Has the countdown to school started in your home??  How did you do with starting your bedtime routine last week??   I didn’t do as well as I would have liked….I was out more evenings than I would like.  I actually completed my bedtime rountine only 3 times last week.   I guess that is better than the week before!   I am hoping this week goes better. 

This week also try to add your morning routine to your day!  Anyone that knows me can attest to this, I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON. Trust me, I have really tried to become a morning person.  I have struggled greatly to find a morning routine that would work for me.  I need to have cushion built into my morning routine as I might not get out of bed in time (probably wont!).  If my morning goes better, my whole day goes better.  I know this… I arrive at work more awake and productive.  I am less stressed because I am not rushing the children to get ready saying we are late, AGAIN!!   Towards the end of the school year, Tommy would ask me each morning “Are we late?”  I think that is how he gauged what mood I would be in.  Needless to say my best moments were not in the morning.  I know this comes easy to many people, but for me it is a real struggle.

My morning routine has changed over the years due to the different seasons of my life.  But my morning routine sets the mood for my day and I want that mood to be peaceful and energized.  I set my morning routine by envisioning what I wanted to accomplish each morning.  I work full-time outside of the home, so I do have to include some additional tasks into my morning.  So everyone’s routine will be different.  Maybe you home school and want to have uninterrupted time to work on lessons with your children.  Once I had a list of the tasks I wanted to accomplish each morning, I decided what time I need to leave the house.  I have to drop Tommy off at school each morning so I need to leave the house at 9:00.

So from 9:00AM, I go backwards in time and add my tasks and how long each task will take.  I overestimate greatly the amount of time it will take me to complete a task to build in my cushion for the morning.  By going backwards I will come to the time I have to get up to be able to accomplish everything I want to do each morning.  

My Morning Routine

*Alarm Clock goes off at 6:25

6:45 – Out of Bed/Dogs outside and fed – honestly I roll out of bed around 6:50 or so.  But my goal is 6:45!  (this is going to  be a struggle for a bit, I have been lucky if I get out of bed by 7:30 all summer)

7:00 – Switch and Fold Laundry/ Empty Trash Cans – I give myself a ½ hour for this, but I can usually get it done in about 20.  That is my built in cushion in case I didn’t get up in time, which happens most days.

7:30 – Shower/Wipe Down Bathroom/ Spray Shower with Cleaner – I take a very quick shower.  I keep Lysol wipes in the bathroom and wipe the toilet and counter down every morning, which cuts down on cleaning for me.  Remember, I am mom to three boys!   I also spray the shower with a cleaner if I am the last shower of the morning.

7:50 – Wake Tommy – I start waking Tommy at 7:50 – he is a lot like his mommy and not easy to wake up!  So it could take 30 minutes to get him out of bed.  This year we have started setting an alarm clock for Tommy.  He doesn’t get up with it yet, but it starts waking him up at least.

8:00 – Daily Chore  – last year I included a daily chore each morning.  I am going to play that by ear this year.  I most likely will be doing my daily chore as part of my bedtime routine as that is more realistic for me. 

 My Chore Schedule

Sunday – Change Bedding, Clean Desk, Fill Med Box

Monday – Feather Dust

Tuesday – Vacuum Living & Dining Room

Wednesday – Sweep/ Mop Kitchen and Bath

Thursday – Clean Bathrooms

Friday – Pay Bills/Order Scrips/Clean Picture Window & Doors

9:00 – Leave for School/Work – Off to work!!

TIPS:

Alarm Clocks – have your older children get themselves up with an alarms clock.  We started this with Tommy this year.

Start Out Small – Have one or two things in your morning routine and add items as you can.

Write It Down – This might sound funny, but write down your morning routine!   I need this to keep on task.  I need a guide as I really struggle in the morning.

HOMEWORK:

Ok…what do you think?  Do you have a morning routine to write down or would one be helpful to you?  I have two things I would like you to do this week.

1. Use the process above and develop your morning routine. To add an element of accountability, post your morning routine in the comments of this post!

Thank you again for joining me in this challenge!  I am excited and am working hard to get myself back on track as well.  Together we will all have a wonderful start to our school year!!

Stop back on Sunday when we will be discussing our next topic:  Calendars/Command Centeral.   I will be doing a question and answer day next week so post your questions and I will respond to all of them next week!

Don’t forget to enter to win the “Back To School” giveaway.  I am holding a Back to School organizing giveaway, so make sure to enter to win.  To enter leave a comment on the give away post.   I will be giving away a “Back to School” organizing pack!   This will get you started on developing your own Control Central!  It will include a great new calendar that I am previewing, Amy Knapp’s Big Grid Family Organizer. 

Good Luck!!!