What do your mornings look like? Are you the early riser that exercises, showers and dresses before the kids get up? Is your house full of energetic kids that are up and running before 7am? Do you have circle time and cute baskets full of books and busy work? I must admit when I first began homeschooling I pictured my mornings like that. Smiling happy faces sitting around the breakfast table ready for a day of learning and fun. Three years into our homeschooling journey and our mornings are far from spectacular. What they are is quiet, laid back, even a little lazy. Every time I read a blog post or an article about a fabulous morning routine I feel a pang of guilt that maybe I'm not doing enough.
I read a great post by Kris Bales over at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers that reminded me that my morning routine needs to work for me and yours need to work for you. And that's all. There is no right or wrong way to start the day.
The truth is as homeschool moms we have to stop comparing ourselves and our families to other homeschool families. The uniqueness of the homeschool community is what makes it great! Isn't that one reason we started homeschooling in the first place? To leave behind the cookie cutter world of public school that tries to keep everyone the same. Our routine works for us and that's all that matters.
So, I'm coming out of the closest with my morning routine! I'm proud of what we accomplish during the day and how it gets started is a big part of that, no matter how unexciting it may be.
I read a great post by Kris Bales over at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers that reminded me that my morning routine needs to work for me and yours need to work for you. And that's all. There is no right or wrong way to start the day.
The truth is as homeschool moms we have to stop comparing ourselves and our families to other homeschool families. The uniqueness of the homeschool community is what makes it great! Isn't that one reason we started homeschooling in the first place? To leave behind the cookie cutter world of public school that tries to keep everyone the same. Our routine works for us and that's all that matters.
So, I'm coming out of the closest with my morning routine! I'm proud of what we accomplish during the day and how it gets started is a big part of that, no matter how unexciting it may be.
Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays I get up just whenever the dogs wake me up. Usually around 7:00am. Tuesdays and Thursdays my daughter gets up early for classes, which wakes the dogs up, who in turn wake me up so I'm up by 6:30. I use the term up loosely. Being up on Tuesdays and Thursdays generally consists of moving from the bed to the couch and dozing again after the dogs have been fed and let outside. I'm usually up and moving by 7:30 or so.
Getting dressed consist of brushing my hair and teeth and putting on clean clothes. I consider "comfy clothes" (yoga pants, athletic shorts, t-shirt, etc.) getting dressed. Unless I'm going out, that is what I wear.
My two favorite morning things: coffee and yoga. I'll sit and drink my coffee and watch the news for a few minutes and then do about 20-30 minutes of yoga. Not a lot I know, but it's better than nothing. When coffee and yoga are done, the TV goes off and the music comes on. I despise daytime TV so it is rarely on during the day. Sometimes if I am feeling really energetic I'll get in a load of dishes or sweep the kitchen while I'm waiting of CJ to get up. He is usually up by 9:00am.
That's my mornings. Nothing exciting. I'm even feeling a little silly about writing a post about it! Hopefully, it will remind someone that just because your day or routine or schedule does not sound like someone else's that doesn't mean it is anything less than the best.
What do your morning look like?
What do your morning look like?
