So after 2 decades of being full-time stay at home mom, I returned to working. Before kids I was a first grade teacher. There was way less juggling of my time because basically all my time was my time. My time was not split between breastfeeding, buttwiping, washing many humans laundry and dishes etc. So I do not remember the mornings before work being cuckoo crazy. Now I am lucky to get to work with a minute to spare before needing to clock in. I am a special education aide at my son’s school so that is nice that I do not need to drop him somewhere separate.

We leave each day at 7:30am and I get up at 5:30am. So 2 hours seems like it would be plenty of time to get it all done. Nah, I am even considered getting up at 4:30am but I am not willing to get less than 7 hours of sleep. Everything I have read shares the importance of getting adequate sleep. My goal is 8 hours but that currently mean I get like no time to myself in the evening and no quality time with hubby so for now I am settling for 7 hours. I know a mama of a newborn may say, “Must me nice.” But I have been there. That was a season and it is wisdom to get as much sleep as possible.

So I have been thinking what tweaks do I need to make to bring peace to my morning rhythm. I have several habits and goals that I am working on. I realize expecting daily adherence is not wise or kind to myself. I have read that you need to set goals low enough that you can succeed thus creating momentum. So though I would love to say that I walked at least 1 mile a day, I am believing it is a victory if I can do this 10 days out of a month.

Everyone is different and have different needs. But my focus has been on self care because I am in a season of higher stress as I learn to become a working mom. Here are the things I feel like I need each morning in my current season. This is the ideal but if I get to these items just 10 times this month then I have won in a huge way. (I use a monthly free habit tracker print out to record my progress). My hopes:

• make my bed (it sets the tone for a strong day to see this. so motivating. brings delight)
• 5 minutes of arm weights (over 40yr. women begin to lose muscle if not used)
• 5 minutes of core (I want to be a strong grandma one day and ditch the spare tire now)
• 5 of yoga/stretching (It feels amazing!!)
• take my vitamins (my annual bloodwork showed I was deficit in some areas. I am also trying a new supplement to see if it helps with my energy level)
• Stay off my phone (This is tricky since my exercises are guided through apps. But I am resisting watching the ad videos. I didn’t yesterday and wasted 20 minutes of my precious morning time. I also do not want to read or reply to texts until everything is done)
• 15 minutes to read a Bible verse, practice lectio divina and journal. I have missed this time to be still and quiet and to listen to the encouragement that God has for me. I like to take that word or phrase that stood out to me and carry it with me throughout my day. I wanted to add this practice back into my life because I just miss hearing the sweet voice of God. He can speak in any form or any time but I find it is hard for me to really dial in and focus when things are busy and noisy. Think like 11 on Stranger Things how she uses the blindfold, water tub etc. She is reducing the external distractions.

I was trying to get my 1 mile walk in but with time change and things getting colder, I just don’t want to be cold. I want to be cozy in my comfy armchair reading and writing. So I am attempting to walk after work which is totally possible since I am home by 4/4:30. This practice of reading and writing feels like a gentler way to start my day. This allows me a slower morning which is greatly needed as the rest of my day can feel busy and full. Prior to this, I felt like once I woke I hit the ground running until I crashed at bedtime. This pace has not felt sustainable. I can not change that I am working this year. I have at least the rest of the school year to finish out and then I will discern what is best for next year. So since this is my new normal, I want to figure out how to keep my inner peace.

I am walking on my treadmill now to get my mile in. I have another goal to write 100 words a day since I have a few book ideas going right now in my mind. I made a make shift writing desk by putting an extra section of a dog gate across the treadmill to sit my laptop on it. It is working swimmingly.

I will try out this new flow for the next 3 weeks and see if it feels life giving. If any of these habits/disciplines just feel like more obligation then that is a good sign that I need to likely mix things up. But day 1 went great.