Morning routine with 3 kids (and a puppy) / intention vs. reality

Having a morning routine with 3 kids is hard. From the moment you wake up you have little people who need you for all manner of things. Breakfast. Snuggles. Bum wiping. Getting dressed. Putting this piece of Lego exactly there. No, not THERE. There!

Of course you could get up earlier than your kids. But my youngest likes to snuggle of a morning. So if I try to wake up earlier he gets up too, and I end up just having to Mum earlier. Personally I’d rather have an extra hour of sleep.

Over the last 9 years of being a Mum there have been times where I have managed to have a great morning routine. After our three losses and before conceiving Luca, I turned to my morning routine religiously to cope with my grief, and to help shift my focus back to being positive.

But then… the newborn phase happened and I was too tired of a morning to do anything but hold a cuppa in one hand and feed the baby with the other.

Said baby is now three though. Soooo…. it’s probably time to admit that my first-thing-in-the-morning-Instagram habit is now a choice rather than the only option.

In the spirit of honesty – this is what our morning routine currently looks like. My boys are 9, 6 and 3. Oh and we have a 6 month old spoodle pup (Tulla) who has added a little more chaos to our mornings.

Our morning routine with 3 kids

5am. Tulla whines at the door at first light. Yep, it’s just like having another child. I’m still not exactly sure why I went and did that to myself. Either Andrew or I gets up to let her in. The other snuggles Luca, who comes into our bed sometime in the early hours of the morning.

6am. Everyone is usually up by now. We all gravitate to technology first thing in the morning. If it’s a school day the boys have the tv on. On the weekend they’re allowed to use iPads. I like to read blogs and/or watch YouTube on my iPad while I drink my tea.

7am. If Andrew isn’t working he cooks breakfast. If he is working, he has usually already left for work by 7am. The big boys tend to have cereal or toast while Luca has all manner of strange assortment of breakfast foods. Today it was a pikelet, half a capsicum and a muesli bar.

7.30am. Make lunches. Showers. Get dressed. The boys chill and play until it’s time for school. I usually try to clean the kitchen, get a load of washing going and/ or deal with any school paperwork, bills, etc. Mumlife is so glam.

8ish. I run around the house looking for all manner of things I’ve already asked the boys about ten times and they said they had organised, but now can’t seem to find just as we go to get in the car. Whyyyyyyyyy?!

8.30am. I drop the boys to school. Luca and I are usually off to playgroup or a park. If it’s a workday for me, Luca goes to daycare and we leave the house a little earlier to make all that happen.

And look, this is a mostly LOVELY way to start the day. I don’t want to lose sight of the fact that we (mostly) spend our mornings together as a family (at least the first hour or so anyway).

There ARE however a few things I’d like to change about my morning routine. Just tweaks to make me feel a little bit better. I don’t believe in trying to change everything all at once, nor can I. Kids still need to be fed and puppies won’t be ignored.

1. Drink a big glass of water before my cuppa every day.

2. Find 5 or 10 minutes for journalling again.

3. Do at least 10 minutes of yoga, meditation or take Tulla for a walk.

So that’s my goal. Small, tiny changes that I HOPE will make a big impact on how I feel.

I know that taking the time to check in with ME first thing in the morning helps me to feel better throughout the day.

I know that getting some movement in first up helps me feel a little bit more sane.

I know this because I’ve had a routine like this before. It’s funny isn’t it. We often know what’s good for us, but still we resist.

I’m going to attempt this for 30 days and I’ll check back in and let you know how I go. Do you have a morning routine?