how to make morning routines better, happier and healthier

Who doesn’t love a good happy morning???

You know mornings don’t have to be dreadful, hectic, frantic and overwhelming. I know it can be a stressful time, early wake up calls, mismatched socks, your husband or wife or child or roommate getting rubbed with you the wrong way. Oh yes, there’s been yelling, crying or the silent treatment amongst at least one of our family members on one occasion (ok, quite possibly more). Sometimes even all three of us were caught up in that chaos called ‘a morning’. Good morning? Heck no. It barely passed as liveable. With missed breakfast, mismatched socks, misplaced keys, wallets, forgetting schoolbags, school snacks or the cell phone. It can be rough. And I’ve decided this is not how I want my days to start.

I am determined to change my mornings. I will have an organized system that will make my life, and the the life of the people around me better! I can do this. All I need to do is plan ahead and check off a few key things as I carry on with my mornings.

How do you describe your mornings?

Hectic. Busy. Angry. Lazy. Forgetful. Negative.

What if your mornings could allow you to:

• Have time for yourself
• Include smiles and laughter
• Be nourished with a healthy breakfast
• Not be forgetful
• Be Positive
• Create a pleasing outlook for the rest of your day.

It all comes down to two things:

1. How you plan for a better morning the night before.
2. How your first encounter with the day looks like.

PLAN AHEAD!

You’re a grown up now, (or at least I think only adults would read this blog). Your mom will not iron your outfit and place it over your desk chair the night before like she may have back in the day. It’s time to plan ahead and take care of all the details that may come up in the morning and ‘ruin’ what you’re working on. Simply a good morning.

So this is what you do:

• You check the weather. Check.
• (realize you will want to wear your knitted pullover you got last year, but where is it?) Find the outfit you want.
• Double check the outfit you want to wear. Maybe that one little salad dressing stain didn’t come out in the wash…. or you simply know wrinkled blouses are out of fashion. Yup, you check and iron or find something else to wear. That will be nice and clean and ready for your ‘good’ morning.
• Do you pack a lunch for work, of course you do. Go do it or at least check the fridge to plan out exactly what you will be taking the next morning.
• Do you make lunches for your kids? Go do them the night before. Find and clean the refillable water bottle and prep at least part of the lunch for them so you don’t hurry so much in the am.

Ok, so you’ve done what you could do the night before to prep for the morning. Well done. Now go to bed one hour earlier ;)

• Wake up call! Did you hit that snooze button again? Great, nothing like starting the day with a little procrastination! LOL (Keep this one in mind and work on removing that habit).
• Before you jump out of bed though, just keep your eyes closed, smile and welcome the new day with gratitude.
• Wiggle your toes still in bed.
• Now, get up!
• Go about your grooming and dressing. Easy and way quicker than usual… You’re amazed, you smile. There’s no drama – you are HAPPY!

• Have you eaten breakfast yet? No, of course not. What are you having? Keep an eye on the inventory of your food items you and your family like to eat for breakfast. Be sure to stock up on these foods or have good alternatives that keep everyone happy. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Everyone depends on you to make it good. And you depend on yourself to make it not only good but healthy and happy.
• Ask what others want to eat the next day or what they want to wear. Make everyone feel like they’re part of the team. That their decisions count. They will be happier later that morning AND later in life if they’re young.

• Have you done all the prep work, yet everyone’s got a frowny face on them? Say something nice, compliment on how good they look or how happy you get when you see them first thing in the morning. To be happy, you need to practice happy.
• With all going well, don’t hold back on being just plain silly. Goofiness is the key to good happy mornings! ;D True wisdom here ;)
• Kiss goodbye your loved ones. Wish them a good day.
• Smile and carry on with your lovely happy morning.

So how are you with your mornings? Are they good mornings for you? Do share if you have found what works for you.