routine.
i have always been a person of vibrant routines. wake up at the same time, eat a similar breakfast, have my outfit for the day picked out the night before, out the door at the same time, etc.
but since getting married and now being a mom, things have changed a lot and these routines have had to transform and change quite a bit. (and i’ve had to be okay with change and gain some flexibility in my days).
after having my son last year, i lost all sense of routine. i woke when he woke, i nursed on demand, etc. i had to find out what my new life was like before i could make some routine out of it.
and one year later, i feel like i’ve finally figured it out. we all have some sense of routine even if we don’t realize it, but i’m talking about true, intentional routine that takes effort and time.
and for my family, it’s looked like this:
MORNING- wake up 1-2 hours before my son wakes up. this is not ideal when you have a newborn but my son’s sleep is pretty consistent so i have a rough estimate of when he will be awake and i’m getting a good amount of sleep during the night. in this time, my husband and i both have time with the Lord and can also get ourselves ready for the day. during this time i will also do any kitchen pickup/cleanup and start breakfast. then, by the time my son is awake, i’m not worrying as much about getting myself ready as much as getting him ready and having a slow, relaxing breakfast as a family. then, by the time it’s 8:30am, it feels as though we’ve had such a relaxing yet productive morning that was extremely peaceful and kick starts the day for all of us.
EVENING- i love summers here in minnesota. the sun doesn’t set until around 9pm. so, something my husband and i have begun doing is once my son is in bed (around 8pm), we will grab some tea or a snack and spend some quality time together on the deck (or inside on the couch if mosquitoes are too bad; i don’t like that part of minnesota summers haha). in this time, we’ll catch up about the day, maybe read together, both do some blogging, or play a game of chess while the dog gets some late night zoomies out. we’ve both begun to look forward to and cherish this time together before we clean up from dinner and get in bed to read.
routine will look different depending on your season of life, your family, where you live, how old you are, etc., but having some sense of scheduling in relaxation and quality time with your loved ones will completely change the trajectory of your day; i know it has for me.
what do you do to relax and find peace amongst your day to day?
tia marie
tia marie 