Morning

  • Simple Living

    Create the Ultimate Morning Routine For Parents Working From Home

    In this post I am going to share my successful morning routine as a stay at home parent and homemaker. As a mother of two small children the mornings can be quite chaotic, but I have found time to fit in this small 5 step morning routine to help me win at mornings.

    Why a morning routine

    There have been many times that people have looked at me like I have two heads when I say that I like to have a routine in the morning. Then on the other hand I’ve also had the comments that I am lucky I have the time.

    Sigh.

    You might have even noticed that I titled this post for parents who are at home. So if you aren’t a parent that is home with the children Monday – Friday then maybe you will still find elements that work for you. But also, maybe this a routine you can try on the weekends when you are home.

    The thing is, this isn’t particularly a routine that only works if you’re home and isn’t a routine that only works if you’re a parent either.

    Being the stay at home parent to our children means that I am with them a lot, and while I love that,I am also mindful of the time I get to myself and how I can spend it in the best ways possible.

    The miracle morning

    I first heard about the miracle morning routine when I was in a multilevel marketing company, they were using it as one of those high control methods to ensure you were up early and “crushing your goals”. It’s all a bit ick looking back and you can find out more about my network marketing story or while I don’t support mlm’s these days.

    However, the miracle morning book isn’t an mlm by-product and while I was decompressing from my time in the multi level marketing cult, I was able to look at the book with fresh eyes.

    I think the official name is about achieving stuff before 8am or something. So if that has ever put you off let me share this: I am never up before 8am. I get up at 9am and I still manage to have a great, slow and simple morning routine.

    I guess what I have done over time is just amended my routine from these days and just meshed what works for me.

    My 5 step morning routine:

    Silence & Coffee (or tea/water/whatever works)

    When the kids get up in the morning (or if we wake them) my husband brings them down and gets the settled for the day while I get myself ready. I know I am about to jinx this but I am going for it: My kids sleep pretty well so we are lucky that we do largely wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go.

    When I come downstairs the first thing I do is drink my coffee. My husband always makes me a coffee and it’s the first thing I go to. I sit silently, just drinking my coffee and easing into the day. The kids are usually playing by this point and so naturally don’t really come over to me, but if they do it doesn’t matter. Even a few moments of quiet really works.

    Gratitude Journalling

    I started gratitude journalling in the new year of 2020 and it became a bit of a saviour in what was a really difficult year for our family with the pandemic dividing us, my dad needing two major heart surgeries and getting pregnant and finding out our baby had a congenital defect (which was later ruled out).

    The ideal of gratitude journalling is that you write down what you are grateful for in the morning, and maybe the evening too, and it helps you reflect on the good points. Even in a bad day it really helps to seek out those moments of gratitude. It’s not about forgetting or pushing away the negative but refocusing for a moment.

    I find it really helps me focus and feel good about my day.

    Nourish my body

    When I have had my coffee, sat in silence and done my gratitude journal for the day I switch my attentions to breakfast. I have two small children so they usually tell me they want pancakes or waffles (and then eat neither). We always have something like pancakes, waffles, granola or oatmeal for our breakfasts, loaded with berries and drizzled with local honey. We switch our breakfast depending on the seasons but it’s usually some variation of this.

    It’s really important to me to feel I am nourishing my body first thing and something I make a priority.

    Podcast

    While all the hustle and bustle takes over I always pop on a podcast. I love learning and whether it be my favourite homesteader Lisa at Farmhouse on Boone with her podcast Simple Farmhouse Life or Jenna Kutcher’s Goal Digger Podcast, I always have something inspiring on in the background.

    Mind is always whirring with ideas for my home and life, or for this little corner of the internet so it’s the perfect addition to my morning.

    Potter around the kitchen

    Maybe this is the urban homesteader in me but I get utmost joy from just pottering around in my kitchen after the busy part of the morning is done. Maybe I will be clearing up from breakfast and loading the dishwasher, or maybe I will be turning my sourdough discard into something amazing (I hope!). Whatever it is, with my trust podcasts going and (maybe) another coffee I indulge myself in my own particular joy.

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    A morning routine isn’t essential but I have found it a wonderful addition to my days. I don’t always achieve it in a picture perfect way (in fact I never do that) but it’s not about what it looks or seems like, it’s about what it feels like.

    Do you have a morning routine that helps tether you to your days? I would love to hear what it looks like for you. Leave me a comment below or follow me over on Instagram.

    Until next time,

  • Unschooling

    How we create our morning basket

    Creating and using a morning basket is something I only started at the beginning of this year and already I have fallen in love with the idea and concept. It isn’t a new idea and something that is used a lot in the home education community, I found many resources on Instagram and Pinterest, before jumping in. Actually though, despite there being a lot of information out there what I found best (as I do with most things) is to just decide what I thought would work for our family and just dived in from there. You know your family best and I think this is probably going to be my top recommendation – do what works best for you.

    What is a morning basket?

    A morning basket is, quite simply, a basket of items designed for the morning time, when your child has just got out of bed. Something they can immerse themselves in to begin a slow start to your days. It can include books, toys, flashcards…in fact whatever you think will work for your family. It can be something to start the day slow and easy, something you can go through together or something to keep your child engaged while you sort out your morning coffee or even their breakfast. The most important thing is that it works for you and it’s something that suits your child and your family.

    What do I put in ours?

    We started doing a morning basket when our daughter was 1 and she has recently turned 2, so definitely keep this in mind when looking at what we put in ours. We enjoy a slow start to our days, I enjoy drinking my coffee and sitting with her while she looks through it. At the moment, at her current age, I add items which I think will be engaging for her and that she will be excited to see first thing in the morning.

    You can see this fun Instagram reel I created as an example of putting my daughters morning basket together.

    Overall, does it work?

    You can be as fun or as educational as you wish. Sometimes I do a theme and sometimes I don’t, but I foresee as her and her sibling get a little older I might tie it more into their current interests in our home education journey too. I definitely expect it to change over the years as they grow as well as applying it to seasonal rhythms too.

  • Entrepreneurship, Holistic Wellbeing

    How I rock the miracle morning as a busy mum

    Wellness has always been a big part of my life and since I started growing my own business 5 years ago I have made personal development part of my daily routine. As well as being a content creator I have a side business as a wellness ambassador, which I love, and if it wasn’t for finding that I don’t know when I would have been introduced to the importance of Personal development and I often wonder without it if I would have found it at all. It’s funny how things happen for a reason.

    One of the books I read early on in my personal development journey was The Miracle Morning. I have recently picked it up again, determined to implement some of the suggested routines for success.

    If you haven’t ever heard of or read the Miracle morning, it is a number of items to do every morning to help put your mind in the right place first thing so you’re ready to tackle the day. These 6 habits, if implemented will change your mindset and set you up for success. Now these aren’t my idea so I urge you to go and check out Hal Elrod and also grab your own copy of the miracle morning.

    How I achieve the miracle morning as a mum

    Being a mum means my mornings are pretty rushed. My daughter is often a later riser (thank goodness!) and as a late riser myself I find that I will tend to sleep until she wakes because I perform at my best when I have the most amount of sleep. With this in mind it does mean that my miracle morning can only take place when my daughter is up, which does mean I tend to be somewhat distracted while I do it.

    To enable myself to get each of the six habits done I have to split them up and go for them when I see my window. The ideal time set out in the book is 1 hour although there is an amended 6 minute version for when you’re in a time crunch. 

    I personally don’t set a time limit for myself of the mornings where I am with my daughter, because sometimes I might get a longer period of time and sometimes I might struggle to find myself 6 minutes. In my mind, the most important thing is to get it done rather than worry about how long it takes.

    I start my morning off with a brief moment of self reflection, just a moment to pause and get acclimated to my day and I will often do this with my cup of coffee. A common phrase in our house is how amazing that first sip of coffee is in the morning. For me that first sip is the perfect moment to sit in silence and reflect.

    Next I move onto affirmations and I have them written down in a notebook. If I have time I will speak them outloud and several times. If I don’t I will just read them and pause briefly to reflect on each one.

    Next I try some visualisation. I say try because this is the one I often find the hardest when I am in the middle of a busy day already. Visualisation is also something I personally find the hardest too.

    After this I write in my gratitude journal and usually just a line or two about what I am thankful for that day. I also have space for an evening reflection in my journal so I make time for that before bed too.

    Next I do some quick stretches. I would love to commit to more of an exercise routine but I am not there yet.

    Lastly I read and I will be honest here I rarely manage to get this done in the morning and instead end up doing this much later in the day when my husband has my daughter and I have some time alone to work. 

    Life as a toddler mum is busy and chaotic but I hope I was able to show you that even though it seems hard it definitely is possible to create a routine around these habits and weave them into your everyday life. You can do it in so many ways; some people get up an hour earlier to get them done. I am not there yet but hopefully in the future that is something I can do. Have you ever tried the habits set out in the miracle morning?

  • Holistic Wellbeing, Natural Home

    Rise & Shine – Homemade natural sugar scrub recipe!

    Want to make your own sugar scrub?

    When it comes to skincare I am very fussy about what I put onto my skin. It is the same with food, I am, in general, fussy about what I put onto and into my body. Having run out of my favourite peppermint sugar scrub recently (and it is no longer on sale – shock, horror!) I decided that it was time for me to jump in and make my own, knowing all I would need essential oils (which I already have and love), a carrier oil and some sugar! While completing this project I was also making some relaxing bath salts at the same time, so I knew that I wanted to try a sugar scrub that would be perfect for that morning shower, something to brighten your day and wake you up.

     

    Essential Oils?

    While I was looking through my ever-growing collection of essential oils I came across “Boom” and immediately knew that this was the one that would be perfect for a project like this. Boom is the perfect essential oil for days you just need to get up and go – when you need a little extra get up and go! It has sharp peppermint tones as well as citrus notes that will help you feel wide awake, refreshed and ready for whatever the day is about to throw at you. I love these essential oils by It Works because they are 100& pure, uncut and unadulterated oils, meaning they are 100% what they say they are, contain naturally occurring ingredients and do not have any synthetic chemicals of substances.

    It is really simple to make your own homemade sugar scrub and all you need is a few simple ingredients. Once you have made one batch you will want to try more – I promise, it is addictive.

     

    So, let’s get to the main event, how to make your own sugar scrub.

    Ingredients:

    • 1 ½ cups of sugar (you can use any type, I used caster sugar because its fine).
    • ½ a cup of coconut oil as a carrier oil. I used this coconut oil.
    • 20 drops of the essential oil of your choice. I chose the It Works Boom Essential Oil.
    • A clean, dry container to store it in.

    All you need to do is weigh out your ingredients and mix them together until you feel confident that everything is well mixed together. When all mixed, decant it into your container (I chose a glass container) and use a couple of times per week.

     

    Why are we loving this sugar scrub?

    Sugar scrubs are great on your skin when used 1-2 times per week. They are easy on your skin (and less rough than a salt scrub – however you can make your own bath salts, more on that coming soon) and helps you to remove the dead skin cells and this will help you to achieve smoother skin. For the skin coconut oil is an excellent moisturiser, helping to keep your skin smooth and soft. It is also naturally antibacterial and antifungal too. The essential oils are organic compounds which are extracted from plants and provide a number of different healing properties, from physical to mental to emotional health.

     

    Have you ever tried making a sugar scrub before? What are your favourite essential oils to add into it? If you try this recipe let me know how it turns out in the comments below.