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I really wish that I could take some credit for the happy mornings in our house.
Really, I do.
But the fact of the matter is that cheerful isn’t my typical disposition early in the mornings. Oh, I try to fake it. I say “good morning!” like I mean it, and I do my very best not to grumble. But the fact of the matter is that I have about a thirty minute window between “awake” and “civil,” and the first key to a good morning around these parts is that I experience the window on my own. Up thirty minutes before everybody else. Or the morning goes downhill and fast.
(I’m really not that bad.)
(I just like to wake up gradually).
However, despite my questionable disposition in the mornings, there is another force at work in our house that always seems to counter – and I’d even say trump – whatever grumpiness I might have going on. The other force is about four and a half feet tall, about sixty pounds, and he’s never, ever, EVER met a morning that he didn’t absolutely love. He’s a seven year-old dose of cheerfulness and light every. single. day.
Don’t worry. We’re not requiring him to show up at the breakfast table in a suit a bow tie. But the expression on his face in that picture? It’s the way he looks as soon as he wakes up. That is to say: happy as a clam.
Even though I don’t have to do a whole lot to keep the morning mood light and upbeat (thanks to our resident Cheerful McHappyson), I do try to keep our mornings predictable. It does us all a world of good when we don’t feel rushed or hurried or dead-dog certain that we’re running 15 minutes late. I like to have breakfast on the table by 6:30 at the latest, and while we’re eating I typically look up our verses for the day and read them out loud. After that I put on my make-up while the little guy is getting dressed, and by 6:55 we’re ready to head out the door – usually without incident.
You’ll be happy to know that by 7 in the morning I have usually found my way to my early morning happy place. It just takes me a little while to get there.
So what about you? What do you do to get your family’s mornings off to a good start? Leave a comment with your answer, and you’ll be entered to win a $100 Visa gift card (and come back next week to enter again – because these giveaways will continue for the next 5 weeks).
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I try to keep things light and have a sense of humor about the inevitable things that pop up. Oh, and eat lots of Kellogg’s cereal, of course!!
I’m a night owl, so I have to wake up slowly and it is all I can do to be awake, so don’t ask for cheerful!
I try to keep the morning routine so we don’t get on each others nerves!
The best way for my FAMILY to get going is for ME to get going. And the only way to make that happen is COFFEE – strong and black!
Mornings go much more smoothly in our house if we let our little guy have some alone time in front of the TV for about 10-15 mins. Then he’s happy to face the day.
Now that I’m pregnant, I absolutely HAVE to eat breakfast or, well, I’m hovering over the porcelin god for the better part of the afternoon. PLEASANT THOUGHT, HUH!!
Lots of strong coffee!
We wake up slooowly. We’re gonna be in trouble when my kids are old enough for school!
Happy cheerful mornings? What are those?
Our mornings are quite uneventful, because I taught my children early on that cold cereal (healthy kinds only) makes a great start to the day, and look, they can get their own while Mummy starts the coffee. No one talks too much.
I definitely think the most important thing for children to have a happy start to the day is to make sure there is plenty of time to get ready and out the door and not feel stressed because of running late. Mom and/or Dad greeting them with smiles, hugs and kisses definetly starts their day of good as well.
We are all gradual wake-up-ers too! :) I always get up first and shower. When I have my shower I am ready to tackle the day and can handle the other resident grumpies in my house.
Total night owl here. We all are. Mornings are good as long as we don’t talk to each other until we’ve all fully woken up. :)
Thankfully my husband gets up with the kids and usually let’s me sleep in until about 7:30!! Then when I get up I have to have some 5 Hour Energy to get me going – I am a night owl so mornings aren’t typically my thing! So, I would have to say my husband gets us going in the mornings – he’s GRRREAT!!! :)
Well, the kiddos get a piggy back ride down the stairs…that counts as weight lifting for me too, right?
a nice, long hug helps.
Try to get the kids to lay out their clothes the night before. I get up before they do to start breakfast. I’m not a morning person, so there are struggles sometimes, but we get through them!
Honestly, I’d have to say it’s making myself get up about an hour before they do. This way, I’m fully awake and full of coffee, which makes me better able to handle conversation and breakfast requests!
Look at that sweet little southern gentleman! Precious!
Mornings are not our favorite time around my house. We try to lay out all clothes the night before and have our stuff packed. Cause we tend to drag a bit!
Boo! Mornings!
I am not a morning person. I lay out clothes the night before and have already planned quick healthy breakfst before I go to bed.
Picking out clothes the night before is a MUST! Otherwise 6-year-old female drama ensues and the morning is a disaster.
I shipped most of the kids off to college. All I have left at home is one lone 17-year-old boy. He sleeps through breakfast, so my day is made.
Our family’s mornings go much more smoothly when I
1- select and prepare clothing (including socks and shoes) for everyone the night before.
2- drag myself out of bed early and get ready before everybody else wakes up. That way, I have a chance to let the sleepy fog clear before I help everybody else.
3- feed my sweet kiddos something nutritious.
4- drink a caffeinated beverage if needed;)
I wake my girls up with their milk cups in my hand. That somehow seems to make it okay to get up in the morning.
Prep as much the night before… and fire up the coffee pot!
~A fellow gradual waker-upper
Coffee!! but only for us, or course. A nice routine complete with stuff ready the night before is the way to go.
I wake the children up with the light still off by rubbing their backs. It is a gentle way to start their day!
Well, my family is just me and my dog. But my dog is really loving in the mornings and it always puts me in a good mood before I’m sent on the way to make money to buy dog treats and such.
I don’t have a family…can I still enter? I roll out of bed and stumble to work in a very single-girl-with-no-real-responsibilities-type way.
Let’s see, I get my mornings started best with a little time to myself, coffee goin’ and finally the pitter patter of meduim sized feet coming down the hallway. The warm snuggle that I still get makes my day start with a smile. The really good mornings for my girls get going once we get a roar from Tony the Tiger….Frosted Flakes is a fav!!!!
When the kids were in elementary school, I would turn on the lights in their bedroom 10 minutes before it was time to get up and get ready. I would have fun music playing in the kitchen during this time. (Not blaring, but they are able to hear it in their bedrooms.)
When I went upstairs to “wake them up,” they were already roused and ready to get up without any fuss.
During the month of December, we always had a chocolate Advent Calendar. (You can purchase these at Cracker Barrel.) When I turned the light on in their rooms, as well as the Christmas music downstairs, I would leave the Calendar beside them in their bed.
By the time, I walked upstairs ten minutes later, they were sitting up and starting their day off with a little piece of chocolate candy.
Who wouldn’t be in a good mood?
On the days I get the girls ready (my days off) I make sure I am up, dressed, and ready to go before I even wake them up. If I am not hurried and stressed out it makes everyone’s morning better!
make lunches the night before
Coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.
I start with having a quiet time ALONE. Then, my kids get a not-so-grouchy mom and I have more patience to get everyone ready for school.
Neither my children or me are morning people, but I get completely dressed before I try to wake them. Most days I end up dressing the two of them while they are still half asleep. Is there something wrong with me when the thought has crossed my mind to dress them right before bed the night before in what that are going to were the next day? No really don’t freak out on me; I wouldn’t really do that. It just sounds appealing at times : )
I know I know Mother of the Year award right here ya’ll.
I let my kids stay in their jammies until they get to the sitter’s house. It keeps ALL of us happy in the morning=)
Complete and total routine – just like you. I need to be up a little before the child, then wake her and get her going and then well, I MUST have some coffee or I might get a little evil. :)
I sing to my kids when I wake them up. Not because I’m chipper, because I have to put in THAT much energy to fake it!
I lay out their clothes the night before!
coffee. what would life be like without it?
I need to wake up slowly – I don’t have kids, so my time is my own in the morning, but waking up is painful every day of God’s earth.
Diet Dr. Pepper! :)
Our mornings always go more smoothly when I wake up at least a half hour before getting the kids up. And I need my coffee!
pick out your clothes the night before!
We prepare everything we can the night before. In the morning, we let our daughter watch a short program on tv while she eats her breakfast. It gives her a time table to work with (you’ll have to get up and get dressed when the show is over so you need to keep eating) and also allows some time for her to wake up before she really has to get moving.
I start all the happiness and joy my reading a bit of BooMama, BigMama and PW. Then it is off to get everyone up and running!
Morning is my favorite time of day. I rise early, full of creative energy, grab a cup of coffee and head out the door to enjoy the quiet, glad to be able to hear nature around me before the rest of the neighborhood comes to life.
I am at work by 6:30, so my husband gets the kids up and gets them ready for daycare. He does a great job too! What I do is get everything all ready the night before for them so the morning goes smoothly.
Lately, I’ve been making a lot of waffles for the kids – in their favorite colors.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Amy B.
adennispac@yahoo.com
I try to get backpacks ready, clothes picked out, etc at night so that I’m not so stressed in the A.M. It doesn’t always happen, but I try!
My man and I have coffee and read together every morning before he leaves for work at 6–it gets my day of to a great start and his too. And that’s saying a lot for a girl that is a former night owl!
We snuggle for a good 5 minutes before we get out of bed and I make oatmeal and my 4 year old eats in our bed while watching Scooby Doo.
I try to make sure we all go to bed early so we get plenty of sleep, then we are’nt dragging in the morning. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t…then there’s COFFEE!!
i stay in bed and let my husband deal with the kids. that makes everyone happy. except maybe my husband. but in this instance, he doesn’t count…
I make sure they are in bed on time and have clothes ready and lunch packed night before and have breakfast menu on the fridge for a painless morning and if on time they have at least 30 minutes in morning to talk while eating breakfast
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
I try to do whatever I can the night before. Less to do in the morning is always good since I am NOT a morning person!
I am not a morning person so I try to get up a little before everyone else so I can wake up slowly like I want. Then I can deal with my kids–who are also not morning people!
I just try to make sure kids and hubby have everything ready to grab and go for busy mornings…including a good breakfast..
Having lunches packed the night before and everything ready to go… and then having a great breakfast (preferrably of the Kelloggs variety, of course)!
I try to get the morning off to a good start by getting up before the kids. If I can take care of myself before they even get up, then I can totally give myself to them.
ljatwood at gmail dot com
This may sound like a cop out, but it’s not. I work and my husband homeschools our kids, so the best days for us are the ones where I am up and off to work before they are pile in to the kitchen to start the day with breakfast then school (usually in PJs).
Tammy
I try to get as many things ready the night before so I’m not running around all morning trying to catch up!
I am not the best at this but some praise and worship music in the background always helps!
Leaving enough time in the morning. I am so tempted to keep hitting that snooze, but I know I’ve got to get the boys up with enough time to have a peaceful morning. Most times it works :)
Out of the door at 6:55!? You’ve given me a glimpse into the future (@ 2 years old, Annie sleeps until 7:30 most days) that makes me shudder. We’re lounging in the bed at 7:45 drinking our coffee and milk–obviously, two girls slows to start their day–and it’s a little piece of heaven.
It probably sounds terrible… but I am going to simply tell the TRUTH! The best way to get our day started off right is every one to leave ME ALONE for a bit. I do best with minimal JOY being spread around… just sayin’
For my husband, it’s a leisurely breakfast and lots of coffee with his devotionals. For me, it’s sleeping till the last possible second. Funny how people are wired so differently!
I keep track of everybody’s shoes! Ha! Is there anything worse than The Great Shoe Hunt at 7:00 a.m?
My daughter wakes up pretty happy, but my son – notsomuch. It helps when the dog jumps on their beds to help wake them up with giant puppy kisses. (Too bad he’s outgrown that sweet puppy breath, though!)
My guy has to get up a good two hours before I do. Though he usually tries not to wake me as he gets ready for work, I like to say something to him about the upcoming day: have a good day, or good luck if there’s something special going on, or just I love you. It means I’m starting the day off in a positive way and it makes him feel good! :)
Coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. For me. Not the kids. And waking up before the kids is an absolute must!
we get everything ready the night before as much as possible, then I get up at 545, 15 mintues before everyone else to finish getting it together to get out the door!
I like my time alone to get ready without having to rush before I get everyone else up.
No one in my family likes to get up so I make sure I have everything done the night before.
As long as I haven’t forgotten to make the coffee and set the timer the night before, our mornings run pretty smoothly. Without coffee, it’s total chaos!!
My husband and daughter are slow wakers, whereas I can wake up pretty instantly and be happy. In order to get our days started off right, I wake up first and then wake them up and leave them be for about 15 minutes so they can wake up on their own. It makes for a much more pleasant start to the day!
COFFEE!!!!!
Laying out clothes and making lunches the night before make things easier in the morning. I get up about 30 minutes before the family. I pray and get things going.
Always try to smile and say something we’re thankful for. It’s really important so that we can think about it all day and have a new one for the next morning!
My husband gets two poached eggs on toast, with a small glass of orange juice. I eat peanut butter on toast with a banana on top!
and Coffee. Lots of coffee. With cream.
My husband and I have started walking our dogs really early in the morning and then one of us makes a good breakfast. That has helped us get awake and start our day off in a more positive way!
I have a far eaiser morning when I pack lunch up the night before, and wake my daughter gently (I have learned this after my oldest daughter used to be beastly when I woke her by yelling up the stairs!!)
I try to do as much as I can the night before (pack lunches, lay out clothes, etc) so that our morning aren’t so stressful. :)
Melanie
Since we homeschool, I don’t make my kids wake up super early. Our mornings are far happier when we don’t have to wake up really early. It’s a great fit for this family of night owls!
Hugs & Kisses and a little morning singing. At least I hope they like that in the morning.
I get up an hour earlier than the kids to get their stuff ready for school and their breakfast on the table.
Coffee……It’s what’s for breakfast!
We get up, make some breakfast and eat together, and then share the lunch making duties.
I get in the shower right off the bat when I wake up.. it’s “MY” time to wake up on MY terms, and when I’m all done, makeup on, hair blowdried, THEN I can be civil to the rest of the family. :-)
My children are 4 & 2 and we are up early to go to daycare & PreK. After a few minutes of pulling teeth they usually decide on a cerela, yogurt and milk. For the 15 minute ride, I usually have a few bags of cut up fruit or grapes that they can munch on for added treat!
I wake them up and take them to daycare… she does a wonderful job of starting off my kids’ lovely mornings!
Go to bed earlier!!
I am also not a morning person, so I wake up as late as possible and do my morning routine as quickly as possible. It’s not that I enjoy doing it that way…I LOVE after I have gotten up early and done a list of things before 8am, but actually GETTING up is the issue here. I think there is still hope for me though…
A group of dog owners in the neighborhood meet in the early morning to let our dogs play off leash at a local park (shhh! don’t tell!). Watching my pup play never fails to bring a smile to my face.
I try to do as much as possible the night before so that the mornings go smoother.
The best way we’ve found is to start the day off in prayer!
Tara E.
giveawayblogs at gmail dot com
It just so happens that I had an excellent morning today by playing Angry Birds whilst enjoying a bowl of corn flakes and some fresh cut strawberries with a wee bit of Truvia sprinkled on them.
Glory, glory hallelujah.
I try to get up earlier than they do, and get my morning all sorted out…before everyone wakes up!
I try to have everything ready to go the night before so there is no last minute rushing around to pack lunches or pick out clothes in the morning. Definitely a timesaver!!
I exercise (and shower) before the kids get up. The almost-4-year-old has been getting up earlier and earlier though, so hubby is having to help with her. That way I am fully awake and able to get their breakfasts ready.
I have to get up earlier than everyone else in order to get started in the morning.