Hi there my friends,
What is your morning like? Does it run smoothly like clockwork or do you find yourself running late & playing catch-up from the minute you first step out of bed?
I don’t know about you but I am not a morning person. It honestly takes me about an hour before I’m ready to have a conversation or before I’m motivated enough to do anything productive. Over the years I’ve struggled with dropping my kids off at school frazzled and frustrated, only to feel guilty the minute they get out of the car. The mornings were anything but smooth, which meant they went to school in bad moods and not ready for a day of learning.
This past year has been so much better. More days than not, I am dropping the kids off at school with a smile on their face and genuine “I love you” as they get out of the car instead of a forced “I love you” and a slammed door.
As I started thinking about the reasons behind this I realized slowly over time I have developed a routine as I clean the kitchen at night that makes our mornings much easier and happier. So today I thought I would share 4 things I do as I clean the kitchen that make my morning easier.
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- Set up the coffee maker – Um hello… there was a time when I couldn’t stand coffee and on those occasions I was forced to drink it, I had coffee with my cream & sugar. But now it is an absolute necessity to start my morning off right. After dinner, as I clean the kitchen, I refill the Kuerig & have my mug in place so all I have to do the next morning is press a button and my coffee is on the way.
- Start the dishwasher – I used to be really bad about loading the dishwasher and forgetting to turn it on. When that happens dishes pile up in the sink and I constantly feel behind and that the kitchen is never clean. So now, once I’m done cleaning the kitchen, I immediately turn the dishwasher on. If we are going to be watching t.v. after the kids go to bed I’ll set the timer on the dishwasher. The next morning when I wake up I don’t find myself already behind because I have to wait for the dishes to be washed.
- Empty the trash – You may be thinking duh…why does that make such a big difference…well, you see…we have this dog who likes to go trash can diving. The last thing I need in the morning is waking up to trash all over my kitchen floor.
- Make lunches – I didn’t realize how much of a difference this made in my morning until I got out of the habit of making lunches at night. It only takes 5-10 minutes to put together lunches, which at night is not a big deal. In the morning however, when we are running short on time, it can make a BIG difference in the level of frustration.
And as an added bonus…
Check Calendar – This is something new I have added to my routine and boy has it made a world of difference. We are going in so many different directions as a family that it is very easy to forget an appointment or another commitment that is out of the normal routine. Too many times I have realized after the fact that I missed something. So now, before going to bed I open up my Google calendar and check the agenda for the next day.
None of the things I do as I clean the kitchen after dinner are ground breaking, but when you add them together they have made a huge impact on our mornings. By doing these simple things in preparation for the next day I now send my kids off to school in much better moods, which in turn, makes my life a lot easier :-).
Are there things you do each evening as you clean the kitchen that make your life easier? Share them with us in the comments below. If you would like to receive The Calm of His Presence in your inbox fill out the box in the right side bar. You will then receive each post as it is written. You can also follow me & The Calm of His Presence on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Have a blessed day my friends.
In His Calm,
