6 things I do every morning

I am convinced life is made up of choices but our choices are really mostly habits that have been formed over time. I am a morning person and my kids are my alarm clock. Havilah Cunnington talks about our “tiger hours”, the hours where we are most productive in the day. Mine are definitely in the morning. My ideal time to wake up would be 6:30 but often it’s 5:30 or 6—thanks Ivory :P. I really believe that if we have some good morning habits, our day will be better. I almost feel like I am setting myself up for success when I do these 6 things every morning. They’re simple, but they really have changed my life.

First things first, coffee. I drink coffee.

For me it’s a MUST, a miracle drug really. Calvin and I share a french press every morning. I have a large mug that has the word “blessed” on it. It was a gift to me and it is significant to me. I always drink my coffee with coconut milk and maple syrup. It gets things moving if you know what I mean. I am a happier more gracious person with some caffeine in my system.

While drinking coffee with the kids running around, or I may even be nursing I always do a 5 minute Duolingo Language lesson.

I know it might be silly but I love getting a little language and stimulating my brain in the morning and one duolingo lesson isn’t going to overstress the brain.

I also read, whether it be my devotion or a book.

I am a huge reader and love learning. I usually have multiple books going at the same time. Even 5-10 minutes of reading here or there and you would be surprised by how many books you start checking off your list.

I then put on my workout clothes and I work out.

I either go for a jog or do 2-3 Rebecca Louise fitness youtube videos. They are 10-15 minutes each and amazing! I have been doing her workouts since Maddox was born and I LOVE them. She is always changing them up and I am still challenged by them. Hello 5 minutes of planking! To me fitness is so important. Moving in the morning is key. I then have no excuses as to why I didn’t do my workout later in the day, because something will always come up. Our house is small but our bathroom is big so that’s normally where I do them. Sometimes the kids are hanging off me, but if I can and Calvin hasn’t gone to work I try to do them alone.

I then shower and get ready for the day.

I always put on jeans and do my makeup. I don’t wash my hair everyday so even with a quick shower I can be ready in 10ish minutes. Mom life right?! But I feel better when I get ready for the day. I actually don’t like being in my pajamas all day. There is something about getting ready that makes me feel like, “okay, I can do this!”

After working out I eat a good breakfast.

I love breakfast. It’s my favorite meal of the day. I either do some sort of oats/granola with fruit, a smoothie, or lately I make eggs with avocado and spinach. The other day we ran out of spinach and Ivory was saying I want spinach! lol. That girl loves her greens!! I NEVER skip breakfast. It’s worth it to have a good breakfast every morning to fuel you well for the rest of the morning.

There you have it, my six things I do to start my day. You may be wondering how I do all these things. They didn’t happen overnight, they were habits that were formed over time but now I don’t even think twice about them. They don’t take me more than an hour and a half and it may be worth noting that Calvin has a home office but is to work no later than 8:30am. Also, at this stage Kairo always takes an early nap an hour after he wakes up.

I know seasons and time change but it’s important to me that I do these things, even in the midst of having 3 little people around me. It helps me to still feel like me because I know the rest of the day I am mommy and in high demand. I wouldn’t recommend trying to set 6 new habits at once but doing one at a time, for a month. Then when you’re successfully doing it, adding in another and then another.

I am a firm believer that you have to make time for what’s important to you. I am also not saying that the 6 habits I do are the ones you have to choose. In setting morning routines, good questions to ask are:

What brings you life and energy? what gives you good perspective for the rest of the day? Is there something I need to remove from my life or current routine to include a new life-giving routine?

What about you? What are some of your morning habits? I would love to hear from you!

Photos by Camille & Calvin Hanson