July 21, 2017

4 Reasons to Get Up Before the Kids Do

Mornings are rough, we get it. The days of late nights and lazy mornings are over. But getting up early doesn’t have to be as grueling as it sounds. If waking up before the kids sounds like the last thing you want to do with the time you could be sleeping, maybe we can convince you otherwise with this list:

1 | Be an uber productive go-getter

Have a lot on your to-do list? Why not knock out 1 or 2 things before the kids even get up? We know that kids’ morning routines can take up a lot of time. Before you know it, the day might just get away from you. Take advantage of those few sweet moments while the kids are still sleeping to do a few things that you can’t normally do when they’re awake- like, you know, things that actually require the use of both hands. Even if your day is totally thrown through a loop, rest easier knowing that at least 2 of the 976 things on your to-do list have been marked off!

2 | Show your day who’s boss

We get it. Why wouldn’t you want to get in as much sleep as possible before the kids wake up? But, in a way, you’re actually allowing yourself to be controlled and manipulated by your circumstances. And that begins to wear on a mama’s morale after a while. So, instead of being dragged out of bed by hungry kids, get up early, do some things you wanted to do (chores, reading, enjoying an entire cup of coffee while it’s still hot for a change, maybe?) and let yourself be the one who’s in control of your day. Warning : feeling like wonder woman is a possible side effect.

3 | Get a few minutes of mom-guilt-free me time

With the morning routine craziness, putting herself on the backburner is often a mama’s first move when running low on time. Too many mamas run the risk of feeling like they’ve “lost” themselves in this glorious role of motherhood. We don’t want that. Instead, try waking up a few minutes earlier to slap on the tinted moisturizer and tame the bed head instead of reverting to the trusty mom-bun. You may just feel a little more like your old self (or like those moms who look like they have it all together on Instagram ).

4| Wrong-side-of-the-bed Insurance

Hey, even moms can wake up on the wrong side of the bed. If that happens to you, waking up before the kids can give you a chance to refocus your mind and find a few moments of peace and serenity that can change the course of the rest of your day. Goodness knows it's not going to happen after the kids get up. Be the best you can be for those kiddos by mentally preparing to be flexible when one decides to go number 2 while walking out the door or when the toddler is all out of sorts after naptime. You got this, mama.

Tell us, what gets you out of bed in the morning? Is it the kids or that first cup of coffee? A morning run or a book you didn’t want to put down last night? Let us know in the comments below!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chelsea Damon is a writer and a mama who is passionate about coffee, joyful marriages, healthy lifestyles, and Dwell + Slumber! You can read more of Chelsea's writing on her blog, Living the Sweet Life.