Morning Habits That Work Wonders For Homeschooling Moms
Starting your day off right by establishing some morning habits and a routine that works for you makes all the difference to your homeschooling day. I asked 2,000 homeschooling Moms to give suggestions for what they do to help start off on the right foot because we all struggle with facing the day ahead when we have the extra demands of being both a Mom and a teacher.
What’s Special About Mornings
There’s no doubt that what you do just after you wake up has a big effect on how you feel.
The stress hormone cortisol is highest in the first hour of waking. This helps explain why you may experience an increase in anxiety at the start of the day.
Also, it could be you just aren’t a ‘morning person’. That’s certainly true for me. So that means we need to work even harder to start the day off right!
Susan Jeffers in her book Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway has a lovely example here.
Please note that the book links on this page are affiliate links so if you buy I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
She says you have to realize you have a CHOICE. You can choose whether you wake up worrying about all the things you have to do, all the things you haven’t done, how tired you feel.
OR you can throw open the curtains and dance across the room.
Morning Habits Which Make The Day Great
The first thing to say is – don’t be put off by the words morning habits and routine! We are all different in the amount of predictability we need in our life – and with young children snuggling into bed in the middle of the night for a cuddle, mornings are bound to be a bit hard to plan!
What you’ll find below are practical, real-life ideas for Moms that they have found suit them best.
You’ll see a whole range of ideas with some of us finding it a real help to stick to quite a strict schedule – while for others our morning routine pretty much consists of dashing to the coffee pot!
Either way, finding a way to beat the early morning jitters about how your children are doing, whether they have enough friends, and more importantly whether you can face the day ahead is something that will really make a difference to your day.
Me Time
However late you were up the night before, having that bit of extra ‘me-time’ before the rest of the household starts stirring can be a special time to savor and well worth the effort of adding to your morning habits.
Waking up that bit earlier is something some of us homeschooling Moms really value as the best way to start the day.
“I love having that bit of me time between the hubby going to work and the girls getting up. Sometimes I’ll go back to sleep for a bit but usually I’ll either read, have an early morning bath or get up and do some little chores.
I love opening the blinds and letting the sun stream in.”
~ Samie, Courageous Homeschooling Facebook group
So homeschooling Moms say – give it a go – it’s well worth the effort!
“I am having 5 minutes to myself now, enabling me to have a read on the PC of a few interesting things. Ideally I’d like to get up earlier and be able to have time to myself as at the moment it’s usually straight into various tasks and waiting for an early afternoon coffee treat.”
~ Nelly, Courageous Homeschooling Facebook group
Affirmations
Getting your thoughts on a positive track is a really vital step in overcoming the fug that accompanies waking up. If you’re not careful, that little negative chatterbox will start filling your mind with all sorts of worries and negative thoughts.
One of the best morning habits I can recommend first thing in the morning is to say your favorite affirmations in your head.
What you say to yourself is what your body responds to, so getting that right is a simple but very powerful step.
Here are some of my favorite affirmations – choose any that appeal and substitute your own!
I can do it.
Whatever happens I will handle it.
Life is good.
I am a strong and worthy person.
Gratitude Journaling
Thinking what you are grateful for is another great way to start the day feeling positive.
“Ideally I would like to wake, pray and think on what I’m grateful for. Then have enough time to workout, if I choose, or whatever I want while the house is quiet. Right now it’s too rushed.”
~ Beth, Courageous Homeschooling Facebook group
After I wake, I use my Happiness Journal to write down what I am grateful for. Many homeschooling Moms also find this morning time a good moment to use your journal as a place to write down a rough TO DO list for the day.
Please note that the book links on this page are affiliate links so if you buy I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Happiness Journal for Homeschooling Moms
Journaling your achievements – including getting up! – is something many of us find very valuable. You can look back to the previous day and give yourself a boost by praising yourself for everything – big and small – that you’ve accomplished.
Clean Up The Kitchen The Night Before
“A lesson my mother instilled in me was to get all the dishes done before going to bed – because coming in to find a sink full of pots in the morning does not fill one with joy 😄
I’ve done it ever since, and it is always always worth that extra few minutes at night!”
~ Jeni, Courageous Homeschooling Facebook group
” I have a terrible morning routine that doesn’t spark the joy in me at the moment.. The main problem is I always come down to a messy kitchen so I think I ll be taking on other people’s tips tonight!”
~ Lorraine, Courageous Homeschooling Facebook group
Make Your Bed
“An important start to my day is making my bed. I started that many years ago and it just puts a bit of order into my day and makes it look like I care even if there are other little messes about the house. If I don’t do it, I don’t feel right. “
~ Lisa, Courageous Homeschooling Facebook group
Put The Coffee On
“When I get up in the morning the first thing I do is make myself a cup of coffee, it’s my kick starter and motivator. I’ve done this for years and if my day doesn’t start with coffee and relaxing it’s a mess and something doesn’t feel right.
Even if it means I have to get up an hour earlier if we have plans I will do it , so that I can start my day, my way, the right way.”
~ Bianka, Courageous Homeschooling Facebook group xx
“I am the same way. I prefer to wake early, just to ensure that I have my quiet time with my cup of coffee before I have to do anything else.”
~ Jennifer, Courageous Homeschooling Facebook group
Look Good, Feel Good
Making an effort with what you choose to wear rather than just throwing on the first thing that comes to hand can be a real help in giving your day a boost.
“It just makes me feel better about me, and I tend to be more productive.”
~ Jennifer, Courageous Homeschooling Facebook group
We all know it’s a trap to think that just because you are only seeing the children all day it’s not worth bothering.
Looking good sends your subconscious a delightful message: I am worth it!
Exercise
We all know that getting active makes us feel better.
For me, that means getting on the exercise bike.
Jeni has a great idea – use the wii fit and get the children involved and active too!
“This morning I got straight on the wii fit to do my half hour workout, I’m going to need to figure out how to make the rest of my morning fit around it, but it was a good way to get warm first thing and it encouraged the kids to have a go too!”
~ Jeni, Courageous Homeschooling Facebook group
Katie uses a Fitbit to track her steps, distance, hourly activity, active minutes and calories burned. It even has a mobile app where you can view your progress and log workouts on your phone – a great idea for the start of the day!
Please note that the product links on this page are affiliate links so if you buy I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Whatever suits you is a great idea – and we can all manage a light stretch!
A Morning Routine That Works
If you want to try some morning habits that homeschooling Moms find really make a difference, have a look at Angie’s list.
Angie’s Morning Routine:
- After the alarm goes off give thanks – to the house, the kids, your partner, Angie even suggests the cat!
- Pray for everyone that you can think of that needs praying for. Just whoever comes to mind.
- Install the Alexa app on your phone and start by saying Good Morning Alexa. Alexa can then go through the things you have programmed her to do like read the news, tell you this day in history, give you the weather report etc.
- Check emails and messages real quick. Try to limit this to 15 minutes.
- Yoga for at least 30 minutes.
- Make coffee and eat breakfast.
- Bible study.
Changing your morning routine and working out what suits you best is just one of the 23 Challenges set out in the Happiness Challenge coursebook.
Happiness Challenge for Homeschooling Moms
Please note that the book links on this page are affiliate links so if you buy I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Want to remember this? Post this Start The Day Off Right page to your favorite Pinterest board!
