Calm Your Morning: Less Pressure, More Pleasure

i get up at 6:30a.m. in the mornday and the 1st thing i do in the morning is take a nice hot warm shower  then i put on my school outfit and my shoes then by the time i walk out the door to go to school it like all relly 7:00a.m. in the morning  i don't never have the time 4 breakfast  in the moning  because i trys to get 2 school on time for my morning clases  i always think to my self do i have time 4 breakfast in the morning time everyday of the week

By Princess on 8/3/2009 7:54:36 PM

Was never a morning person until this year - my blood pressure was extremely high out of the blue.  Therefore, besides meds I'm on a treadmill and/or stationary bike or walk outside & do 45-60 min. exercise almost everyday.  And I'm doing this at 7:30am which is NOT normal for me and I'm loving it!  People at work in my school tell me they've noticed I have 'more pep in my step'.....no stimulants for me in the morning - just exercise, then breakfast - only decaf. coffee here! Lovin' it.

By J. on 7/23/2009 12:15:40 AM

Hi, I so look forward to the morning with that 1st cup of coffeeLinda

By Linda on 7/10/2009 3:36:05 PM

Even my 3 1/2 year old does better in the morning if he knows what the next day will bring -- after we get dressed, we go to pre-school, then we'll go grocery shopping.  We have a simple breakfasst of cereal and fruit, but we're together.  I'm so thankfull his favorite TV show has a break at 8:15, the same time we need to leave the house.  I let him watch one show while I finish getting dressed.

By Heather on 7/9/2009 10:52:53 PM

I make sure the kids know what to expect the following day. I find keeping them in the loop, helps them to have a better start. And of course, everything prepared the night before :-)

By Angela on 7/9/2009 3:50:15 AM

I try to get everthing in order the night before and spend some quiet, reflection time 15 minutes before the chaos begins in the morning.  If that isn't possible, I try to find sometime in the morning to sit quietly...maybe outside with a cup of coffee...very calming for me!

By Sharon on 7/8/2009 5:42:31 PM

interesting...

By Angela on 7/8/2009 11:26:34 AM

I am not a coffee drinker but I do have to have breakfast and a glass of OJ to start my day otherwise I feel off.

By Annie on 7/7/2009 11:41:22 AM

I love early mornings. It helps the day to go quicker. I don't have young children anymore. But, get up early get that cup of coffee, get your spouse ready for work. Get yourself ready for work. It's easier getting your clothes ready the night before. Breakfast the most important part of the day

By Patricia on 7/6/2009 6:08:02 PM

I totally agree that getting an early start makes a huge difference in the morning and a lot less stressful. We have always put our clothes and shoes out the night before.  I set my alarm 1 hour earlier then I need to wake up so I have time to just lay in bed and take my time waking up. I don't like rushing around in the morning so I give myself the extra time and things go a lot smoother getting out the door for work and school.By Angela on 7/5/2009 10:00 pm

By Angela on 7/5/2009 10:04:06 PM

I so hate mornings! everynight I get everything ready for the next day. I hate getting up and rush around to do everything. Some good ideas on here that i will have to try

By Melissa on 7/3/2009 11:22:36 AM

I have learned that I feel better throughout the week when I get up at the same time each day. We have a walking track near our house, I get up at 6 am and walk 5 laps each day which gets my day off to a great start.  

By ReGina on 7/2/2009 10:39:00 PM

We are a family of 5 children...soon to be 6 and every morning I wake up at 5:30 to begin our day. This includes...My shower, my makeup, my hair, getting the kids freshened up and dressed, loading some laundry, folding some laundry, unloading the dishwasher, and making breakfast. All before I need to leave at 7:15.  And even though we rush rush rush, we still take the time to sit at the table to eat our breakfast together.  It's something I think is very important.

By Joni on 7/1/2009 7:45:50 PM

My other post was like a book, so I'm writting a quick add-on here instead of making the other one longer.One other thing I started doing was when I get home from the grocery store, I take all the cereal, measure      1 1/2 Cups of cereal into a zip lock bag so there are individual sized servings. The cereal lasts longer because no on is dumping large quantities of cereal in to a large bowl, it keeps it from getting stale from the kids not closing the bags. Seems they like having little bags of different kinds of cereal to choose from. I used to try to keep the bags in the original boxes but it's just easier for me to put all the cereal into the grocery bag & hang it on a hook on the pantry door.

By Lyndia on 7/1/2009 11:10:35 AM

I used to let the kids get ready in the mornings before school, looking for lost shoes, homework, finding the right outfits to wear took so much time we would be running late or running out the door always forgetting something only to have the kids or a teacher calling asking me to bring something that was forgotten up to the school.  It got to the point where I would be stressed out, watching the clock, getting upset at the kids and them at me, we'd all leave in a bad mood and have bad days. Finally I did start lining up shoes, clothes, bookbags and making sure everyone had everything ready to go, going as far as putting book bags in the car figuring they could grab them on the way to the bus and if we ran late, they were already in the car & ready to go.Something else that helped get breakfast on the table easy, fast and hot was this recipe......the kids have fun doing this, we do it a couple times a week and it helps keep some of the khaos down to a minimum, if we are running late, I can make these while the kids are getting ready, let them use paper bowls/plates & plastic silverware, take a small trash bag and they can eat on the way."OMELETS IN A BAG"

Have you ever heard of this? (This works great! Good for when all
your family is together and no one has to wait for their special omelet)

Have everyone write their name on a quart-size freezer bag with
permanent marker.

Each person adds prepared ingredients of choice to their bag and shake,.

Make sure to get the air out of the bag and zip it up.

Ingredients:
Crack 2 eggs (large or extra-large) into the bag (not more than 2)
shake to combine them. Put out a variety of ingredients such as:
cheeses, ham, onion, green pepper, tomato, hash browns, salsa, mushrooms,
etc.

Everyone adds prepared ingredients of choice to their bag and shake.

Make sure to get the air out of the bag and zip it up.
Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes.
You can usually cook 6-8 omelets in a large pot.

For more, make another pot of boiling water.

Open the bags and the omelet will roll out easily. Be prepared for
everyone to be amazed.

Nice to serve with toast,fresh fruit,coffee, millk, juice,etc; everyone gets involved
in the process and no complaints that "I don't like that!"

Directions:
1. Crack the eggs into a large resealable freezer bag. Press out most
of the air, and seal. Shake or squeeze to beat the eggs. Open the bag,
and add the ham, cheese, onion, green pepper, tomato, salsa, and
mushrooms. Squeeze out as much of the air as you can, and
seal the bag.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place up to 8 bags at a time
into the boiling water. Cook for exactly 13 minutes. Open the bag, and
let the omelet roll out onto a plate. The omelet should roll out easily. 

By Lyndia on 7/1/2009 11:00:57 AM

I put things - library books, fancy shoes if I know I will need them - in my car the night before so that I don't have to scramble around the house looking for them.

By Carol on 7/1/2009 10:08:53 AM

I especially liked this suggestion because I am an aweful morning person!!  I'm always running late because I will seriously not hear the alarm clock go off, and I wont have anything laid out the night before.  It's a total nightmare in the mornings for me!!

By Amy on 6/29/2009 9:22:50 PM

I like everything except the "coffee" idea.  Instead, how about trying the following:  The night before fill the blender with your berries, orange, kiwi, a handfull of spinach a leaf or two of Kale and cut up carrot.  In the AM, blend it and make that your morning pick up.  Let that be the juice for the children and husband.  That is my breakfast - and my pack of antioxidents for the morning.  Too many are not getting their 13 fruits & vegetables a day.  Here is to your health!

By Irene on 6/29/2009 10:01:21 AM

I actually do the suggestions above, but take it one step further.  On Sunday nights, after I put the little ones to bed, I iron five outfits for the week.  Being a high school teacher, myself, a four year old and a six year old have to be on the road by 6:30 am so I can be to work on time.

By Andrea on 6/25/2009 5:42:50 PM

I am home alone now, but when my three boys were young this was just what we did. I must have been ahead of my time. The back-packs on the floor by the door and the music booming as they danced every morning. I had a happy crew, even as teens. I think being organized and together as a group helped. They are still close as adults in their twenties and one his thirties. I truly miss those mornings together. Quiet Mornings wear on you.

By Lillian on 6/25/2009 11:58:23 AM

Most of the bad days that I do have are a result of scrambling to get out the door, which can make everyone tense.  Even though these ideas are common sense, I have to admit I've never given the morning routine much thought.  Thanks for taking the time to think it through...I am sure things will go much smoother now that we implement some of these ideas at our house!

By Julie on 6/25/2009 8:59:10 AM

When I was young, I was a morning person.  Now, older and with a child, I find it hard to get up in the morning as I do not sleep good and suffer from depression.  I take meds for the depression, does anyone have any ideas on how to make mornings easier to even get up?  I used to love early morning and the fresh start, but now I need help, I am always in a rush and just crazy.

By Jennifer on 6/24/2009 2:58:47 PM

I too, enjoy getting up in the morning and having "my God time". I have my coffee and read my Bible and devotion for the day. Sometimes I will read my book. I love it!!

By Tonya on 6/23/2009 10:37:49 PM

My husband is in the Army and we have a 10 yr old with him deployed right now so I get up at 5 am and start my day before waking her to even get ready..

By Kristina on 6/23/2009 9:52:59 PM

I used to be a morning person... before I had a baby 12 weeks ago.  Now I really rely on my "night time" routine of getting clothes picked out and putting everything in one place that I need to take with me in the morning.  Otherwise, I am not sure how I would do it all!

By Angel on 6/23/2009 9:19:03 PM

We set out clothes, shoes and everything the night before. We wake up the oldest first (to shower and whatnot before others need the bathroom) and we bake muffins while they are dressing.So EASY!I can't wait to try the parfait bar too! Sounds fantastic!

By Emily on 6/23/2009 7:54:24 PM

I AM a morning person. I love the me time in the morning before the sun comes up and the caos begins. It gives me time to organize my thoughts for the day. I like to sit outside and listen to the birds wake up while enjoying my coffee.

By Tammy on 6/23/2009 4:41:29 PM

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By Shilpa on 6/23/2009 4:36:16 PM

When I wake my kids up in the morning, I sing a little song my mom made up with them. "When _____ wakes up in the morning, he always says Good Day, When ______ wakes up in the morning he always says Good Day. Good Day, Good Day, Good Day!!" My oldest son, 4 yrs old, is a cranky little guy, but this always cheers him up.

By Hazel on 6/23/2009 10:16:42 AM

I wish I could take the time to do this in the mornings. I wake up a good two hours before my husband and child. I have to be extra quiet in the am, but truth be known, I actually enjoy this time to myself before heading off to work.

By Erika on 6/22/2009 6:30:22 PM

I like the parfait bar idea! It sounds fun, simple and very frugal. Just my style too!

By Olivia on 6/20/2009 4:54:00 PM

I like the idea about stealing time for myself. Everybody needs some me time

By Shirley on 6/18/2009 4:10:16 PM

 Sounds like some cool ideas. I love the coffee maker idea. We have a lot of caos in our home. This would make it better.

By Kathy on 6/16/2009 11:16:22 PM

Sounds like a great idea!

By Sharron on 6/16/2009 8:43:42 PM

Really excited about bringing back the family breakfast event AGAIN.

By Aline on 6/16/2009 8:02:36 PM

THIS IS A GOOD  WAY TO GET A BREAKFAST DO WE TRY IT IT WAS FUN.

By Shirley on 6/16/2009 8:00:34 PM