How I get my mornings on track!

As someone with chronic health issues, and often sleep issues, getting up and going in the morning is a struggle.  I can do it for some days, but consistently getting up and being productive is hard!!  The days I'm able to get up and moving and everything done always starts off our days on a good, productive note.  Over the last few months, I've had a few things I do every morning to "kick off" our mornings the right way. Some days I struggle, but overall doing these steps has boosted my morning routine!

Most days, I can get this list done by 9 A.M., and then the rest of my day feels like it's on a good start!  Other days, this list takes me until lunch, but it gives a set organization to our day.  I am also not a mom that does well before 7 A.M., so this is my "between 7 and 9" get done list :)  Every family works differently, and every person works differently, so this is how we get things done!

1) Get in the Bible.

Some days I do this around breakfast, but often times I get the kids fed so I can do my five minutes of Bible journaling in the morning.  I save my intense devotions for nap times or evenings, where my focus is ideal.  At least getting my five minutes in every morning gets a big boost to my mornings!

2) Zeal up!

For me I do not focus well without a health boost.  Zeal gives me focus and energy.  My body does not handle coffee well, so instead I found a good healthy "energy" boost that works for me!  It helps my eyes quit burning on those sleep deprived nights, and it lets me get a good healthy boost when my stomach doesn't handle food first thing.

3) Do one load of dishes.  

Oftentimes, just emptying and rerunning my dishwasher makes the entire kitchen feel better.  Just 10 minutes cleaning the kitchen gets most of the declutter and mess gone so I can focus.

4) Spend 30 minutes cleaning.

The children have their chores, while I work on mine.  This keeps us working as a family to get something cleaned up and worked on before we start our school, shopping, or whatever else we have that day.

5) Make a Daily Goal!

The days I wake up going "we have nothing to do today" inevitably end up with us watching T.V., feeling bored, and ends up very angtsy and grumpy.

Most days my list may be as easy as: Clean kitchen, do three loads of laundry, play at the park.
Other days, my list may be more detailed like: Finish lesson 86 of homeschooling, do the Dr appt, do our monthly grocery run, reorganize the cupboards in the bathroom, etc.

Even on our "do nothing" days, I try to make a list!  Even if my list is just do the dishes, and play a board game, making a list adds focus and goals to our day so as a family we know what we need to accomplish.  Does everything get done every day??  Nope.  Do plans change??  Absolutely!!  The point of this is that we don't spend half the day bored and lazy!  The days I need a lazy day we add it to our list :)  Yes, we have had days of: Watch a movie, stay in PJ's, and make homemade cookies!

6) Know your meals!

I usually add this to our Daily Goal list, but it has been a life saver!  I truly hate meal planning, but sitting down every two weeks and having my lunch meals planned takes the stress of "oh no, it's lunch what do we do now??"  And doing my freezer meals keeps dinners more streamlined!

However it works for your family, at least have a plan of what is going on with your meals.  This keeps the stress down, and the days runs smoother with a good meal plan!

7) Get showered and dressed!

Okay, I know this may seem obvious to some of you, BUT if you have a home with four small children, and babies, and pets... some days this is a challenge!!  We have our pajama days on occasion, but we all operate better when the kids are all up and dressed, and mommy has had a shower and I'm ready to take on the day!

There are days I get this done right at 7 am, but between the baby, the kids, and the morning, this sometimes is getting done right at 9 am.  It sounds weird to some, I know, but getting this done first thing definitely helps!!  Also giving the kids a task (so I don't worry they are destroying my house while I shower) makes a big difference too.

Balance.

Overall my mornings go best when I have taken care of myself spiritually, emotionally, and physically!  This list helps keep the main things the main things.

We still have our bad days, our sick days, and our "why did we get nothing done days??", but overall those days are far less and our home is much happier when we get at least these 7 things done in the morning.

How are some ways that YOU get everything done in your home??  What helps make your mornings become more streamlined?