Super Charge Your Single Mom Routine in the Morning

Morning routine. If you are anything like me then those words together bring on an immediate surge in anxiety. As the queen of being disorganized and bad at routines, I have finally got it down, and if I can, you can too! I’m sharing my single mom routine with you and how I managed to finally commit after countless false starts. The thing with single mom routines is that they are different for each family, so you will have to find what works best for you. Here’s are some strategies to get you started.

Single mom routines for busy school mornings:

Planning ahead for great mornings

The best way to win the day? Start the weekend before. Sunday afternoons are my time for meal prep, getting homeschool materials in order, and making sure I’ve got a grip on my calendar for the week to come.

• Plan for good mornings by doing breakfast and snack prep the weekend before. If you’ve got the energy, prepping healthy snacks like date and oatmeal balls or chopped veggies is a great way to set you up for the week while saving money on buying pre-packaged items.
• Take a look at your calendar. If its a full, crazy week consider planning which nights you’ll cook and maybe throw in an extra night for take-out. Give yourself grace. RSVP or remind others to RSVP for calendar events where you need people to show up!
• Stock up on groceries and some easy, ready to make meals. Whether canned soup or frozen dinners, we all have our go-to’s.

Morning routines set the tone for your day. Starting the day on a positive note is so important for you and your kids.

• Get up before the kids. For my morning routine I wake up about an hour before my son.
• Take time for yourself by doing yoga, mediation, journaling or another activity to help you feel centered, calm and present.
• Coffee. That is all.
• Get yourself dressed and ready before getting the kids up.
• Check your calendar for the day and make sure you’re ready for everything.

Time to get the kids up!

• Have clothes laid out and easily accessible.
• Set the expectation for your kids that they should get clothes on, brush teeth and hair, and come to the table. Hang pictographic reminders on the wall if you need to.
• My 5 year old makes his own lunch. I provide the granola bars, individual serving size cheeses, fresh fruit, and ingredients for sandwiches such as ham and tomato or PB&J. My son gets out the cutting board, his bento style lunch box, and sandwich fixings. He makes his sandwich, packs his lunch box, puts it into his backpack with an ice pack, then puts his dishes in the sink. He thrives on the independence. While this was originally his idea, I think any parent can build this into their routine. Giving kids responsibility and independence will only help them grow.
• When it’s time to get shoes and jackets on, start at least 10 minutes before you need to be out the door. Speaking from experience, yelling in anger and frustration at your kid to put his shoes on and stopping taking FOREVER will only make him freeze up and move slower. I learned this lesson the hard way so hopefully you don’t have to.

Build flexility into your single mom routine

It sounds contradicting, but l do that thing where I lay awake at night and decide that I will wake up the next morning with the perfect routine. This time it’ll all work out just like I planned. It never does.

For most of us, that never works. Start small and incrementally change your alarm clock time to get up earlier. Once you get comfortable with your new routine you can start incorporating different practices to find what works for you. Yoga, journaling, and even cooking can be meditative under the right conditions.

Be forgiving as you find the perfect single mom routine for you and your family. The more time you can give yourself in the morning the more you can be flexible as inevitable challenges arise.

Keep it simple

I like to prepare things ahead of time for the mornings. Mornings can be SO hectic Trying to wake my kid up? That takes 20 minutes on its own.

Every Sunday evening I make a batch of granola bars for my son to take as a snack (you can totally buy some instead), and I will usually make overnight oats each night and leave them in the fridge for the next morning. I know with that done ahead of time my morning will run much smoother and I will have more time to take it easy and not stress out. Do whatever you can to make it easier on yourself.

Don’t forget to fill your cup

I look forward to my yoga every morning. Having that time for myself makes me a lot more willing to actually commit to a routine. I feel better about all of my single parenting chores when I make sure to fill my cup at the start of each day. Some other things I enjoy doing are journaling, drawing, cooking a nice breakfast for myself, and laying on my hammock with a good album on. So if you’re unsure of what fills your cup, try those out!

Get the kids involved

They can be part of your routine too! Don’t do it all yourself. On school mornings my son makes his own lunch and helps clear the breakfast dishes. Sure, I have to remind him sometimes. This is our routine though and I’m clear and consistent with my expectations.

To encourage my son’s enthusiasm about making his own lunch, as part of our weekly grocery shop I check-in with him about what he wants for lunch during the upcoming week. I let him pick out his own granola bars, fruit snacks, and cheese snacks. He decides what kind of sandwich he wants for the week ahead. We look at the fresh produce together and decide what to buy and prep for his lunch. I use this as an opportunity to teach not only independence but as a prompt to discuss nutrition.

Weekends ❤️

On weekends or when my son has a break from school, he joins in my routine. He will do yoga with me or take the time to do something he enjoys doing alone while I do yoga. He will also help me make a yummy breakfast for the both of us. Often on weekends we will go to the nearest bakery to get a treat and come back home to enjoy it on our balcony together. In the beginning he wasn’t keen on our quiet mornings, but now he understands that we all need this time and it helps build the foundation for a smooth day.

Final thoughts

I sincerely hope some of these tips help to give you an easier single mom routine in your mornings. It will be different for every person so find what works for you and your family! One more tip I will add is to have your kids be in control of their own rooms in the morning. They make their beds, get themselves dressed, etc. That way you can focus on anything else that needs to be done, or just get yourself showered and caught-up on days you’re running behind. One step at a time mama!