A New Morning Routine

In my four years of parenting, I've never really been good about having a routine of what we did for the day. Sure we'd wake up, eat breakfast, change diapers, etc... but if we didn't have an obvious errand to run that day, then we likely stayed inside and never really went anywhere, and the hours just seemed to tick by super slowly because we never really had anything planned out. 

We had to start some sort of routine this year for homeschooling since it was something that had to get done each day, but that was mainly something that we did in the afternoon during nap time, which meant we still had unorganized, chaotic mornings to get through. About a month ago though, I signed up for a new gym membership, and have actually worked out five days a week since getting it, and it's safe to say we're in an official routine with going and doing that now, so I thought today would be a good time to share with you what our actual days look like. 

We have no real set time on when we wake up. Derek leaves for work around 7:30am and the kids will usually wake up sometime between hearing the garage door open, and 8am. Jay usually wakes up first, and heads downstairs and plays with toys while Em and I are still sleeping. Most mornings I have no clue when he gets up because he does it so quietly. Once I hear Em in her room, I get up wash my face, brush my teeth, and get my gym clothes on. Then I head into her room, get her out of bed, and then head downstairs to get breakfast going. 

I usually give Jay a bowl of cold cereal and some fruit each morning, and Em usually eats a cereal bar of some sort, and some fruit as well. While they're eating breakfast the kitchen/living room/playroom areas are usually all pretty messy, so I tidy up while the kids are eating. When they're done, I get them washed up, and into clean clothes for the day. Then the kids play in the playroom while I get my bag ready for the gym. 

Since the kids go to the daycare while I workout,  I make sure that everyone has their own water bottle, and then I pack some snacks for them to eat in the car on the ride home since the gym is 10 miles from our house, and the ride home typically takes about 20 minutes. I usually always pack them an applesauce, and then a toss up between goldfish, veggie straws, or Gerber lil' Beanies.

Gerber lil' Beanies have been a go to snack in our home for a while now. I've even tried them myself, and think they have an awesome flavor. I love that they're made from beans (because my kids basically live on a diet of 90% beans), and they don't have all the fake chemicals like traditional "doodle" treats. That, and 2g of protien per serving makes them a win in my book. We get ours at Publix since it's the closest store to our house, but I've seen them in just about every grocery store in my area in the baby section. Right now you can get a $.75 off coupon through Ibotta, which will make them just a little over a dollar the next time you purchase them. 

I usually try to get us to the gym by 10am. That's usually when the last worthwhile fitness class is happening for the morning, and if I'm left to my own devices for too long, I just do three miles on the elliptical and go home... so classes are usually a better fit for me. 

I've been thinking a lot about my kids and what I want them to remember most from their childhood, and like any mom, I worry what they think of me, and my parenting, and if they think I'm giving them a quality childhood experience, so I've been trying to say yes to a lot more things lately. So part of our morning routine that I've been trying hard to implement lately is going to the playground every morning when we get done from the gym. We have one right in our neighborhood so it's not out of the way for us, and it's perfect timing since the kids eat their snack in the car on the way over, and it wears Em out before her nap. 

After we've played at the playground for about 30 minutes, we head home, eat lunch, and Em goes down for her nap. During the first part of her nap, Jay has quiet time for about an hour while  I get work done on the blog, read emails, and do what I need to do, and then we spend the last hour getting his school work done for the day. 

It feels great to have a routine down where the kids know what to expect for the day, and there is a great balance of doing things that are fun and great for them (they both really love going to daycare at the gym which is awesome!), and things that are good for me too! But as a disclaimer, this is not what my day looks like today because I have to pick up an order of 40lbs of chicken breast, mail off a package, return an internet router, return some clothes that didn't fit right, get my oil changed, get my drivers licence, and register to vote... so today, everyone is going to be miserable.