Simplicity | Live Life | Morning Routine

5:45 a.m.

I wake up to the alarm on my cell phone.

I don't mind waking up this early. This is the only time of the day I get to take care of Suzette- not in a selfish way, but in a way that ensures that I am ready to take care of the rest of my troop for the rest of the day.

Because of everything that was taken care of the night before during the Evening Routine, my Morning Routine has been set up for success. Which is why waking up early isn't a bother.

The Morning Routine, as explained in the book One Bite at a Time, consists of five things that fuel you the most.

My Morning Routine consists of the following:

1. Bathroom time- I've mentioned in a previous post that this and my next item are constants in my schedule. Brushing my teeth and putting in my contact lenses are very important to me. For one, I like to see. End of story. Secondly, if Addie wakes up earlier than normal and finds me mid-routine, well...... I have this things about having my teeth brushed.
2. Quiet time- Reading the Bible and having prayer time is very important to me. If I do this when the kids are awake, my time isn't focused on what God is trying to teach me, it is distracted by what Ian might be discovering or answering one of Addie super-important questions. By having my quiet time before the house stirs, I am uninterrupted and can focus on my time with the Lord.
3. Vitamins- My friend Sherri was so happy when I told her I had added this to my morning routine! She has been trying to get me to take vitamins for years! (Side note: I always take my vitamins when I am pregnant because someone else is dependant on them. But for me, I wasn't so consistent.) Now I take my vitamins and lay out Addie and Brian's vitamins too.
4. Stretch- I've been doing crunches in the morning and then stretching out my back. It feels good to start out my day doing that. Yesterday, Addie woke up early and found me in the office doing my crunches. She looked at me and said, "Mom, are you exercising? It's the middle of the night!"
5. Get dressed- because my outfit has already been picked out, I just have to lotion up, put my clothes on, do my hair and make up, and I am ready to go. Nowhere in particular, but I am presentable for my husband before he leaves for work, and my children who have to look at me all day.

Addie is also learning to have her own morning routine, which helps me have one less thing that I have to check off of my list. He routine consists of:

1. Read the Bible- We have a wonderful children's picture Bible that we have gone through together several times called the "See With Me Bible". She is able to go through an account and tell herself the story without needing any help. This is teaching her how to make putting God first a habit in her life.
2. Get dressed- She is at an age where she is able to get herself fully dressed and take care of her own pajamas.
3. Brush her teeth- We do check her teeth to make sure they have been brushed well, but this is another item she is able to check off her list.

Once my morning routine is over, I kick it into high gear and become wife and mother. A CD goes on to pump up the family for the day ahead- last week it was Steven Curtis Chapman's Declaration and this week it is Rebecca St. James' Worship God. A load of laundry goes into the wash, Brian's lunch (from the night before) goes into his lunch cooler, Ian is rescued from his crib, changed, and put into his outfit for the day.

Having an established morning routine has had quite a few benefits for our family, the most important one being a family breakfast. Because Brian is totally on board with me, he has been getting up a little earlier, too. This enables our family to sit down to breakfast together before he heads off to work. We don't have elaborate breakfasts (cereal, oatmeal, oatmeal casserole, grilled cheese, hard boiled eggs have made the "menu" for us) but we have a time together that we did not have before.

And spending more time together, for me, is the greatest benefit of establishing routines.

Simplicity | Live Life | Evening Routine

Last week, I mentioned in a post that Brian and I have begun an evening and morning routine. It is not a concept that is foreign to us, but knowing that we must stick to these items in the evening as part of "the routine" means that we cannot skip a night because we are too tired.

Brian and I have been turning off the TV a little earlier in the evening, before the "I'm too tired" bug hits. We work together as a team to get a few of our "like" items done quickly, and then move on to our other items.

Sometimes a few items are taken care of before the "evening routine" time, because that is just how it happens.

Here is my list for the Evening Routine.

1. 15 minute clutter pick up- It only takes 15 minutes (if that) because we pick up after ourselves throughout the day. The kids pick up and put away their toys before bed. Basically what we are picking up are our coffee mugs and dessert plate from "our time".
2. Make Brian's lunch- Having Brian's lunch made in the evening actually takes less time than trying to make it in the morning (go figure!). What can be put into his lunch cooler in the evening is placed there, and everything else is refrigerated until the morning. This is also the time I prep the coffee maker. 
3. Clean the kitchen- Again, this only takes a few moments because I clean the kitchen as I cook and immediately after dinner. All I am putting away are the last few dishes we used.
4. Set out my clothes for the next day- Being able to walk into my bathroom and see my outfit hanging there is another thing I don't have to bother thinking about first thing in the morning.
5. Read- I have always loved reading, so reading is kind of a treat I can enjoy for finishing up all of my other tasks. It also helps to relax me so that I can fall right to sleep.

Taking care of these things at night actually cause me to want to wake up the next morning! And when you want to wake up in the morning, it starts out as being a great day.

Live Life- Week 1

So, it is Friday and I am looking back to see how well I did this week on the idea of living life.

I am part of an online Bible Study/devotional group, but our session doesn't begin until next week so this week I decided to begin the So That's Why! Bible I was given by a good friend and use it during our "off" weeks. I haven't even gotten past the days of creation and I am already excited about something new that I learned about day 4 of creation! Totally amazing!

We began homeschooling on Wednesday again, and this time, Ian has his own little curriculum. Because he is 15 months old, I decided that he would get the same lesson all week long and then next week he will get a new lesson. I found a book at our Dollar Tree that was designed for one year olds. The page he is working on is a spider that he has to color purple. While we talk about the page, Addie works on her handwriting page. Then he is able to color his "assignment". It was all good until I turned to see him eating the purple crayon! He also gets to watch the Leap Frog: Letter Factory while Addie and I work on our other subjects.

I have always had this dream of growing my own herbs and vegetables. It always ends up as a nightmare! But, my mother-in-law believed in me enough to give me an herb terrarium for Christmas so I can grow herbs in my own kitchen or back porch! Addie and I put it together (one of her art curriculum projects was to grow her own garden, so this fit the bill perfectly!), and I cannot wait to see the first sprouts next week.

I am making a conscious effort to sit on the floor with my children and be totally immersed in their world. I have had more tea parties, dressed up more dolls, driven more trucks and cars, colored more pictures, and made more animal noises than I have since before Christmas. They love it, and I have loved every minute of it.









In the evening, when Brian and I sit down for a movie, I have added a crocheting project to my evening. I am making this cowl. (Brian almost laughed when he saw the picture and then caught himself. When I asked what was so funny he responded, "It looks like a thneed!" If you have seen the movie The Lorax, this will make perfect sense to you.)

I have gotten my normal routine jobs done, but I have felt really good about this week. Today the kids and I are meeting my Aunt Elsa at a craft store that we have never been too. I am totally excited about that!

Living life one day at a time!