My Morning Routine – Updated in 2023

The time has come that I feel like it’s time to do an updated Morning Routine. Some things have changed, some are completely the same from the last morning routine I wrote a couple years back. The biggest change is that I’ve been dealing with chronic pain for the past couple of years. I have been through physical therapy – finished that about a year ago, but the pain is starting to come back again (this is to be expected with what is going on with my back). So, back to the doc, physical therapist, and more I go! Anyway, when I wake up in the morning I don’t know if it’s going to be a mid-pain day or a high pain day, which, as you can imagine, makes a massive difference. I stick to this routine generally, but on a high pain day I tend to take a little longer to get out of bed in the morning. 

Before we really get into this routine, I want to note that a morning routine isn’t a lot without a solid evening routine. I’ll be talking about that in an upcoming blog post. 

So, weekdays my alarm goes off at 6:00AM. During the school year the boys get up around 7:20-7:30AM, and I need to have at least an hour for myself before I go get them up. One of my intentions for this year was to get out of bed when my alarm goes off, which, most of the time I actually do. There are some instances where I don’t, but most morning my alarm goes off and within 5 minutes I’m out of bed. The biggest help for this is some sort of a sunrise alarm clock going off when my alarm on my phone does. I wrote about this in my “magical winter” post HERE, but I found this great alternative on Amazon (which you can find HERE). It’s not a full-on sunrise alarm clock, but it’s working for me for now. 

I’ll put on some sort of calming or inspiring Spotify playlist depending on what mood I’m in/what I need to set myself up for the day. Beyond that I do not look at my phone. I have the Do Not Disturb set on my phone, it goes on at 9:00PM and goes off at 7:00AM. I try not to look at anything on my phone until 7:00AM, with social media/Email/Whatever until 8:00 or 9:00 AM. I just find that if I start my day on my phone, it instantly shifts my mood and mindset- even if it’s just good things I’m seeing. 

I hop out of my bed and will typically start the day with a couple of stretches to get my back moving and loose. My chronic pain is in my back and the biggest thing I can do to help it is to stretch it out first thing. From there I jump in the shower, either just a quick shower or a full on wash my hair, shave, and do all the things. Now, this is where my morning has changed the most- I used to try and do some yoga or a quick cardio blast or something to move my body, but I have found that it just didn’t work for me. I either didn’t do it, and then beat myself up for not doing it, OR I would do it and then rush through everything else I need to absolutely get done before I get the kids up. So, I still do these things, but later in the day. 

Around 6:30-6:45 (depending on the hair wash situation), I’m typically sat in front of my mirror putting on a little bit of makeup and then getting dressed. My wintertime wardrobe is vastly different from my spring/summer (and not just because it’s cold), but I’ve talked about all the wardrobe and clothing things HERE. 

At about 7:00AM, I head downstairs to open up all the blinds and get breakfast started. If you follow along on my social media, you’ll know this part of my routine quite well as it’s one of my favorite things. I start by going into the sunroom and opening up the blinds on our biggest window. During winter it’s still relatively dark, but in the summer the light just floods in. Then I slowly go around to the rest of the windows downstairs opening the blinds, turning lamps on, and creating the cozy morning space. 

Once that is done, I return to the kitchen where I put the kettle on and prep breakfast. It’s simple most morning, bagel for myself, pop tarts or donut holes for the boys. Some mornings I’ll make a breakfast for my husband and myself – breakfast burritos- once the kids are on the bus. When we are able, we typically will have some sort of berry as well. The boys get up around 7:20AM during the school year, get dressed and such, and then come downstairs to eat breakfast. 

Both boys ride the bus to school, and I’ll walk with them down to the bus stop (which is just a couple houses down from ours) and wait with them. Once they’re on the bus, I finish up my tea and visit with Robert. This little chunk of time is meant for chatting and planning. It’s also when I typically will do a little journaling and look at my tasks for the day/map out how I want my day to go. 

I try to have my “day” start at 9:00AM with unloading and putting away the dishes in the kitchen. Then I’ll do the cleaning chores I have set out for the day (I deep clean one section of the house a day, and do a light tidy up the entire house every evening) and finally, around 10:00AM or so I’ll head into the office to get started on my computer tasks for the day. 

And that’s it! It doesn’t really change too much as I’ve found that it really works. I think the biggest game changer to my morning and day is getting up before my kids. Even if it’s just 10 minutes, it makes a difference. 

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Morning Routine 2019

Morning’s are my golden time. The house is quiet, clean, and so tranquil. I use my mornings to soak in that quiet peace, warm my body and mind up to the day and prepare myself for another productive day. I find that if I have a good fresh start to my day, then my day goes much smoother than if I am feel a bit frazzled.

I’ve done a morning routine before, and while the basics are the same, there are some differences and I now have two very active children, one who is most definitely a morning bird (I get excited when he sleeps to 7:30am).

6AM
My alarm goes off at 6 AM every weekday morning and I try to sit up as soon as I turn it off. At some point I would like to put my phone (which also serves as my alarm clock) across the room so it gets me all the way up, but for now this is what works for me. Also, I find that if I sit up right after I shut my alarm off, I am more likely to actually get up and get on with my morning than if I stay laying down.

Once I’m up, I’ll go handle all my bathroom stuff, brush my teeth, wash off my face with some water and then I’ll change into my workout clothes.

6:15AM

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This is typically about the time that I will start my Yoga Flow. I do yoga almost everyday (weekends are always up in the air with what I do and don’t do) and I find that it is a key part of my morning routine. I feel better throughout the day, feel clearer, and it just really shakes off any feelings I have had from the day before or overnight. It is also the one time that my mind is completely clear and empty. It’s just my soul pushing my body and my breathe.

On occasion Andrew will wake up around 6:15-6:30AM. If this is the case, I’ll stop what I’m doing, grab him some water and then he will either join me and do some yoga (which is interesting) or he will play nearby with his toys. He’s fairly easygoing and quiet first thing in the morning, so I’m usually able to get a decent yoga flow done before he starts chatting and wanting me to get more involved with his play.

6:45-7:00AM

Yoga is usually anywhere from 20-50 minutes depending on what I do/how I am feeling and when the kids wake up. Once I’m done I’ll usually jump in for a quick shower and then get ready for the day.

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For me, getting ready usually takes a total of about an hour – from after I get out of the shower until I am ready to walk out of our room onto the next task. It entails hair, makeup, and getting dressed. I don’t do anything super fancy for day to day, but I still like to put myself together in some form. I’ve talked about it before, but when I feel good about myself and I feel like I’ve made an effort, then I am more likely to be productive throughout the day.

8:00AM

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This is usually the time that I am kind of pushing my limits of what I can do vs. when the kids will need me. This is also normally the time that I go back and forth about getting up even earlier so I can just get a few more minutes haha. I try and take the last bit of time before I need to do breakfast and get on with the day to do a little journaling. Once I finish yoga, I try to keep the playlist of music I use going throughout the rest of the morning- it keeps my head clear. Then once I sit down to do a little journal, I will let my mind come back and I will write out whatever I’m feeling, thinking, needing to get out. I try to just write until I can’t write anymore. I find that gives me a completely clear mind to truly start the day with.

8:30AM

Time for breakfast on the table, boys up and dressed, and get on with the day!

And that’s my morning routine! Not super exciting or different, but I find that it really sets me up for a successful day. If I had to pull one thing from my morning routine that I find really just is key, it would be Yoga. What is one thing from your morning that is key for you?

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A Cuppa Cosy Heads International – Vacation Time

Good morning! I figured I would give you a chatty little update on how our move is going (the real how our move is going, not a fluffy sugar coated answer). I know that I have been getting a lot of advice and I want to share what I’ve found to be helpful in the hopes that it may help someone else.

First off, I want to clarify some things.

 

  1. We are moving due to my husbands job. My tidbits go between specifics relating to that and general information that is good to know.
  2. Currently in our move process we are on vacation at our In Laws. We planned about a 3-4 week vacation in between the move to see our family before heading out of the country.

Our timeline has been about a span of 8 months (ish) from the earliest time we got an inkling that we could be moving overseas until now. It started with a phone call and an email. My recommendation to anyone out there who is potentially moving out of the country is to bank on enough time. Sure, you can move at the drop of the hat and make it work, but having a good amount of time on our side has been a big help.

We started with medical. Getting checked out by doctors, verifying if we needed any shots or tests done that are specific to where we are going (there weren’t) and getting any prescriptions updated. This is always the best place to start because if there is anything that you do end up needing to do, you have plenty of time to do it.

Once our medical stuff was done and we were cleared to go (meaning we got approval through his work to move, and got their paperwork), came the process of setting up our actual work. This is the bulk of the move process and it means A LOT. There is so much to sort through, to figure out, to plan for.

I made immediate use of Social Media. Getting into contact with folks that we knew who had lived overseas, joining Facebook groups for the area we are heading, talking to people who had just recently made this type of move. In some ways it became overwhelming (as there is just so much information from so many different sources), but it was a big help. In fact, because of Social Media we know exactly what we are going into in terms of housing.

I highly recommend that you do the same when you are moving somewhere you are unfamiliar with. Social media can be very effective when you are trying to figure out what exactly you are moving to. With that being said, also be aware that what you are finding (or being told) may not apply to your specific situation. Also, people will bring their own bias into what they are saying. Just keep an open mind while you are taking advantage of this.

Among all of the things that we needed to account for, the actual moving and shipping of our house hold goods, car, and personal belongings has been the easiest part of our move (ironically enough).

**At this point I’ll further clarify that my husband is in the military and most of the shipping, plane travel, and such has been organized by them. We handle the actual company and day hours, but they do more of that portion of it. If you would like to me to do a post specifically dedicated to that and organizing all of that, please let me know. **

We slowly (over a period of 3 months or so) worked through our home; getting rid of/selling what we didn’t want or couldn’t take, determining what would stay behind in storage, what would actually go with us. In a way it is hard to do this as we don’t know what our space will look like in our new home, but we’ve just decided to take 90% of our belongings with us.

We checked the guidelines for our packed and carry on luggage and found out the standard answer- each person can have two checked baggage (more is extra cost) as well as the standard one carry on and a personal bag. For our family, we were allotted 8 bags total (plus any carry ons).

I think the hardest point of the move was the Holiday’s. We were in kind of a holding cycle where it was too far out to pack anything, but we had finished what we needed to do prior to movers coming. It was one of those times where you feel like you need to be doing something, you want to be doing something, you are ready for the move, BUT there isn’t anything you can do. This was a period of a few weeks and honestly was probably the worst few weeks of the move itself (as of now, I can’t tell you what the next few months will be like). I got really short tempered during this time and was just ready for everything to start happening. It felt like we were just waiting and waiting.

I don’t know if these types of updates really help, or provide any insight in any way, but I want to have them for my own reflection and memories. I’ll do a couple more updates as we go along as well.

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My Morning Routine: Spring 2018

I thought I would finish out this whole Spring/Morning series with a little look at what my own morning looks like. My mornings are very strategically planned out so that I get a chance to get a little “me time” along with a healthy start and outlook to my day. I find that when I get to have that extra little bit of time, I have a much better day and a clearer mindset. 

So to start off my day, I tend to wake up around 5:45-6:00am. This gives me about 2 1/2 hours before the kids are up. The first thing I do is grab a bit of water and head down for a workout. Screen Shot 2018-03-26 at 10.10.13 AMI like to start my morning off with a workout because I feel like it releases those endorphins, gets my blood and body moving, and I get one of my priorities out of the way. Typically this is about a 30 minute workout and then I’m done.

Once I finish my workout, I get a shower and get ready for the day. Some people think that it is crazy to put on jeans/regular clothes and makeup when I typically don’t leave the house. For me, it is simply a mental change. If I am wearing a full outfit and such, then I will actually get things done for the day. If I stay in sweats, I have a much less productive day. It’s just a personal choice. 

At this point it is typically around 7:30am and it is time to get breakfast. For breakfast I will have anything from cereal, to a bagel, to what I had today, which was a scrambled eggs mixture. I think this is probably one of my favorite meals to make as it satisfies everything I want in the morning- eggs, carbs, and spiciness. I also make my first cup of tea of the day. 

While I eat my breakfast I typically read whatever book that I am reading currently and I look over my to-do list and schedule for the day. I like to take this time to just enjoy my food, tea, and the peace and quiet of the house. This is my morning ritual. The ritual of making my tea, breakfast and then getting to sit down and enjoy it with my book and planner. More than anything, this is what sets my day on the right track. Everything else just helps. Once the boys are up, there is no such thing as quiet, so I like to enjoy it when I get it. 

The boys are typically up around 8:30 at that ends the little bit of quiet and relaxation I get until bedtime! I do love waking them up though because they both always wake up with a smile on their faces. The happiness just radiates and is perfect! 

Do you have any morning ritual? What does your morning look like?

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My Weekday Morning Routine

Good afternoon everyone! I thought I would share something that is somewhat important to me, as small as it may seem, and that is my morning routine on weekdays. The morning time is what I refer to as “my” time. It is the time when the house is the quietest and the most calm. It is very important to me as a wife, mom, employee, and business owner to get a good start for my day. I find that this is also a good time for me to just have some time to myself, to do what I need to do and just enjoy the morning.

I typically will wake up about an hour and a half to two hours before my son, so around 6:30-7:00am and one thing that I make a point of is to not get on my phone. I find that if I pull out my phone and start playing around I won’t get up and get things done and then next thing, little human is awake and I haven’t gotten anything I needed to get done. I don’t typically get on my phone until about 7:45-8:00am and it helps so much with my getting gout of bed and getting things done.

With that being said, the first 30-45 minutes are devoted to doing bathroom things; Taking a shower, brushing my teeth, makeup, hair, etc. I do this right as I get out of bed and it usually only takes me 30-45 minutes total for everything. Once done, I make our bed up, get dressed and head out of our bedroom.

Once I am done, I like to “open up the house”. I go through the living room, front nook, and kitchen and open up all of the window blinds. We are so blessed in our house with an abundance of natural light along with some great views, so I like to take advantage of this every morning and I feel like this also helps put me in the “right” mood for the day. I also run out to the drive and grab the newspaper that has been delivered.

img_9662I then head to the kitchen for breakfast and tea. I set the kettle on to boil and start to pull some food out of the fridge for breakfast. My breakfast differs from week to week although I try to always have some fruit and protein. Right now I’ve been loving gently scrambled eggs and a piece of pear for breakfast. While eating breakfast I typically read the paper or a book or if I need to I’ll get some writing done.

Typically, sweet little human is up around 8:30 am and then the rest of our day begins. So, that is my morning routine! Do you have anything specific that you do every morning or that helps you get your day started off well?

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