As much as parents bemoan the summers when kids are home whining, eating everything, fighting each other and smelling like metal, one great part is that we don’t have to do the rushed get-ready-for-school race every morning. The two month respite is great, but then comes back to school time and we’re on the hampster wheel of morning stress once again.
In trying to be an intentional mom, raising mindful kids, I know it starts with me. So I’m working to transform our mornings from harried, rushing, stressed out, lost water bottles, force-feeding, raised or terse voices, to peaceful and upbeat.
Here are four ways to make school mornings more peaceful:
Maintain Morning Routine
This happens before the kids wake up. I need my morning routine or I wake up late, grumpy and ready to snap on everyone….usually John. My morning routine is for my sanity, wellness and spirituality. It includes stretching, lemon water or water with acv, meditation, journaling, affirmations and reading. I do NOT look at my phone at all during my morning routine. Now, if my day is going to be crazy, I also include a workout in the morning routine, but these days I’ve been able to do my workout after I drop the kids to school, so I get to wake up a lil later. Yay. (6am, mind you. LOL)
This leaves me feeling more mindful, present and patient for whatever the kids throw at me in the morning.
Do Nighttime Prep
My mom got me into this as a kid. I rebelled as a teen, but now as a mom I realize what a godsend the nighttime prep is for making the crazy school-day mornings easier.
We have “packets” set up on the front couch with school clothes for each kid for each day. Yes, my front couch looks messy most of the week, but it’s worth it for the ease in the morning.
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No hassle of looking around for clothes and gives the kids that much more autonomy in the morning.
We also prep snacks in bags so that all I have to do in the morning for lunches is make the sandwich or heat up whatever is going in a thermos.
Saving time makes for less anxiety for me and the kids.
Create Gentle Wake-ups
I wake my two kids (ages 5 and 7) up as gently as possible, and with positive affirmations and messages. As I’m stroking or rocking them awake, I’ll repeat how awesome they are, how much they’re loved, what a great day they’ll have, how wonderful school is going to be, how excited I am to see them, etc.
It’s a toss up whether they snuggle into me for gentle hugs and I love yous or push me away and try to hide under the blanket, but I still keep my tactics the same. Gentle loving affirmations has gotta be better than screaming “get up and go brush your teeth noooooooowwww!” Right?
….right?!
Have Quick/Portable Breakfasts:
I used to fight with my kids to eat a hot breakfast in the mornings. Then I’d fight with them to eat a cold breakfast. I was frustrating myself and them, and we’d leave the house in a yucky mood that I’d have to then “fix” in the car ride to school.
Then I started throwing dry cereal and a waffle into a disposable bowl and giving it to them to eat on the ride to school.
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That solved the fighting problem, but I didn’t feel good about it nutrition-wise.
Now, I just warm up a Three Bridges Egg Bites (90 seconds in the microwave and those bad boys are ready to go) and I toss em into a bowl alongside half a waffle and maybe some grapes for each kid and boom! Protein packed breakfast that keeps them full until lunch time, and is quick, easy, portable, nutritious…and wont spill all over my car like the cereal did. (I’m constantly finding little oaty O’s in my car)
John and I eat the Egg Bites too. They’re clean, protein-filled, low carb, and gluten free.
#winning They taste a lot better than the sous vide eggs at Starbucks, are more cost effective, and make my mornings SO much easier. Mushroom Asiago is my favorite, but John loves the uncured bacon flavor.
NOTE: Kaya eats them yall. Kaya doesn’t eat ANYTHING. So, that’s a testimony to how yummy these are.
What are mornings like in your house?
Any tips to make Mornings more Peaceful?
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