Morning Routines

 

I had an early morning meeting yesterday. Early. I promised my team that I would be present, but I couldn’t guarantee pretty. In fact, I could pretty much guarantee not pretty.

            The whole day was just off after that. Not bad. Just off. The routines we enjoy didn’t happen for either of us because I sat at my desk, clutching a coffee mug and trying to string together some coherent sentences.

            I guess what I learned from it is that you don’t have to be a morning person to have a morning routine. And those routines matter more than you might think!

            What is your morning like? On normal days, ours might look something like this:

            Ryan gets up and makes a pot of coffee, which he sets the night before. One touch the next morning and it starts brewing. He does some Bible study and then takes a shower.

            That’s when I start the slow process of waking up. It takes me a while and a few snoozes. I get up, make the bed, and stumble toward the coffee pot for my first cup. I also start drinking my (fairly large) water intake for the day. Hot coffee and cold water. That’s how I start the day.

            This is usually when Ryan gets Lexi up. Now…talk about a morning routine. This girl has one. She gets up, runs to Braeya’s spot to see if there are any leftover morsels of food from her bowl, and if she finds one, she swipes it. Then she runs to her own breakfast and inhales it. Then, and only then, does she have time for morning hugs and kisses for her parents.

            I would love to have some time to sit and savor, but the aforementioned snoozing has already robbed me of any opportunity for that, so instead, I start packing Ryan’s lunch. I pack his lunch and write him a love note every single day. Once that’s ready to go, I pick out my clothes for the day.

            (Because I have meetings throughout every day, I have to wear work-branded shirts every single day. It has greatly reduced my decision making in the mornings. I have an array of shirts and simply pick the one I feel like wearing that day.)

            Ryan gets ready in one bathroom, and I get ready in the other one. I usually shower at night, so all I have to do is hair and makeup. I also listen to and return Marco Polo messages while I get ready.

            When I finish getting ready, Ryan is usually finishing his breakfast. He almost always has oatmeal. He puts his dishes in the dishwasher and gathers up everything he’ll need for work.

            Lexi never gets to go to work with him, but every day when he puts on his shoes to leave, she sits with great hope that this will be the day she gets to go. She and I don our sad faces as we say goodbye to Ryan, and then he heads out for the day. I usually have a few minutes before I have to be at work, so I eat my yogurt and read emails/blogs/social media.

            So that’s how mornings go for us. How about for you? Any favorite pieces of a morning routine?