Blog Readers! I have not forgotten about you! Life has been full…so, so good, but rather full, and I’m still trying to figure out how to do life with two tiny humans!
It seems that just when you think you’ve got things down to a pretty solid routine, something changes and you have to readjust and reevaluate. I think that’s just called life. Let’s be honest, I would get bored if things stayed the same all the time, and I like the challenge of change.
It was more than two years ago when I wrote about a day in my life and just over a year ago when I wrote about my experience logging my time. So I thought I’d write a little update now that we have added another tiny human into our life!
Isla Jane joined us at the beginning of March this year, and we already can’t imagine life without her. She’s been a super easy baby (although possibly proving to have a bit more “spunk” than her very easy going brother!), and I have found the transition from 1-2 kids to be much, much easier than going from 0-1. But, all that to say, I’m still trying to figure out a new routine. As much as I’d like and try to, they don’t always take naps at the same time or get up at the same time, so there are just more variables than before.
One thing I’m really committed to is my morning routine and getting up before my kids. I really, really need some time to myself before the kids get up and get going. But, I’ve found I’ve really had to simplify this morning routine for the time being. Landon gets up, goes potty, and goes back to his room for “room time,” where he plays with his trains until I tell him he can get up (usually around 8/8:30). Isla Jane typically gets up between 7:30 and 8:00, and, of course, needs to be fed immediately, so there’s a bit more of a hard stop to my morning time. When she’s up, my morning time is over. I’m hoping that we can push her wake up time back a little bit once we start solids this week (She’s only had fermented cod liver oil so far, and we are getting ready to start on egg yolk and beef liver. You can read more about how I introduce solids to my babies here.)
So, what does my morning routine look like these days? It’s pretty simple.
8:30 p.m.–this is how I find motivation and space for my morning routine that I love so much. It starts the night before! I always, always do the dishes and clean up the kitchen before turning in for the night, and I always program my grind ‘n brew coffee maker before bed. (My husband asked me once why having the coffee made before bed was so very important to me. I told him, “Before my feet hit the floor, I am already winning!”) I usually do some laundry in the evenings as well and catch up on other various tasks, but the dishes and the coffee? They are non negotiable!
So now, onto the actual morning…
Photo: Bigstockphoto.com/astropix
5:30/6:00 a.m.—Get up and get to my workout! I used to fit this in sometime later in the day once Landon got up (especially when I was pregnant, needed more sleep, and getting up early felt really, really hard). Sometimes I still can, but with two kids it’s harder to find the time (or something else more pressing comes up). I find that I need to get it done right away. It’s some nice, quiet time first thing in the morning, and I am rarely interrupted. It boosts my confidence as well as my energy, and it propels me forward toward more positive choices for myself, because I have already chosen something healthy right off the bat (and by doing it first thing, I have not depleted my overall will power by thinking about it/planning for it all day long).
This summer I have emphasized strength training in my workouts, as it is the most effective way for me to get my pre-baby body back (read: more muscle, less fat). It is working!! Plus, after years and years of strength training simply because I know it’s good for me, I can honestly say I like it now! When I’m not strength training, I still enjoy running (with additional emphasis on sprints lately for more fat burning effects), some HIIT workouts (like Insanity Max30 or just simple HIIT workouts that include lots of short bursts of intensity), plus some swimming and yoga (for active recovery days). Even though I enjoy nothing as much as a steady run, I know that it’s not a good idea for my thyroid or my midsection to just run. I really need to sprint and lift!
Photo: Stocksnap.io/PhotoMix
7:30 a.m.–Grab coffee and read or blog (if baby is not yet up)! In my perfect world, I would be finished working out by 6:30, so I could blog for an hour and then spend half an hour reading the Bible, but I just can’t seem to hit it that early (Not to mention, I can’t seem to get to bed early enough for a 5:00 a.m. wakeup time to be feasible. Sleep. It is important.).
Photo: Stocksnap.io/Aaron Burden
And that’s it! By 8:00 a.m., people are up, my husband is off to work, and I need to catch a quick shower! I don’t read the news right now (occasionally I can catch it while driving in the car). I don’t play “brain games.” (Instead, I try to crawl around on the floor with Landon to do good things for my focus and attention. People think it has good brain benefits–enough for me to try it.) I don’t even do oil pulling too often right now (because, coffee and water are so important to me right now!). It’s a season, and we’re all still doing just fine. However, as much as I can, I like to do a few things to nurture myself (physically, mentally, and spiritually) and (sometimes) my business first thing. It’s kinda’ the whole “put your oxygen mask on first before helping children” thing on airplanes.
In my perfect world I would have…
- 1 hour for fitness
- 1 hour for blogging
- 1 hour for lesson plans or voice and piano practice
- 1 hour for weekly tasks and various household to-do’s
- 1 hour for daily personal tasks (like email, pelvic floor exercises, my daily pull-ups habit, pumping extra milk for baby, etc.)
- 1 hour for recreation (reading, shooting my bow, card making and lettering, etc.)
This all seems workable in my head: 2 hours before kids get up, 2 hours during nap time, and 2 hours after kids go to bed. But life happens. Somebody poops. Somebody rolls over and can’t figure out how to flip back. I am too dang tired to make a card. You name it. Again, I think this is just called life.
The important thing is, I’ve got some goals I’m working toward, and I’ve got to be willing to give myself some grace when everything doesn’t work out as planned. Like this post for instance…Isla Jane will be 6 months old next week, and I’m getting something up on the blog finally. Meanwhile, she’s screaming at a lion on her play gym (why doesn’t he come off?!?!), and my son is taking all of a 45 minute nap because we were just in Colorado last week and his time zones/circadian rhythms are all messed up. We will deal.
I’m thankful for a good amount of energy, a baby that’s sleeping through the night (and has for months now!), and lots of motivation, drive, and creativity bouncing around in my head all day. I still love my morning routine, even if it is minimized for the time being. Eventually, it may be a bit more robust, but for now it works and brings me sanity!
What does your morning routine look like? What do you love, and what are you trying to change? Comment below!
Drop me a line!