It is the start of a brand new year! With many people setting New Years resolutions and have a renewed energy and focus. So it a great time to set new intentions of how you are with your children too! This week we have guest blogger Kathrin from Be Fit Mums sharing her thoughts on waking up for your kids and not too your kids! Yes it may still be holidays but set the intentions for when routines return when school is back or maybe even start implementing on holidays!
Do you wake up before your children? I wouldn’t have called myself a morning person before kids – but I could get up early to hit the gym if need be. Now, thanks to my 2 kids and approximately 5 years of being constantly sleep deprived, I need as much sleep as I can get! As a result, I’ve taken to sleeping in as late as I can, usually 15-30 minutes after the 2-year-old wakes and I hear her little voice through the monitor.
This year though, I will really be trying to start waking up early again–before the kids. And not even just 15 minutes early, but a whole hour or more! I remember so clearly when my first born was between 6-12months, if I could manage to wake up, make my bed (this is soooo important to me, I just feel really in control if my bed is made!), brush my teeth, get dressed AND make myself a cup of tea, it was going to be a great day! Didn’t matter what happened – the
baby could have shat all over me, it was still a great day because I had already had a moment to myself. I’ve listed some reasons why waking early can be so good and beneficial, I hope they resonate with you.
Waking up for your kids
1. So You Can Start Your Day Intentionally
When you wait to wake up until after your kids are up, you start the day in reactive mode and already behind the eight-ball. In other words, you aren’t intentionally choosing what you want and need to do; you’re just reacting to the things going on around you. You’re running around putting out fires. By waking up a little earlier, you can start your day proactively and intentionally. You choose what time you will wake up, how your morning will go and what will get done. When you start your day with intention, it’s up to you.
2. So You Can Have Some Quiet Time
I don’t know about you, but I NEED quiet time to myself in order to maintain my sanity. And with two very loud,
active kids, quiet time is usually pretty hard to come by. If you need quiet time too, in the morning before everyone wakes up is the perfect time to get it. I especially love this now that it’s warming up and its light by 5.30 am. Enjoy a cup
of coffee/tea, read a book, use the bathroom by yourself–the world is your oyster!
3. So You Can Get Stuff Done
How frustrating is it to clean the house, only to turn around five seconds later and have everything destroyed? Even the smallest tasks take way longer than they should when you have to redo them time and time again or when you have to stop every few minutes to take care of the kids. Clean in the morning, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can breeze
through other chores. And then, you only have routine maintenance to worry about during the day.
4. So You Can Enjoy an Un-Rushed Morning with Your Kids.
Whether you work outside or inside the home, it’s really easy for mornings to become rushed and chaotic. When you wake up early, start your day intentionally, and get your housework/chores out of the way, you can enjoy a more peaceful and laid back morning with your family. You aren’t dragging people out of bed at the last minute, you aren’t scrambling for lost items and you aren’t trying to do a million things at once. Everything is ready to go, and you get to sit down and enjoy
breakfast with your kids. I know this is easier said than done, especially if you have a 2 yr old who still wakes over night. Ahem. But I promise you will feel eleventy million times better for it. Give it a go, even just for a day a week to start, get up and get some stuff done. Try a workout, or put a load of washing on, or empty the dishwasher or
shove a bunch of stuff in the slow cooker. Or sit on the couch in your pjs with a HOT cup of something and relax.
About Kathrin and Be Fit Mums
Kathrin is a Mum of 2 and wife of 1. She lives in Melbourne and she started Be Fit Mums business because Kathrin wanted to help other new & experienced mums out there, find their ‘fitness feet’ again after having babies. Personally, Kathrin struggled to find the people/health professionals that she needed after her son was born. So she thought why not create a hub where mums can come and find exactly who they need, in their area.
From Personal Trainers who specialise in pre & post-natal exercise to your local mums & bubs classes, as well as allied health specialists such as women’s physiotherapists, Pilates classes and psychologists.
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