Make The Morning Easier, Momma: Things That Make it Possible.

Do mornings drive you absolutely crazy?

Waking up to a crying baby, then bolting out of bed to rush around and get out the door on time (and with your sanity) just isn’t fun-- whether you’re a morning person or not.

But there’s one big secret to making mornings easier: prepare the night before.

We know, it sounds like a drag. By the time the kids are snoozing, you want to zone out on Netflix and enjoy a couple hours of peace. But if you trade a little of that time to prepping for tomorrow, your mornings will be much smoother-- and that can help make your entire day that much better, too. This is true whether you work outside of the home or stay at home-- everything takes longer and is more complicated with kids-- and smooth mornings are ideal no matter what your work/life situation.

The benefits of prepping at night are far-reaching, so here’s what to consider if you want to banish morning stress:

Create a menu rotation.

This is a great one-and-done task: plan daily breakfasts and lunches based on the day of the week to remove any guessing about what ingredients you need and what you need to make. For example, Mondays might be yogurt for breakfast and sunflower butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. On Sunday night, that’s what you prep. No second-guessing, no stress.

Bonus tip: Want to feel super organized? Check out these snack organization tips from A Bowl Full of Lemons. This will make it even easier for you to grab items to stuff into lunch bags (or, if your kids are old enough, to allow them to help themselves to a mom-approved snack).

 

Check the weather.

Depending on where you live and the time of year, the weather can play a big role in how your mornings unfold. You know you’d rather be searching for a raincoat and umbrella at 8pm than 8am. Check the weather at night to make sure you’re prepared for the next day.

Go on and multi-task, momma-- ask Alexa for tomorrow’s weather while you’re prepping tomorrow’s meals and you’ll cross two things off your list at once.

 

Create an organization station.

Do you put your keys in the same place every time you come home, or are you constantly searching for the bag or pocket you stuffed them into last?

By creating an organization station in your entryway, you can start creating new, organized habits. Create a place for everything you need before you walk out the door (keys, shoes, coats, etc.) and soon it will be second nature to leave the items there when you come home-- something you’ll thank yourself for every time you head out the door. Plus, you’ll be teaching your kids this habit, too (an especially welcome improvement for any momma who has spent 30 minutes looking for her toddler’s missing shoe!).

 

Start a Sunday night planning sesh.

Being overscheduled and underprepared is seriously stressful for mommas everywhere. Eliminate the struggle by setting aside 15-ish minutes every Sunday night to look at the week ahead. What events are happening? Do you need extra support from your partner/family/friends? What to-do’s are on your list, and when/how will you get ‘em done?

Just taking a few minutes to sort out the logistics of the days ahead can work wonders for your entire week, and can especially help you avoid the last-minute panic that happens when you realize you were supposed to bring snack to preschool this morning or that your baby has a doctor’s appointment.

With all this thinking ahead, you might even be able to drink your morning coffee while it’s hot, momma.

Go to bed earlier and wake up first.

Before you hate on this idea, hear us out. Waking up to baby cries and toddler whines is not a great way to start the day, and many a momma has called it life-changing to get up before her kids.

If mornings are a major struggle, start by going to bed 15 minutes earlier than usual and getting up just 15 minutes before your kids usually wake up. Allow yourself those extra morning minutes to read, or take a shower, or just wake up slowly in bed.

Then, you can gradually change your bedtime and wake-up time to give yourself the hours or minutes you need to create a morning routine that’s just for you. Yes, you have to go to bed a little earlier, but we’ve found that by the end of the day we’re exhausted anyway, and not only is an early bedtime welcome, we look forward to the early morning hours that belong just to us. (And, psst...don’t forget to divide and conquer the prep work with your partner-- you don’t need to do it all!)

Try it for a week or two, and see if you feel a difference-- is the change to your typical routine worth it? Give yourself grace with this one-- if you’re up all night with a teething baby, don’t stress about your morning routine. You make the rules, momma-- and you can break them, too.

Bonus Tip: If you’re open to the idea of getting up early, this book can seriously help-- and might even change your life.

Motherhood is all about ebbs and flows, and your morning routine is meant to bring you peace, not stress, so you have to do what works for you. Try these tips and make them your own. With an intentional plan, you can put a stop to the morning rush (and maybe even find some extra “me” time).

What is your favorite sanity-saving tip for mornings? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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