Lost In the Prairies.....Found by God: Martha Monday's

Monday, September 27, 2010

Martha Monday's - Morning Routine

1:00 AM | Posted by Michelle | Edit Post

Here is what a typical morning looks like in the Slomp residence.

5:00 am to 6:30 am - Baby wakes up

7:30 am - Wake up Nicole, make coffee, and get breakfast made

7:45 am - Empty dishwasher, get clothes out for kids, make beds,

8:00 am - Have shower/make sure Nicole is getting dressed

8:15 am - Get boys ready and make sure Nicole has made bed and is packing bag

8:30 am - Nicole leaves for school, Daddy goes to work and Mommy drinks her coffee

8:45 - 9:30 am - Devotion time

I have to admit that this doesn't always happen. Sometimes there is complete chaos and screaming and tears, usually from me. Once Nicole started school I quickly realized how much a morning routine was necessary. It can make or break a day. When the chaos reigns in the morning, it seems to follow me through the day. When things go smoothly, the day seems to go smootly. I have previously followed the Fly Lady and the Messies Anonymous systems and they both preach about a morning routine. I used to scoff at this idea, however, after doing it found how necessary it is.

I find making my bed and cleaning the bathroom in the morning assist help in keeping the whole house clean and organized. I've started getting Nicole to make her bed, now if you have a 7 year old you know how clean their bedrooms can be, so in teaching her this I'm teaching her good habits early, even though she has accused me of teaching her how to be a mom.

Last year I read an article in Real Simple magazine where a family had their entry reorganized. One of the things I liked was the To Do lists for Children.

I have the lists posted by the side door (our normal entry) and at Nicole's eye level. In the morning, I often have Nicole refer to them. I believe that at some point children need to start learning responsiblity. This also gives Nicole independence and teaches her that she needs to be accountable. I do acknowledge that she is just 7 so mom always make sure she has everything and I have driven to school to drop things off if she has forgotten it.

Last week I spoke about menu planning and mentioned that I had just started menu planning for breakfast. This has really eased the morning stress. I get the breakfast on the table and then call the kids. If I have planned something thats going to take a bit of time (ie Baked Oatmeal), I can prep it the night before and get it ready so that breakfast is waiting for them at their usual time. As well, it's a great excuse to have a quick cup of coffee without any interruptions.

Do you have a morning routine? How does your morning look? It doesn't need to be complicated, it can be as simple as :

Wake Up
Get Dressed
Eat
Pray

I know my tips are set up for a family whose kids go to school. I'm interested in hearing how a home school morning looks.

2 comments:

Donnetta said...: We do use a morning routine and like you, I had lists for my children when they were younger. My daughter, now 13, still chooses to use hers just to make sure she isn't forgetting something.

I'm impressed that you make breakfast every morning! We typically do cereal, oatmeal or make an overabundance of breakfast food for dinner in an evening, then have leftover scrambled eggs and pancakes for the kids to eat in the morning.

I have let the morning routine slack recently with our life as of late. I need to get back to it and this post has helped remind me to do just that. Thanks! :-); September 27, 2010 at 5:31:00 PM MDT
Heather said...: Your blog is so beautiful!; October 2, 2010 at 4:40:00 PM MDT