How to create calming routines

This post about calming routines and coffee is brought to you by Cross Country Cafe. All opinions are my own.

Most mornings, I’m woken up by two little boys who tiptoe (or pound, depending on who it is!) into my bedroom. Sometimes they head bump me – I’m not sure where that started but… it’s their thing. I love my boys to the moon and back, but a head bump is NOT a great way to wake up.

While they dress, they clamor: Breffast, downTARES, SEE-yall (cereal)… I can’t get the food to the table fast enough!

I clean counters while my inbox fills with emails, and the news is an unfiltered mess of educational and political issues. And then my coffee is cold. 

I reheat the coffee (Green Mountain Southern Pecan is my current favorite), and we’re off to MOPS or Classical Conversations, or starting homeschool… followed by lunch, naps, errands, dinner, bath, bed, and… where does the time go?

I love my days. But they are busy – and for some time, incredibly stressful and I couldn’t figure out why!

Part of living a wholesome life, to me, isn’t solely about what food I eat or what brands I support… wholesome living is found simply in how I choose to spend my time.

How do I find calm in the midst of toddlerhood, homeschooling, blogging, and being me?

It’s not always easy! Some days I don’t make it. At all. I am human.

For me it boils down to: Find the mess. Clean it up. Find a way to keep it clean. 

Where’s the mess, really?

Exactly. Where does the chaos come from? Is it inner turmoil or outer clutter? Probably a little bit of both. But which one impacts you the most? Which one can you change?

Although I love a clean house – admittedly mine is often a bit cluttered – after some soul searching, I realized it wasn’t the stacks of magazines, home school books and a few unfolded laundry baskets that made life feel chaotic. They’ll get taken care of that evening or weekend…

I discovered my unrest comes from external sources. For instance, I used to be involved in politics and community organizations – but found every political shift caused deep unrest in my soul. I used to take the boys out several times a week. But I’d arrive home exhausted and behind the game.

Clean up the mess solutions

Choose partnerships that fit your schedule or personality. The stress of public office or volunteering on a committee, yet feeling like change was not happening affected me incredibly negatively. Maybe someday political involvement will be for me again, but not right now. For our family, teaching Sunday School, since we’re already at church, and we love teaching children about our faith, is better fit.

Remember, sometimes less IS more! Cutting back on “field trips” brought a sense of peace back into our family life. Now, I pick a few trips a month, preferably one on a weekend for the whole family. We’re still hitting our favorite places, just not as frequently.

Grouping errands saves time, money, and reduces stress. I play the “how long can I realistically go without it” game. Sure, we’re out of milk, but do we absolutely need milk today? No, the boys can eat eggs, and I can stop at the grocery store after MOPS. And really, when’s the last time I liked the way a drive-through made my coffee? So I make my own coffee breaks at home, where I can make my coffee just the way I like it! 

Keeping our lives calm can be reality!

With two small children, mornings will be “busy” for years to come. Once I cut out a few external stressors, I had time to catch up on home life, to enjoy it (most days!).

I find little moments to “chill out” – like grabbing my coffee and staring out the front door with my boys while they wait for the garbage truck to drive by. It’s only about five minutes, but just being still, sipping my morning coffee… it’s a calming moment.

Another calming routine I recommend is stop reading emails and Facebook right away. Seriously, we let so much junk in right at the start! Now I flip through a devotional book or food magazine while the boys finish breakfast (they are slow eaters!); it’s much more pleasant to have coffee over delicious recipes or uplifting thoughts!

Not every day goes smoothly. I can’t promise that! But, I know what will derail and what will get us back on track.

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Having a cup of coffee plays a role in my calming routines. There’s something about a hot beverage that is relaxing. Maybe for you it’s tea. Or hot chocolate (my boys love to split a hot chocolate KCup!).

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What’s your calming routine? Are you a coffee, tea, or cocoa drinker?

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This is a partnered post with Cross Country Cafe. All opinions are my own.