What is the daily routine of a mom?
Moms wear so many hats throughout the day, and the responsibilities can look very different from family to family.
In our home, my daily mommy morning routine may consist of caring for a baby and a toddler, teaching our young children, preparing three meals a day plus snacks, cleaning the house, organizing, paying bills, grocery shopping, scheduling, running kids around to various appointments/extracurriculars, and so much more.
For all the moms- stay-at-home moms, working moms, work-from-home moms, married mom, single mom, and everything in between- having a mom morning routine is the best way
to start the day off on the right foot and maintain a sense of serenity in the bustle of the day.
While every day doesn’t always look the exact same, my morning routine is the one constant that I can depend on as a busy mom.
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Why is it important to have a mom morning routine?
In order to have the most productive day I can, I HAVE to start my day on the right foot.
That’s why a mom morning routine is so important to establish. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate, but having a simple routine to start the day can make all the difference in setting the tone for the entire day!
Like many moms today, I struggle with overwhelm. I’ve learned to manage it with some simple, yet effective, daily habits.
One of those habits is having a morning routine that allows me to center my thoughts for the day, take care of my own basic needs, and start the day off slowly rather than just jumping into automatic chaos as soon as my eyes open.
And, setting a simple morning routine for yourself is a great first step in reducing stress and overwhelm throughout the rest of the day.
My Ideal Mom Morning Routine
Wake up-Make the bed!
Since I am still nursing our youngest baby, my morning wake time is a little sporadic. He can be up to eat anywhere from 4:00-7:00 in the morning.
More often than not, he is my alarm clock. A not super reliable one at that!
You may find yourself in a similar phase of life, where toddlers and babies are giving you no choice but to have super early mornings. The hours of sleep you get is unpredictable, which makes it hard to set a consistent routine.
You might even wonder why you bother trying to make a morning routine.
Trust me here when I say, a routine right now may not be perfectly timed…but it is still SO important for your mental health.
Regardless of what time I wake in the morning, the first thing I do is make my bed.
Every single day.
If my bed is not made, my mind just does not function. Even if the whole house is a disaster zone, my bed will be made. No question.
This is such an important first step for me, because I love getting into a nicely made bed at the end of a long day. I need that peace and serenity to calm my overstimulated nervous system after getting all the kids to bed. So, this is a non-negotiable for me!
Shower/Dress/Hair & Make Up
After making my bed, I immediately head into the bathroom to get ready for the day.
A bit of self-care first thing in the morning allows me to take care of everyone else to the best of my ability.
If I’m not put together and ready to tackle the day, how can I get everyone else put together and ready, too?!
Too often, mothers neglect their own needs first when time is crunched. We say, “Oh, I can just shower later.” Or, we realize we are still in our pajamas when the mailman comes to the door at noon.
Then, the feelings of guilt and shame hit us because we look like we’re struggling.
And, maybe we are.
Allowing myself a few minutes first thing in the morning to reset my room and myself is key to getting in the right mindset to take care of my family. If we don’t feel the best about ourselves, those feelings of shame, disappointment, and maybe even resentment will seep into all of our actions for the rest of the day.
As a homeschooling mom, it can be easy to neglect my appearance because I don’t leave the house as often as others do. But, I know that modeling good self care practices not only benefits myself but is also a good lesson for my kids as well.
We all need to take care of ourselves on the outside in order to feel our best on the inside!
Eat a nutritious breakfast
After finishing up my morning routine in my room, I come out to the kitchen to prepare a healthy breakfast.
Often, I keep it simple because we are getting ready to start our homeschool day, and I don’t want to be cleaning up for a long time.
My go-to nutritious breakfasts are scrambled eggs with toast, greek yogurt with granola, or protein oatmeal with fruit.
I can prepare these quickly, they keep me full until lunch, and they help balance my blood sugar. Having balanced blood sugar keeps my mood stable, which in turn, helps keep my stress at bay.
Read my Bible and devotional
I started this daily habit about 2 years ago, and it has become a crucial part of my mom morning routine.
Every morning as I sit down for breakfast, I pull out my Bible study and devotion and spend 10 minutes in the Word.
More often than not, the scripture I read that day is one that I need to hear and helps keep my perspective in check for the rest of the day.
I have been using The Daily Grace Co. Bible studies for the past few years, and I have loved every one of them. They are short, sweet, powerful, and always relevant to the stage of life I’m in.
I can’t recommend these studies enough!
If you haven’t read through the entire Bible yet, I highly encourage you to start there. There are so many reading plans available to help guide you through the entire Bible in a year. It may seem daunting, but I’ve found that God will speak to you no matter what phase of life you are in. You are bound to come out with a deeper connection to your faith and a better perspective on life in general.
Starting your morning in the Bible is the perfect way to center your thoughts for the day and calm your nervous system before jumping into all things motherhood!
Start our school day
Once I’ve gone through my personal mom morning routine, I wake the kids (usually around 8 am), and we get started on our school day.
Some days, the kids will wake in stages and I will work with them one on one as they come out of their rooms.
With a cup of coffee in hand, I’ll sit at the kitchen table and welcome each one as they wander in looking for their breakfast. They eat as we read or discuss our history lesson for the day.
The start of our school day is typically slower and gentle, which allows for a nice transition from my quiet morning routine to the daily tasks of being a mom!
If you’re looking for more information on creating a daily schedule for homeschooling, check out how I schedule our homeschool day!
Create your own mom morning routine in 5 easy steps
Step 1: Identify your priorities
For a morning routine to be effective, you need to identify what your priorities are.
Do you have to get a workout done first thing to feel your best? Is opening your Bible every morning a priority for you? Do you need to get a load of laundry done?
If you have 30 minutes of quiet, free time in the morning, what are you going to do with it? What is most important to you?
Knowing your priorities will help you establish a routine that you can be consistent with. Why? Because you are more likely to do the things that are important to you. These activities probably make you feel better and are important for you to reach your goals.
Make a list of a few priorities for your mom morning routine and rank them from most importance to least importance.
Step 2: Decide on the optimal wake-up time
Now that you have a list of the most important things you want to accomplish every morning, you can estimate about how much time you need in the morning to complete them.
If you know your kids will all be awake by 8 am, you can decide the amount of time you need in order to get your tasks done while you have alone time.
For instance, my children start waking up around 7 every morning. The baby is up between 4-6 most mornings to nurse. So, I will nurse the baby when he wakes up, put him back to sleep, and then I start my morning routine.
This gives me at least an hour to myself before the older kids start to wake.
When you are in a season of life with babies and toddlers, it can be really hard to establish a set wake time.
I get it.
Just try your best to be as consistent as possible, understanding that things can change day by day and it’s not going to be perfect.
As long as you are getting some time during the morning to care for yourself and set your mind up for the day ahead, you are going to see the benefits!
Step 3: Communicate your needs with your partner
This step is so, so important!
You must communicate your needs with your partner and ask for support if you want to establish an effective morning routine.
If there aren’t boundaries and expectations in place, your partner may not know that this routine is crucial to you.
More likely than not, your partner will be happy to support you in any way they can. You just have to be open with communication and compromise.
If you don’t communicate, you might end up frustrated when your partner isn’t showing the support you need. You might misinterpret their lack of support as a lack of interest in your needs. When, in reality, they just didn’t know what those needs are.
Step 4: Set Realistic Expectations
Another super important part of establishing a new mom morning routine is setting realistic expectations.
I have no doubt that there are 1,000 things you would like to accomplish in the morning.
I know I can think of an endless number of things to add to my to-do list every morning!
The reality, though, is there is not enough time in the morning to do everything we would like to do. And, there is no perfect morning routine.
We have to be realistic about our expectations and set goals that can be accomplished.
We will have a sense of fulfillment when we are able to get things done, rather than feeling frustrated that we ran out of time.
Make a morning routine that is realistic, effective, and productive for you.
Even if all you can manage is a little bit of deep breathing in your morning routine, you are helping yourself more than you can imagine!
Keep things in perspective and don’t try to do too much. The point of a good morning routine is not to overwhelm but to refresh.
Step 5: Commit to your new mom morning routine for 30 days
Establishing new morning habits can take at least 30 days.
This is why it’s so important to stick with the new morning routine you are trying to establish for at least 30 days.
If you are not currently a bed-maker, make your bed for the next 30 days as part of your morning routine.
No matter what, just make your bed. Soon, it will become so automatic you won’t even have to think about it.
Establishing new habits can be a game changer in your life. But, you won’t see the changes after only one day, or even a week, of doing it.
You need to stick with it daily to see the effects.
If you’re looking for a really great book about establishing habits, check out Atomic Habits by James Clear. It’s an inspiring, easy read about the importance of establishing simple habits that can make a huge impact.
A Mom Morning Routine: The Key to a Happier Mom
If you haven’t established a mom morning routine yet, I can’t recommend starting soon enough!
By simply establishing a few habits in your morning routine, you can completely change the way you view your life.
A good morning routine can set the tone for the rest of your day. It can also affect how you interact with your children and family and make huge improvements to your overall health.
Make some small changes today, and gradually you will begin to transform your mornings completely!
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