Composed // Morning Routines

I've been wanting to share this post for a while now but we've been consumed by a little tiny person lately so its been on the back burner ;) Charlotte is now 7 weeks old and she fits perfectly into our lives.  She's the calmest baby and I'm so thankful for that.  That being said, with a three year old in the mix our days are still nothing less than crazy most of the time.  Rob has another two weeks of swat school so I've been solo parenting for a few weeks now and it is h.a.r.d.  I don't know how single mamas do it.  Some mornings were so overwhelming and that set the mood for the rest of the day so I was definitely ready for some calmness and composure for all of us. I'm thinking (hoping) other mamas have days like this so I wanted to share some tips and tricks that I've been using for smoother days.  

Start your day intentionally.  

Some mornings I just cannot wake up, whether it's because I've been up at night with the baby or Olivia has woken up at 4:59 for.the.day #truestory, but I literally cannot drag myself out of bed. On the mornings that I make myself get up and get moving it makes all the difference and I feel more productive throughout the day. It's so tempting to sit in bed with coffee and catch up on social media or your favorite show but just a few minutes can turn into an hour. Olivia likes to watch a show with warm milk in our bed when she wakes up so I've been taking that time to make coffee, feed the baby, and some mornings I even manage to get dressed without distractions ;)

Get dressed.

To some people this may seem silly, to other mamas you know the real deal. Getting dressed and moving is a small accomplishment that makes all the difference.  If I stay in pajamas once everyone is awake it's over.  Mornings eventually turn into lunchtime frenzy and I'm still standing there in a nursing tank and polka dot pants when the mailman shows up...not a good look ;) I also do my makeup and hair when I can squeeze it in because it helps me to feel ready for the day.  Whether it's in yoga pants or actual jeans and a tee, get yourself dressed and you're good to go if you need to run errands or simply make someone a nibble tray with pepperoni and cucumbers at 8am ;) 

Make a list. 

I'm a list person.  This is not to say that I don't leave my list at home every.single.time. but when I write things down it makes all the difference.  I've literally walked into another room and thought "oh, let me get that from the laundry room"...have walked into the laundry room and my thoughts are gone.  No idea what I was looking for and it'll come back to me at 3am.  Last night, I had Rob text me while he was sitting next to me, to check the due date of our Amazon card in the morning.  In the morning, I'll write down a few things that I want to get done and it's so rewarding to cross off those things...if I manage to get them done ;) 

Eat breakfast.

I've been preparing simple foods that are easy to grab for breakfast and it's been very helpful.  Hard boiled eggs, washed fruit, muffins, a big batch of pancakes that can be frozen...so worth it when you have a crying, hungry baby and a toddler who is also crying because her baby doll's eyes are closing when she's laying down #toddlerproblems.  It makes everyone feel better when you have full bellies to get you through until lunchtime.  It also makes for a much less crankier mommy ;)

These little tips have made for much calmer, happier days. I entitled this series "Composed" because I think as mamas we want to remain composed and some days it's just plain hard to not lose your you-know-what, but with little things like getting dressed, eating a good breakfast and making to-do lists, it's a little easier to remain a composed, calmer mama for the rest of the day;) I'll be sharing more soon!

Be sure to follow along on Instagram @thebirdsnestblog to see more of our less than perfect, yet mostly composed days ;) XO