Morning Person.

Oh no, my friend. My trouble certainly isn’t mornings.

I’m a morning person. A slow, leisurely morning person. A morning person who doesn’t want to be rushed out of bed. Who loves watching the sunlight dance on the walls and the smells of breakfast being prepared. And definitely always better with birdsong. Awake bright & early, basking in dreamy thoughts, and undoubtedly not ready to take any sort of action. After padding my way to the toilet first thing, I love to climb back in under my covers and snuggle up some more. Why yes, I certainly savor the morning.

Oh no, my friend. My trouble certainly isn’t mornings. It’s just the scarcity of this particular sweet, slow & sleepy kind of morning that I love.

Nursing a baby all night looks quite different this time around. With Josephine, I was able to rest in bed as long as I needed, after much broken sleep. With two babes, I try desperately to invite my toddler into bed with my newborn & I. To get 1… 5… 10 more minutes of rest before starting our day. But alas, she’s a morning person too. But the kind that is energetic and ready to take on adventure. Bright and cheery. The one who when those eyes open, sits straight up, and quite possibly immediately pulls out the craft projects we coaxed her into bed with the night before, “if we go to bed now, we will get to create something when we wake up in the morning.” I never learn with that promise… however, there isn’t much else more admirable than watching your firstborn delicately lay stickers on a patterned sheet of paper or thoughtfully using scissors while waiting for her cup of OJ and buttered toast.

The tricky part of mornings in a family, is that it’s not just about the whims and wishes of one person. There’s a whole team of moods and habits and needs to navigate. And I’ve come to realize, even though my ideal morning is far & few between, I can still set us up for a bit of success every morning. My today self always thanks my yesterday self when I have done these few steps the night before:

put my kitchen to bed by starting the dishwasher, wiping the counters and rearranging for breakfast & morning activity

pick up the random tid-bits of toys, clothing and dirty diapers that just didn’t make it where they needed to be

a habit I’ve come to love (I know I’m late to the game on this one) is washing my face before bed, every night

set out the next day’s outfit for myself and my kiddos

load up the car with anything needed for the next day’s activities

And this sweet reminder:

“Mornings are still the worst. But they’re also part of the best. We get one a day, every day, until they’re gone.” - KJ Dell-Antonia

Here’s to better mornings, friends!

Cheers, Morgan.

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