A SELF-CARE MORNING ROUTINE FOR THE WORK AT HOME MOM

THIS POST IS WRITTEN BY ME ON BEHALF OF TYSON FOODS, INC. ALL OPINIONS ARE ENTIRELY MY OWN. THIS SHOP HAS BEEN COMPENSATED BY ACORN INFLUENCE, INC. AND ITS ADVERTISER.

I have to admit that when I first started working from home, with kids, my days were absolute chaos. I didn’t have a routine, mostly I was just winging it to be quite honest. I worked when I had the time and I was usually up late into the evenings to get things done. I found myself working around the clock. I was working during my kids activities, I was working through naptime, I was working during dinner and on family movie nights. I never had any downtime to spend just playing with my kids or quiet time to talk to my husband. It was getting to be too much and I knew that I had to make some changes. There was one thing that I needed and that was a routine. I needed time to not only work, but I needed some me time, I needed time to spend with my kids and husband. I realized that there was one thing that I wasn’t getting and that was me time. As soon as I started my self-care morning routine I felt happier, much more productive and fulfilled. Starting my day right helped me feel better, become a better entrepreneur and a become a happier wife and mother.

Here is a little peek into my self-care morning routine. 

1. It starts at night – My routine actually starts the evening before. My kids wake up really early and in order for me to get in some quiet time in the morning without having to start breakfast right away is to prep the evening before. Most of the time I will slice some fruit in the evenings for breakfast the next morning. The kids like to eat pancakes with a side of fruit. For myself, I usually opt for a quick and easy breakfast like Jimmy Dean’s Simple Scrambles™.
2. 1. Jimmy Dean Simple Scrambles™ help me start my day with a fresh made breakfast with 23g of protein, made with two real eggs, cheese, sausage and bacon that is ready in seconds. It’s much easier for me to have an idea of what everyone is going to eat, the night before so that I can have things ready without a lot of thinking or asking ““what’s for breakfast?”
   2. Sit in quiet and visualize your day – After I take care of a few morning chores, which you can read about here, I sit down with a cup of coffee and try to visualize my day. I try to do this before the kids wake up so that I am not distracted. This is when I set goals for myself for that day. I write everything down on my daily routine printable which you can download here.
   3. Reading – I know that most of my day, being a homeschool pre-school mom, that almost everything I read that day will be children’s books. So when I wake up and the kids are still asleep, I try to read something for myself and I don’t mean my Facebook newsfeed. Whether that is a new magazine or a chapter in a book that I’m reading – it’s something that is all for myself and away from technology. I read everything from parenting books to fiction. It all depends on what I am feeling at that time. I remember saying, right after I had my first daughter, just how much I had missed reading. I never had time anymore and I never made time for it. Now I feel like making time to do the things that I miss and that make me happy, make me a better parent. I also want my kids to love to read and I know that they are learning from me. If they see me enjoying reading, they will too.
   4. Get Dressed – I know this might sound crazy, being that I work from home and I homeschool, what do I need to get dressed for? Well, I do and it makes me feel better. Just the act of getting up and dressed every morning gets me prepared to take on the day.
   5. Go technology free – We are so glued to our cell phones and tablets these days that I find it necessary, even if it’s just for a few moments, to sit without a phone or tablet in my hand. I know the rest of the day the house will be filled with hustle and bustle, unplugging for a few minutes everyday with a cup of coffee helps me feel refreshed. Once I started unplugging in the morning, I realized just how much more time I had to do other things that bring me joy, like sitting in quiet with a cup of coffee, or looking outside at the sunrise and actually hear birds chirping. I will always have Facebook notifications popping up and emails to answer, but I will have the rest of the day to do that.

   Having a self-care morning routine helps me recharge, feel refreshed and really helps set the tone for the rest of the day.

   Thank you to Jimmy Dean for sponsoring this post. Jimmy Dean Simple Scrambles is a quick and easy breakfast option for the busy mom. It comes in 3 varieties – Bacon, Meatlovers and Sausage. You can purchase Jimmy Dean Simple Scrambles at Walmart, right next .