One thing that has kept me a little more sane in quarantine is keeping with our routines. It's super easy to stay in jammies, never get out of bed, and just be lazy all day. Trying to balance work, Quinnie and my familys' sanity has required a lot more structure than I was initially prepared for.

It's taken us 8 1/2 weeks to find some version of a routine, but I think we're starting to figure it out a little bit. I've been working to create a routine in the morning that helps us set our day up a little better. My goal is that by creating to and sticking with a routine, it will make for a less stressful day.


Yesterday on This Girl Life, Whitney and I both broke down our morning routines and what helps us both set our days out on the right foot. Make sure to listen to our episode here! Whitney and I both shared our routines, and they are both different! You can read Whitney's post here on her blog, Positively Posie!

The best part about morning routines, is we each get to set our own for what we are looking for. For me, it's adding a little peace to my day. For some, it might be helping to accomplish a goal, reach a dream, plan for the future. Figure out you why, and I promise your routine will click. It will also make it easier to stick too.

Here's a little insight to what our mornings look like. Keep in mind, I'm a human, so my best intentions often go awry, but I think it's making a point to try to keep to this as much as I can.

1. 15 minutes of quiet. Listen, I am not one of those people that can wake up at 5:30am to sit and read with my coffee in the silence of my house. I require my sleep more than my quiet time.

But I have made it a point to try and sit for 15 minutes, because at this point in life, that is what I can manage. I'm currently working through She Reads Truth, The Romans study guide. What I love about this devotional is that each day they lay out 3 verses with room for notes. It allows me to sit, spend time in God's word, write out my prayer requests, write out my thoughts for the day, etc. Starting my day in God's word and with intentional prayer has been a game changer for me.

2. Do one thing for you. So often the morning starts and holy crap, I'm racing like a crazy person until I go to bed a night. Doing one thing for me in the AM, can be as simple enjoying my coffee, taking a quick shower, doing 15 minute yoga. As moms and wives, we are always doing something for someone else. We are constantly filling up other people's cups. And this one is about a small thing for YOU. And keep in mind, I'm not talking HUGE things, sometimes it can be as easy as a little extra creamer in your coffee.

3. Make Your Bed. I thank my mom for this part of my routine. I have been making my bed for as long as I can remember. For me, making my bed starts my day. It cleans up my room, makes things tidy, and is the official start to my day!

Naval Adm. William McRaven, ninth commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, said the following about making your bed in his commencement address at the University of Texas at Austin:

If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.

By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter.
If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right. 

And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made—that you made—and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.
If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.

4. Stretch. This has become part of my morning just since I got pregnant, so it's new! But it's incredible. My body is freaking sore these days and even a "good night" sleep has me waking up feeling like a 140 year old woman.

So, I stretch. I sit on my floor, while Quinnie sits with me and I stretch and holy moly guys, it helps so so much. I usually take about 10 minutes and it has helped tremendously with my pregnant aches and pains. Plus, as Whitney told me, there is some science behind moving your first thing in the morning and getting that blood flow to your muscles. Perk!


Listen to our TGL Episode here!

• Follow along with @tglpodcast on Instagram
• Get social using #tgltuesdays 
• & don't forget to stalk your hosts: @kgrace01 and @positivelyposie
• Read Whitney's post here! 

How do you guys start your mornings?

I used to be a morning person. When I was in high school, I would wake up at 530 am or earlier, blast Dashboard Confessional and spend 2 and a half hours getting ready. I didn't mind it at all, I mean, I had to look pretty in my school uniform and thick black eyeliner, right?

Now, I literally crawl out of bed (or Adam dragggssss me) one hour before I have to leave for work. I spend a good 20 minutes in bed before I get up, stretching and looking at my phone. Instagram is the best in the morning, I can't wait to catch up on what I missed. I'm a lazy piece in the am. Every one tells me once I have kids, it'll change, but man alive, mornings blow.

The only thing that saves me is when I hear the coffee machine start and the coffee brewing. Its as if someone put a line straight from the coffee machine to my vein. I envy people that pop out of bed fresh like a daisy ready to start their day. If it were up to me, days would start at 10am and end at 8pm. What can I say, I love my sleep and I love my bed.

Recently I started working out in the morning and it sucks. My alarm goes on at 510 am and it literally makes me want to throw the phone across the room. The only reason I get up and go is because if I don't cancel my class, they charge me $10. Ten bucks is a lot of morning guilt. I figured if this is my problem, it's probably someone elses too.

I've been asking around, asking friends, asking Adam how am I supposed to wake up early. How am I supposed to be awake enough to get dressed, fill my eyebrows in and get to class on time. It's not easy friends, but someone gotta do it.


1 . Set your alarm. Or if you are like me, set 10 alarms all within 2 minute increments of each other.  Make sure the alarm is either loud annoying music or screeching beeps. Bonus points if the alarms wake your husband and then he wants to murder your phone. Snooze all 9 alarms until the tenth one and then begrudgingly get up. Try to do so without throwing your phone on the ground.

2. Set your clothes out the night before. Or, when you wake up at 515 am, you decide you don't  want to wear those leggings, so you'll rummage around in the dark finding another pair that's better than the pair you picked out 12 hours ago.

3. Put your contacts in first because stubbing your toe sucks and glasses in pure barre do not work. Also, there is nothing like putting your fingers in your eye by the light of the moon.

4. Be quiet as to not wake others in your house. Or if you're like me, wake your husband and dogs up in the process. Be as loud as you can without trying. Accidenlty slam the drawers, stub your toe and curse and blow your nose. It helps when your bathroom doesn't have a door on it so the light streams through too.

5. Have a routine & stick to it. Wake up. Contacts. Eyebrows. Coffee. Drive to Pure Barre. Or, wake up, drop contact down the drain, forget one eyebrow and run around like a chicken with your head cut off. It helps if you misplace stuff.

6. Don't immediately look at your phone. If you're like me, checking Instagram at 5am is important business. This is when I start thinking about my Instagram caption for the day. And before I know it its 525 and you were supposed to leave 10 minutes ago.

7. Get bright light first thing. Or you are like me and you're waking up before the sun gets up. So that sucks. But try, it'll wake you up. Luckily Denver is getting brighter earlier. Lucky for be, not so lucky for Adam who is still trying to sleep in.

8. Reorganize your nighttime routine. Set out your clothes, contacts, pure barre socks, eyebrow pencil. Ya know, the important stuff. I don't care if it's just Pure Barre, I gotta have my brows on. For some reason, whenever I get up in the morning, I cannot seem to find where I put it in the am. It's like someone came in and moved it all while I was in REM sleep.

9. Keep your weekend sleep and your weekday sleep the same. This is literally impossible for me. I am sorry, but when Saturday morning comes around. getting up at 5am is the last thing I will ever do. Sorry tips I found on Pinterest, this one will not work for me.

10. No more nightcap. While I personally hate this rule, it's imperative to good sleep and bright mornings. Even with one glass of wine, I notice being a little more groggy than I am sans wine. But, whatever, a good shower makes me less groggy and then I can still have my wine.

How do you get up in the AM? What are you tips? Do you work out in the am or at night?

Tell me everything.