Monday Motivation #11

If you asked me what I think the keys are to a Mom being organized I would have to say at the top of the list are a good morning routine and before bed routine. 

That being said...

  The Monday Motivation for this week is to establish a MORNING ROUTINE and a BEFORE BED ROUTINE.

Do you ever wake up and feel behind on your day already?  This happens to me if I sleep until the children wake up or if I did not prepare for the day the night before.  For that reason, we will start with the Before Bed Routine.  When you decide on your routine you will need to write it down and put it somewhere you will see it each night before you go to bed. 

There are many ways you can do this but there are a few key points that apply to every Mom.  (1.) You will need to go to bed at a decent time, that's SUPER important.  I really need to practice what I preach, :)  but I do know how mornings can be ruined if I stay up too late at night!  (2.) You will need to lay out your clothes for the next day.  And (3.) you will need to the leave the house straight, namely the kitchen.  Waking up to dirty dishes is a morning killer.

My Before Bed Routine:

Straighten each room.  Making sure there are no dishes left in the kitchen sink. 

Set the table for breakfast.

Take the dog out.

Check to make sure all doors are locked.

Get everything ready and at the door.  Obviously this applies only if we are going somewhere the next day and for our family that isn't every day.  But if it's library day, I stack the library books near the door.  If it's grocery day I put my list and coupon binder near the door.  If our baby has an appointment with the doctor, I pack the diaper bag and put it near the door, and so on.

Lay out my clothes for the next day.  If you aren't doing this already you will be surprised at what a difference it makes.  It saves tons of time in the morning.  No thinking, searching, deciding, just getting dressed!

Brush my teeth, wash my face, put on moisturizer, get into my pajamas.

Pray.

Sleep! 


If the key to an organized morning is your before bed routine then the key to an organized day is your morning routine! 

Again, there are many ways you can do this but allow me to add just one key. 

THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE DAY IS YOUR TIME WITH THE LORD.  If you had no other routine except this, you would do well!  Nothing we can ever do as moms is nearly as important as spending time praying and reading God's word.  We need time with the Lord.  We need to ask Him for the strength and wisdom to be the right kind of wife and mother.  We need to make Him MOST IMPORTANT.  Do not start the day without meeting with God!  I'm not telling you how, or when, or for how long, I'm just saying, DO IT!  Praying, reading, memorizing, journaling, singing, a bible study...whatever you choose.  15 minutes, 1/2 hour, 2 hours...again, whatever you choose!  Think of it this way, if you had to be in court one morning you would probably pray and ask God for a favorable decision.  If you were going to meet with your doctor one morning to discuss results from your medical test you would probably pray and ask God for clean health.  Being a mom is no less important than going to the doctor or appearing in court is it?  We must ask God to help us to be patient, gentle moms and to help us obey His word.  We should talk to Him about our children and husbands. He wants to hear from us!  And we should begin the day praising Him and thanking Him for the work He has done/is doing in our lives! 

My Morning Routine:  

As soon as alarm goes off, make bed.

Brush teeth.

Shower, dress.

Hair, makeup.  I don't wear makeup every day.  I actually only put it on the days I am leaving the house.  Most of the time I just put on a good moisturizer and dry my hair.

Straighten the bathroom.

Start a load of laundry.  Our laundry room is upstairs with all the bedrooms so before going downstairs I start my first load of the day.

Make coffee.

Bible and prayer time.

Feed baby.  She wakes up sometime during my morning routine and I just include her in whatever I'm doing.  I change her diaper and get her dressed and then she sits on my lap while I read my bible or she plays in the laundry room while I load the washer. 

Drink glass of water and take vitamins.

Unload dishwasher and start breakfast.


As with your before bed routine, you will need to write down your morning routine and look at it each day.  Soon it will become habit and you won't need to look at it but if you are just starting to establish your routine it certainly helps to look it over and check things off. 
Having these routines down and doing them each day will be a huge head start in being an organized Mama.  As always, comments are welcome so feel free to share your thoughts.

Have a Blessed Monday!