Winter Morning Routine

Winter is such a dreadful season overall. Seasonal depression and the feeling of days dragging are real and can affects us deeply. By maintaining a morning routine, we can try to combat these symptoms and ease away the yuck that comes along with the cold and darkness.

Here is what I do each morning to try and maintain a positive start to my day.

5am – Wakeup and go for a walk on my treadmill. I walk for 30 minutes and afterwards I try to do a short workout or stretch out my body. By giving myself some “me” time prior to my family needing me, makes all the difference in how I am able to take on the day. I have far more patience and grace within myself to handle all that life may throw at me. I do this to be a better mom, a better wife and a better person overall.

6am – I am either doing a chore or a new hobby. Typically these need to be rather quiet so I don’t wake up my family, so I may fold a load of laundry from the night before or continue with a more fun task within my new hobbies I am trying to get better at.

6:30 – This is when my children tend to wake up. I get them up, changed and bring them downstairs to start their day. We usually start with a little independent play or reading.

7am – Breakfast. We try our best to eat together as a family, but with 2 toddlers, they usually get fed first and then go off to play some more while Mommy and Daddy get in a bite to eat.

7:30 – Clean up from breakfast and empty the dishwasher to start filling again. Like laundry, this is a never ending task.

8am – Home Preschool. I go over the day of the week, month of the year and actual date with my children. We discuss that days expected weather and how we are feeling. We then read some books, usually within a theme I have selected for that month, with a few fan favourites thrown into the mix. And lastly we go through some flashcards to work on our words and pronunciation.

8:30am – We go up the stairs so Mommy and Daddy can get dressed and ready for the day. They have toys and books that stay within their rooms that they will play with and I get a few moments (most days) to put myself together.

9am – We are coming back down the stairs to start an activity at home or we are getting ready to head out the door for appointments, errands or out-of-the-house activities.

There you have it, my current winter morning routine. Some days are dragged out more than others because not everything can always go perfectly to plan, and that is completely normal. Much like myself, my children thrive within a schedule and it makes transitions to new things a whole lot easier. The early mornings, even for a self-proclaimed early bird, took some serious training. I would much rather sleep in until I am needed, but that doesn’t serve me well.

Being ahead of the game and prepared for what is next versus being thrust into the day from a dead sleep is much more useful for me. That being said, I also listen to my body and if I am sick or simply need more rest, I do allow myself those mornings off the early wakeup, but everything else must go ahead as normal. Sleep and rest are important, but this is why I also go to bed earlier than I ever have before. We are no good to ourselves or others when we are running on empty all the time. You have to find what works for you. It takes discipline and training, like any other skill or job, but it is so worth it once you get into the swing of things.

Melanie xoxox