10 Tips To Get Your Day Started Right

Mornings are the most hectic time of the day, at least in our house. With school starting soon they are going to get even crazier. 

Here is a sample of what my mornings sound like:

 "Mom, I am hungry... where's my shorts?...pay the bills...stop whining... I have to go potty... he hurt me... I love you... somethings burning...where are the scissors?...the baby stinks...your phone is ringing... feed the chickens... can I watch t.v.?... I don't want to clean my room... who clogged the toilet?...do I have to do school?... can we go somewhere today?

I know I am going to have to get more organized with my time in the morning if I don't want to go completely crazy!

There is no perfect "secret formula" and for every family it will be different but here is what has helped me and my family make the most of our mornings:


1) Wake up early!!!

At least an hour or two before everyone else. Sometimes this means like at 5:00 am.( No I am not kidding) Yes, I know this might sound impossible to you and it has to me. When I hear that alarm go off its so hard for me to find the will power to even move, but the thing that helps me is thinking how much better I will feel once I do. Its true, I have never regretted getting up early; I always regret sleeping in. I share my struggle here in getting to this place. There will be days when of course you need to get some extra sleep but if you are like me and its hard to find time for yourself during the day, try to just start with a day or two a week... believe me you will be glad you did!

2) Spend Time with Jesus!!!

More then anything else this is the key to starting your day right. We need Jesus' strength to do ANYTHING!!! With out him we can do NOTHING!!! When I don't seek him first my day just starts out all wrong. I feel frustrated and empty. He is so gracious even when I don't but I feel so much better when I choose to put him first. Spending time with him for me usually looks like: Reading the Bible, praying, journaling, listening and worshiping to worship music.  Just don't sing out loud with your music if you are out because people will think you are crazy and you won"t sound that great to everyone else. Whatever you find that helps get you in that secret place with him... do it!!!

3) Exercise

I keep my mat, weights and i shuffle in the car so I am always ready to run out the door

 I love to stay physically fit so I don't have to starve myself... I will not diet! It also helps me not only fit into my clothes and feel strong but keeps me emotionally stable.... really. I have found the best time for me is in the morning. I even incorporate my time with the Lord in it. While I am running or walking I pray and listen to my favorite worship music. If you are in a bad mood or feeling down its amazing how your spirits can be lifted by just moving your body! It truly has helped to keep me sane and has been a great way to get my day started as I share here.

4) Eat Breakfast

It's amazing to me how many people don't eat breakfast!! As I have shared here it is one of my favorite meals of the day and as I am sure you have heard the most important! It helps to give you much needed strength for all that you are going to face during your day, it helps you have a healthy metabolism, helps you concentrate and it helps me not be grumpy! Its better to eat a doughnut then to eat nothing at all!

5) Make sure your house is in order before you go to bed
 I have struggled with this for a long time. I would just be so tired some nights and think, "Oh I'll just do it tomorrow", but I would end up feeling so overwhelmed  in the morning by all I had to do. So I have tried after dinner to make sure all the dishes are done, the kitchen is cleaned and the house is at least decently picked up before I sit down on the couch to relax with my family before going to bed. Believe me you will thank yourself in the morning when you wake up to an empty sink and clean house.

6) Make your bed and get dressed

 Making your bed might seem obvious but for the longest time I would put it off till I never even got to it  during the day and my room always felt messy. If you do it right after you get up its amazing the difference it makes!

 Getting dressed also might seem like a no brainer but if you are at home a lot like me, you could stay in your jammies most of the day and know one would even know. But I find I am much more productive and feel better when I get dressed first thing and put myself together, a little makeup sure helps too especially if you don't want to look frumpy for your hubby when he comes home.

7) Assign you kids chores
I hate having to tell my kids over and over again what they need to do in the morning. I finally made charts for them so they wouldn't have any excuse and at the end of the week give them a prize to motivate them. It has helped so much to not have to sound like a broken record all the time and to have them help clean up the messes that they predominately make. Here is a chart that I have found to be helpful.

8) Clean up after breakfast

So many times I have been in a rush to get our school started or go somewhere that we would just leave the house a mess. I have found that I can not function or think with a messy house, so I have determined right after breakfast to make sure the kids and I do our chores and not leave the house until it is at least looks decent. I hate coming home all tired and have to clean up. Its so nice to come home to a clean house.

9) Wash a load of laundry 
I don't know about your house but there is always laundry to be done here. It never stops!! Its like the "Neverending Story"!! So it helps to get a head start on it first thing in the morning before you find yourself lost in a world of laundry.

lol! I found this on pinterest.. so true!

10) Be Flexible
 When things don't go as I have planned I can tend to get all bent out of shape. I like to be in control!! I am learning to give me and my family grace just as God does and not sweat the small stuff...too much. Even if I follow all 10 tips perfectly my day will not always go perfect, my kids won't always listen, my plans will get changed, I will fail miserably, I will lose my patience, I will be a bad example, the toilet will overflow, we will get sick, I won't be able to find something, tantrums will be thrown by the kids and me, my children's stomachs will always be bottomless pits, there will always be dishes to do, messes to clean up....but its okay... I can not possibly control everything... but I can trust the One who does and who has mercy for me every morning!!!
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"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassion's never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23