Mindful Mornings
What do mornings look like at your house? Depending on work schedules, ages of our kids, and stages of life, I'm sure each of us would have a varying answer here. Some ideal and some not so much. Now, next question. What do you WANT your mornings to look like?
I am fortunate at the moment to have time on my side. Most mornings we move slow and allow the day to unfold naturally. In about three weeks all that will change as my oldest enters kindergarten. Early risers we are not. Right now we have a good thing going in the mornings and I am trying my hardest to figure out ways to bottle that up and save it forever.
I will start by telling you what currently works for us. And then talk about my plans for injecting a bit of this same feeling into busier mornings to come. In the hopes that no matter what we have going on during the day, our mornings can always strive to have a mindful start.
I am huge advocate of screen-free childhoods....in theory. As with everything though, I truly believe that all things in moderation works best in most situations. Although our days often times are screen-free, at the moment we do have a lot of mornings watching cartoons while having breakfast. I'm on my way to phasing this out. Those twenty minutes watching tv ARE NOT the best way to spend our time. It kills me a little inside to even admit it, but we've gotten into the habit. And it's a hard one for them to break, unless mom has a plan to redirect. Which, fortunately for them....I do!
What I've found works best to slow down our mornings and keep the tv out of the routine is this:
- Focus on a special element for breakfast
- Leave out an invitation to create
- Nature connect from the start
When I am intentional about these three things, the mornings often hum along with much more magic sprinkled in. When I have my own issues and slip on the simple yet mindful start, we seem to fall into more of a rut. So here is what a mindful morning at our house might look like.
MOM GETS UP FIRST.
This step is HUGE. If I am not up first, even if it's just fifteen minutes, before the kids, then I am not at peace. And we all know what that means...those groggy feelings are contagious! As hard as this may be for some of us. Getting out of the bed before the kiddos are up and running is extremely helpful to creating a Mindful Start because consistent self-care means mom has more energy for everyone else.
BREAKFAST
My kids love helping in the kitchen. They don't always make it in, but this is one way that helps us all connect and feel present in the morning. Even if they are just putting something in the toaster or using the kids knife to cut fruit. Whatever they can do to help makes them more mindful of how their food gets on their plate.
They should also ideally be thinking about where their food is coming from. In the summer we pick mint from the garden and make tea. In the winter I might make mini-muffins after the kids are in bed. They take 10 min. to cook and definitely make the morning easier. Take a little time to educate them and make breakfast special in some small way. It pays off in dividends, when it comes to the general mood and the morning routine. Nothing in the morning should take long or be a lot of work, but it should be thoughtful.
INVITATION TO CREATE
If I leave out books, or a tray with items from our nature collection, or those items plus a pad of paper and few colored pencils...inspiration strikes early in the day! When you want to direct them to this invitation is up to you and your kids. Often we eat first, and as we are eating I may talk about what I left out for them or show them a couple things. Then they are excited to jump in and explore after they eat.
These simple invitations are such wonderful ways to inspire a slow mindful start to the day. It truly inspires me as well, watching them investigate and create. On a side note, it also buys time to clean up the kitchen or whatever else you might need to do in the morning. Bonus!
NATURE CONNECT
Besides leaving out natural materials for them to check out in the morning, we also step outside. I always ask them what they think the temperature might be that day. Sometimes we do this right after coming downstairs and other times it might be after breakfast, but we always step outside in the morning, even when it's cold. Even if we don't stay out long most days, it acts as a grounding device and sets our minds outdoors. Right now, in the warmer months, we might step outside and check on our container garden. Are there any more red tomatoes? Have the peppers started growing overnight?
Even if you don't have a garden, or live in an apartment with no yard, there are ways. Maybe open a window and feel the air? Or roll down the car window on the way to wherever the morning takes you? Just to start a conversation about what is going on outside. It's a part of our routine and I LOVE it. You will too ~ try it if you don't do this already. Stepping out of our little bubble is a must.
SLOW MORNINGS ON BUSY DAYS
Now how to create a slow, mindful atmosphere on busy days? I will write another post about this in reality soon, but here is my plan...
- Wake everyone up with enough time to slow down. If we get up with extra time built into the morning (even if it's way earlier than we are used to) then we may not be as stressed and rushed. This all goes back to my first comment: MOM GETS UP FIRST. Don't hit the snooze.
- Take extra time to be creative if it's hard to get up early. Personalize the wake-up routine. Perhaps incorporate music into the morning wake-up routine. Open those windows for fresh air from the start. I find that my son, who is the hardest to wake, really responds to cuddles and thoughtful conversations about things he might be interested in pondering. He's a thinker so that works for him. My daughter responds to being close to me and involved with whatever I'm doing. What might work for your little one? PM me to brainstorm, I have a lot of ideas on this one!
- Most important, connect. Find a way to connect with your kids instead of rushing and ushering them out the door. Slow down enough to see their problems, their fears, their anger issues, for what they really are. Not easy to do - but being present yourself is the key to getting this one right. Whatever you can do to set your mind at ease is what YOU should be doing first thing in the morning. I've started a three minute meditation routine that I will be sharing soon that seems to be working wonders for me!
While all these tips and tricks will go out the window some mornings...we certainly have those days here, I hope they help you feel more confident and calm, as mindful mamas should be.
Would love to chat and hear about what works to keep you present as a parent, especially during the morning routine. Drop some comments below or message me on facebook to get in touch.
Here's to mindful mornings...
Cheers!
: )
