While trying to find a topic to write about in this post, I stumbled across an article titled, "103 Blog Post Ideas That Your Readers Will LOVE". I scrolled through, skimming the titles to see if anything peaked my interest. Nearing the end of the article, I came across #98 and #99 that prompted the writer to discuss morning and bedtime routines.
Disclaimer: Now, anyone that really knows me, knows that I'm for routine (to a certain extent) - in theory. But I just can't commit personally to any sort of consistent routine.
Our mornings:
Preferably, I wake up around 5:00 am. This time fluctuates depending on the previous nights' sleep. After I get out of bed (which may take some maneuvering due to the tiny human that is usually stuck to me) I make my way to the kitchen to begin the magic of that first morning latte. Well, first I brush my teeth because, for some reason, I cannot drink coffee with morning breath. Anyway, after coffee is made, my morning can go one of many different ways.
1. If I'm feeling it, I'll head down to the Rec Center to "work out" - I really need to find stuff to do because, honestly I just get lost and end up on the elliptical. (*Procrastinator ProTip #345: Pack the workout bag the night before because that cuts out the extra work in that morning so that you can basically just jump up and go before you sit down and change your mind)
2. If the children don't wake up - I will cuddle up on the couch with my coffee, a blanket, and either a crossword or a book (if I'm feeling especially unmotivated - which I'm trying to consciously change - I will end up scrolling mindlessly on social media).
3. Once the children wake up - either it's too late and we start the chaos of the morning rush to get to school or we are able to relax on the couch and read books for a part of the morning (a chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer Stone has been our recent choice). We usually end up reading for too long and then end up having to rush through the rest of the morning to get to school.
4. My absolute favorite option - I wake the kids and Alexander up and we head down to the beach (more so in the warmer months). Some of my favorite mornings have started at the beach. When Mertell was a little over a year old, mornings got to be a little dreadful so we started going down to the beach (because what better way to start the day than sunrise next to the lake?) and we've continued to do so every chance that we get. (This past summer we've thrown kayaks into the mix and let me tell you, coffee on a kayak, floating in Lake Superior while watching the sunrise - 10/10 recommend)
Our evenings/bedtime:
Again, bedtime routine can go so many different ways, depending on the day leading up to it.
My dream bedtime routine (which hasn't happened consistently in quite some time) would be: Yoga (we have Good Morning and Good Night yoga books that are kid-friendly and Mertell loves them), brush our teeth, reading, and then lay down. We listen to Native Flute music, because it helps the kids (and myself) go to sleep easier.
If you ask Mertell about Sunday, his eyes will light up and he will immediately rattle on about our Sunday Movie/Campout Night. Every Sunday night, we all "camp out" in the living room, make popcorn, and watch a movie. It is a super special day and I get asked all week, "how many days until Sunday?" Even though we've done this ritual for the last year (missing sometimes in the Summer because we're doing real camping), it has yet to lose it's magic.
Looking through my morning and bedtime routines, I find a common theme. No morning/night is ever really the same, and I think that works for my family. Unpopular opinion: I never sleep-trained my children and I never felt an incredible need to put them on a strict schedule. Some people may argue that my son has issues with transition because I didn't prioritize routines and consistently and for a while I blamed myself as well. But, I believe I should sleep when I'm tired, eat when I'm hungry, and have control of my body. I think that my children should as well. I read in the book A Country Called Childhood, that the reason why we sleep-train our children and put them on this strict schedule is to essentially train them to become part of the work-force (change my mind - you can't). There are other communities and countries where the children are able to be in charge of themselves, the parents are there as support and guidance (but not control). I think that is beautiful. To a point, I know in our society that children do need to be trained to work (doesn't make it any less sad), so I will instill responsibility in my children, some ways just might differ from mainstream society.
The routines that I love are Sunday Night Camp Outs, our mornings filled with sunrises and beaches, our time reading (whether it's one book or ten), and all of the other activities that we make sure we do together. We never have a set time to do any of these things, but they happen and fill our lives with an extensive amount of joy.
Disclaimer: If you survive on strict schedules and routines (people can thrive successfully on that), know that I am not shaming or saying it is wrong. Every person is different, this was just one subject that intrigued me because I have a slightly different vision (maybe even controversial) then that I've seen among other people around me.
As always, I love generating discussion from any topic. Feel free to comment or message me (or schedule a coffee date). Miigwech for reading!