Back to school time is my favorite because I love routine! Sure, lazy summer mornings are fun in theory, but honestly, I’m a busy mom and business owner. Lazy and morning are, unfortunately, not synonymous.
Routine is in my wheel house. I dare you to show me a chore chart I won’t fall in love with. Give me a morning checklist, and it’ll make my year. The routine of “back to school” is essentially a warm blanket and cup of hot chocolate on a cold day – it’s comfort.
I know everyone doesn’t feel this way about back to school. If I’ve lost you, please tune back in, because this is not another “morning hacks” post. You can search Google for those.
Instead, I’d prefer to share my “morning wins” with you.
I’ll be honest, as much as I love routine, I love peace in my home. I try to nurture a fun and loving environment (I don’t always succeed but I do my best). That means, it’s more important for me to send my little one off to school with a smile and happy heart, than a perfectly checked off chore chart.
Speaking of chore charts, our morning list includes: dress, brush teeth, eat breakfast make bed, and the always dreaded – fix hair. That’s one of our biggest morning battles. My daughter has beautiful, unruly hair, and some mornings I choose to hug her, tell her I love her, and deliver her to her class room with a mess of hair instead of a perfectly pulled up hair style with an extra large bow.
Another morning battle I’ve given up is breakfast. Sure, I’d love to serve up the perfect All star Waffle House style breakfast, but Monday – Friday, it’s not going to happen. Some mornings are breakfast in the car mornings. It’s not ideal, but it’s usually due to us wanting extra sleep/snuggle minutes. That’s a trade off I’m willing to make.
While those morning checklists keep us in line, I’ve also found a place for leniency and spontaneity. There are many days where I choose rest or ease over finishing a to-do list, and I’m learning to maintain that same standard with my little ones in hopes that they grow up to see the big picture and let the small stuff go.
