As moms, we all have THOSE mornings. You know the ones where you can’t seem to keep up. Kids are hungry, husband is on his way out the door, and you are left to brave the insanity. Baby is crying, toddler is having a meltdown over not being able to play with the kitchen knives and mommy hasn’t even had her coffee yet. Mornings that make you miss a simpler time when you were only responsible for getting yourself dressed and fed. Oh how we took those times for granted, or at least I did.
In an effort to get my mornings back I decided I first needed to picture what my ideal morning would look like. As it turns out, this picture is much different than it was before babies. Shocking, I know.
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Get up a little early
I am a morning person. I honestly don’t remember the last time I slept past 8am and I am fine with it. My children, on the other hand, are like their dad and would probably vote “no” on mornings altogether. By waking up earlier than my babies, it gives me some time for me. Time to enjoy my coffee or sneak in a barre class without feeling guilty. I totally get that this doesn’t work for everyone, but if you can, do it.
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Let them play
Sometimes I feel like I am so focused on getting my kid to eat breakfast, that I don’t account for the fact that he may not be hungry yet. The last few weeks I have been trying to let him tell me when he is hungry. This does always work; he is two after all. Generally, after 15 minutes of Lego play, he starts heading for the kitchen saying “I eat, mama.” You got it, kid, totally your idea!
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Get the kiddos involved
I find that on the mornings that I let my 2-year-old help with the breakfast making, it goes a lot smoother. He is all about making those pancakes or helping “poke poke” the eggs prior to scrambling. Bonus: he also tends to eat better if he helped.
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Play dates
I would go insane without play dates, for sure, no question about it. Morning play-dates are our favorite. We love meeting friends at the Uptown Farmers Market (on Wednesdays) or The Teapot. It gives my kiddos a chance to get some energy out before nap time and lets me catch up with mommy friends over coffee, win-win.
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Opt for music
Just recently I have been keeping the TV off in the morning. We have instead put on our favorite Pandora station in the background. In our house, the TV just seems to add to the insanity that mornings can bring. It makes us all a little over stimulated, especially first thing in the morning. Ever since we had our second baby, I can’t handle it. Music seems to calm everyone down and just makes the house generally more pleasant.
Not every morning can be great and stress-free. When it comes to little humans, chaos is going to happen from time to time. That’s when we put our unwashed hair in a top knot, slap on our favorite yoga (every day) pants, and handle it.
Love all these ideas Nikki!! I love Wednesday’s at Uptown Market ahd the Teapot has saved my sanity! Music always seems to make things a little better around our house!
Love this article. I really need to start waking up before my kiddos. Good write Nikki!