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Cleaning Up the Morning Routine

Now that I've reinstated my working mom status, I'm developing a whole new set of daily routines.

I like routines. I like a predictable framework especially in difficult parts of my day. And I especially like my mornings to be efficient and clear of stumbling blocks. (I mean, who doesn't!?)

After a few months of feeling around the natural rhythms of my day and considering important daily tasks, here's what I've developed:

My internal clock usually rouses me just before 6am, likely because Dave's up and moving by 5:30 to get to a 6 gym class. Instead of snoozing for 30 minutes (which I love to do), I get out of bed and head down to the basement for a 20 minute jog on the treadmill.

Getting into an exercise habit is one of my BIG five-year goals and, so far, this is working well.

Not only do I get a 1+ mile jog and 10 minutes of stretching at the start of my day, I finally get to catch up on podcasts again. Hooray! Without much of a commute (I swear I'm not complaining) I wasn't keeping up with my favorite podcasts, and the missed episodes kept stacking up and stressing me out. Now, I have something to look forward to while I run.

After I'm showered and dressed, get Leah moving, and the dog out, I'm in the kitchen. Before, my regular breakfast was toast and coffee (a carryover from Paris and day-old baguette and toast was my favorite). But I'm too rushed to really enjoy that ritual. The girls are up and buzzing around, so it's not the quite moment is once was. They also complained about no breakfast choices and never feeling full after breakfast.

SO .. in the last two weeks I re-instituted morning smoothies for all three of us girls. (Here's my smoothie recipe from 2017, other than the protein power, it's basically the same.) We are getting a little kick of protein, vitamins, probiotics and everything else I can stuff into a smoothie before they head to school. They still eat a little breakfast, but now they head to school with a full belly and a serving of fruit and veggies. Brain food!

That was a major LEVEL UP in the morning routine.

While I'm sipping on my smoothie, I make lunches, feed the dog, discuss evening plans, put away dishes -- do all the things! Before I know it, the alarm goes off and Leah and I have to get out the door. Her bus arrives at 7:55, so I drive her down to the stop and then head to work, with my to-go coffee I make just as I'm walking out the door.

I'm at my desk by 8:10 most mornings and can quietly sip my coffee, read email and get prepared for the day.

It's a busy two-hour window, but one we can live with for a while.
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