5 Tips for a Calm Morning

Mornings can be ridiculously crazy, especially with kids.

I’m sure you can imagine hungry kids running around in their pjs begging for food while you are simply trying to get the awake enough to realize what’s happening.

Now let’s make it worse. You stumble to the kitchen to try to fix something to eat but the sink is full of dirty dishes. You have to clear the sink and wash dishes before you can even think about what to eat because every single spoon in the house dirty.

What happens to your Bible study time when your morning starts this way? Yep, it becomes nonexistent. All of these other things start screaming at you and the most important things get left out.

So, how do you set yourself up to have a calm morning without all the stress?

Simply, it starts the night before.

If you don’t get things right the night before, you will not have a smooth morning.

1. Get your dishes done before bed. Don’t turn the lights off until the sinks are clean. Think about it like this. Your kitchen is like a restaurant and you will have lots of people coming early for breakfast. You can’t run a business if things are left a mess and you can’t run a smooth kitchen that way either. It doesn’t take a lot of time to do the dishes. Just get it done so you can chill a little.
2. Get everyone in the habit of laying out their clothes the night before. I like to place a basket in my kid’s rooms for them to pick out their clothes for the next day. This makes it fun for them but you have to remind them. Make this part of their routine and they will eventually do it themselves.
3. When people start getting up in the morning, they need to get themselves ready for the day. That means everyone should make their own beds, get their day clothes on, brush their teeth, and be at the table for breakfast by a certain time. If your crew doesn’t do this already, it may take some effort in the beginning but trust me it will be worth it. My small kids do this well. If they have the opportunity, they’ll surprise you. Just imagine everyone getting up and ready by themselves. Ahhh!
4. Breakfast doesn’t have to be complicated to be filling. Keep it simple.
5. As soon as breakfast is over and the kitchen looks nice again, get your morning chores done quickly. If you are not dressed, get dressed all the way to your shoes. Clear your surfaces, make your bed, and clean up from breakfast. See this post to help you with these items.

The trick is to get these items done quickly. Within an hour, everyone should be able to get ready, eat, and get their chores done. Seriously, think about what you can do with your day if all of your morning chores and breakfast is done by 9 or 9:30. Maybe you can actually fit in your morning Bible study if all of your chores get done on time. Just thinking. lol

Some of these things take some time to develop. Habits can be formed, even at a young age.

These simple tips will make your mornings smoother. I promise.