Morning Routine
Routines may feel boring sometimes, but they work for a reason. Whether it’s creating a routine of getting up, brushing teeth, having breakfast, and then getting dressed, or whatever task is involved- knowing what has to be done and doing those things in an order every day makes life easier. Kids do well with routines and it makes for less fighting to get things done.
Delegate
Delegating tasks or asking for help is not a sign of weakness, although to many of us moms it feels that way due to ‘mom guilt.’ However, delegating is a leadership skill and helps things run efficiently. It’s not about you not being capable of something. What’s the saying? Teamwork makes the dream work. (Check out this post: The Truth About Motherhood and Being an Awesome Mom for more on letting go of mom guilt)
Get Yourself Dressed First
Similar to the thought behind putting an oxygen mask on yourself first in case of an emergency in an airplane, this also works for mornings.
Set a timer
Set a ‘warning timer’ (for example 10 minutes before) and then one when it’s time to get out the door. Make sure the kids know when timer one goes off it’s time to gather their stuff (or another specified task) and when the second one goes off it’s time to be out the door.
Create connection moments
Even with a routine, make purposeful moments of connection. That may be getting up 15 minutes early yourself to pray or think of things you are grateful for, taking a moment to connect with the kids- a hug, a prayer, affirmations- just a small moment to be mindful and connect. For more information on affirmations, check out this post- The Importance of Affirmations and Encouragement
It is important to figure out what you want your morning to look like. Some people need a moment to get acclimated to the day before it gets rolling, others prefer to get out of bed and just get going. There is no cookie-cutter routine that fits everyone, but the items listed above can be a helpful way to get started in figuring out your mornings so that they go smoother.
Also, keep in mind as the time of year changes, whether it’s the start of school, or the beginning of summer there may be adjustments needed to tweak your routine but knowing what to expect and having consistency will help everyone get off to a good start.
This article was written by Bobbi of LittleMissBlog.com.