Calm Mornings + Daily Routines

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a morning person; something I inherited from my mother. The fact that we run a restaurant doesn't help my case either, but motherhood tends to begin at sunrise regardless of when I get in bed. While I may not be up at sunrise, I am up shortly there after and have to be prepared to take on the day. The one thing
I've learned as my children get older is there is no time for rest during the day. Between school, working out, maintaining the house, ballet, soccer, piano, music class, homework, dinner and more our day is non-stop. Even when they are in school, the time flies by and I never accomplish everything on my to-do list. The other thing I've learned is that I thrive on routines.

Having a set morning routine helps our days start off on the right path. We can easily avoid the morning hustle and chaos if we are prepared for our day ahead of time. I would like to say I'm the first to rise in the morning, but that would be a lie. Our oldest is an early riser and likes to spend fifteen minutes alone downstairs on the iPad, which he is allowed to do since we are always ready for the day the night before.

Part of our bedtime routine is preparing for the next morning. Once bath time is over, snacks are given and teeth are brushed we lay out clothes for the next day. Depending on the day the appropriate clothing is laid out: schools days are uniforms, soccer days are uniforms and all the gear, church days are dressy clothes and open days are play clothes. The first thing the kids do when they wake up is get dressed and head downstairs. On a perfect morning, breakfast is prepped the night before, but that's not always the case. Since we've been avoiding processed foods, breakfast usually entails eggs, a homemade loaf of bread and fresh fruit. And endless cups of coffee for me!

Weekends tend to be very laid back, as long as we don't have early soccer games, and everyone does their own thing until we all sit down together for breakfast. Schools mornings are a bit more of a rush to get out the door but never too stressful. Lunches are packed the night before, backpacks filled and homework checked.

It's taken a couple years, but I've finally found the key to calm mornings for our family is a daily routine and organization. How does your family handle the early mornings? Do you have a set routine or morning pattern?