The Crazy Thing I Do While the Kids Sleep That’s the Secret to Stress-Free Mornings
If you're "morning-challenged" like me, I have a solution.
Do you know someone who is “morning-challenged?" If not, you just made a new virtual friend. Me. I am not a morning person. Which, if you are a Millennial working mother raising five small kids, poses a serious problem.
I wake up at 4:30 a.m. every day so I can get everything done and have my kids ready to leave for school by 7:15 a.m. and get to my office early enough to get a head start. To be honest, I often marvel that it actually happens.
Call me crazy, but if you are “morning challenged" like me, then you need to become a night owl—or Batwoman if you prefer. While my husband is an incredible help, if I hope to get everything done in a day, I have to make some serious preparations the night before. I literally do anything that might seem extra daunting in the morning at night. Talk about pressure!
Work out
Step one: Exercise. I make sure to pop in a Pure Barre DVD in as soon as the kiddos snooze. This late night sweat helps me clear my head and focus on what is ahead of me!
Meal prep
What’s next you ask? Cooking for seven people. Being a very health-oriented family, I make sure all of our meals are nutritious and contain veggies and fruits. Running a business that works with organic produce has made me extra aware of what I feed my family.
Set your coffee maker
Oh, and if you rely on your daily caffeine intake like me, make sure to set up your coffee maker to go off automatically in the morning. That way, your coffee is ready and waiting for you by the time you make it to the kitchen.
Plan outfits for tomorrow
While other moms may pull together outfits in the morning—and field arguments with their kids about their fashion choices—my kids have learned that whatever is waiting for them when they wake up is what they are wearing. Preparing clothes in the evening for all the kids, myself included, saves me a lot of time thinking in the morning. Since my youngest is 3 months old and needs a LOT of attention, having the older ones dressed and ready to go saves me from total exhaustion by 7:15 a.m. It is a great learning experience for my kids, too, because they realize that for things to work smoothly, you need to be prepared.
End of the day email check
Once I am done with all that needs to be prepped for smooth sailing in the morning, I make sure to reply to all work emails that stayed untouched during the day. Morning is for new start and not yesterday’s news.
Take a moment for gratitude
Before I finally get to bed, I pray over each of my kids, individually. I try to do this nightly, and I find that it resets my mind for the next day. All mothers can relate to the days where one, some, or all of your children drive you bonkers—and it is easy to get dragged down by the difficulties of motherhood. I find that taking time to individually thank God for the positive qualities that he has put in each of my kids, while they are sleeping and look so peaceful, helps to end all my days on a motherhood-high, re-charging me for the next day and the challenges it will bring.
Written by Kat Eckles for Working Mother and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.
