Healthy Morning Routine

Good morning! I’m a firm believer that how you start your day affects the rest of your day. Our morning time is a special time where we prepare ourselves for the day ahead. While we can’t control exactly how the day goes – we can set a mood, an intention and help our head and hearts be in a good place to be better prepared for whatever the day throws at us!

Since becoming parents, running our business from home has always been a challenge and it’s been more important than ever that we create rhythms and routines to help both my husband and I as well as our kids know what to expect. For example, saying “this is the time when mommy works so that when she is done, she can be fully present to play!” Kids thrive with a daily rhythm they can depend on, it helps provide safety and stability and I find, can even help little ones better handle big feelings. They know what to expect and it helps everyone journey the day with a mix of play, work and living together!

For those that have been a part of this community for a long time, you know my passion is sharing better-for-you products that can help you live a healthier life. Life is full and finding those products that just make a healthy life easier… I’m all about it! Today I’m sharing my morning routine in partnership with a brand called Nudge. Nudge creates sustainable oral care delivered to your doorstep every two months. 

I am all about things arriving at my home and on a subscription if it’s an item I am already buying regularly! It saves me from having to remember to order or go out and purchase it. Brushing our teeth is such a simple but incredibly important daily task. I have tried a number of more natural toothpastes and mouthwashes, many of which I thought were okay but I did not love enough to make the switch to and have it become my go-to! I’m pretty picky about toothpaste – the texture, taste and how well it works. I’ve been using Nudge toothpaste for a few months now and LOVING it. Nudge has stepped up to be an easy favorite and here are some more details!

You can shop for each Nudge item independently or select a Nudge Oral Care Package, and here is what’s included! 

What’s Inside Your Nudge Oral Care Package! 

Each Nudge Oral Care package includes everything you need for proper, healthy and happy teeth and gums! Learn more here and grab yourself a box to also get a cute toiletry bag! Here is what’s included:

• Flouride-free natural toothepaste. Nudge mint and grapefruit toothpaste is completely natural, fluoride-free and comes in a recyclable tube. It is made from sustainable ingredients sourced from locations known for treating workers fairly. This toothpaste is also made in the USA and cruelty-free.
• Clean and fresh concentrated mouthwash. The mouthwash concentrate is refreshing, alcohol-free and does not damage the mouth bacterial flora. 
• 2 sustainably sourced bamboo toothbrushes
• 100% biodegradable floss

Now let’s get to our morning routine! 

Our Morning Routine!

6am Rise and Shine!

We wake up around 6am! Before heading downstairs we use the bathroom, change Leo’s diaper and brush our teeth. In the morning I use my Nudge toothpaste and then in the evening I also use my Nudge toothpaste along with the floss and mouthwash.

6:30 Breakfast + Morning Basket + Calendar 

Then it’s time to make breakfast! I usually go for a big green smoothie while the kids and my husband have oatmeal with peanut butter, cinnamon and some fruit such as banana or blueberries. The kids also have water and some milk while I make a big cup of decaf coffee with steam almond milk.

While we are eating breakfast we do our “Morning Basket”. A morning basket is simply a basket I always leave on our dining room table with books or items that we enjoy as a family in the morning! I read from our daily devotional along with any scripture that goes along with it. This takes less than 5 minutes and the kids are often not paying attention ha! However, I believe that even if they don’t seem to be paying attention it’s still important that we start our day this way and I believe it’s making a bigger positive impact than what I may directly see in that moment. 

We will be starting homeschool preschool in the fall, which I am excited for! For now we’ve been doing a simple morning calendar in the playroom where we talk about the weather, the day of the week, the day’s date and the month of the year. We sing a day of the week song and a month of the year song! It takes maybe 10-15 minutes yet it’s something my daughter asks to do everyday after breakfast and really enjoys it! 

7:30 Morning Work 

By 7:30am I head upstairs to put on my exercise clothes, help the kids get dressed out of pajamas and then I do a small bit of work – mostly catching up on any important emails first thing in the day while Aaron is then with the kids. 

8:30am Exercise!

Then I exercise which is either a walk, jog or yoga. I always feel like I have to explain who is watching the kids if I am not! In our home, we are both financial providers and caretakers of the kids and home. We take turns and divide the work / home / kid care throughout the day. Exercise is very, very important for my mental health and I am grateful we’ve grown a business over the past decade that has allowed us both to work from home so I can have my husband’s partnership which allows me to have these important me-moments in the day on a time-frame that works for us! 

9am Shower & Quick Get Ready 

I shower & get ready! Most days getting ready for me means putting my hair in a ponytail, a quick morning skincare routine which includes:

• This gentle cleansing oil for sensitive skin
• This moisturizer
• Tinted mineral sunscreen or this facial mineral SPF
• This deodorant 

Then I get dressed into something comfortable and that’s it! I can be ready in less than 20 minutes for the day. 

9:30-11:00 Family Work Time

This is our family work time. This means that the kids are with us while we are completing our content creation work, which usually takes place in the kitchen. Aaron and I may be making a recipe, completing food photography or any other content projects. Our kitchen and living space is one open concept so they can watch us, but we also turn on the TV which it’s usually Daniel Tiger, Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood or E has really been into real-life animal shows. We typically do about 1 hour of TV before we turn it off and the kids will (hopefully!) play with some toys, grab a book or often hang on our legs as we wrap up our mid-morning work. It’s a messy blend but I believe it’s important for kids to see their parents working hard and know that there is a time for work and a time for play. This teaches them about diligence and completing a job well done. 

11am – Lunch time!

By 11am we transition into making lunch for everyone. After lunch we usually pull out the slide and get a little energy out before we head up stairs to read books, put pajamas back on and have a nap / quiet time!

12-2pm Nap + Quiet Time

This is the kids’ nap / quiet time and this is when Aaron and I will get in a good chunk of work in the day, often editing photos, replying to emails, writing blog posts or posting social posts for the day! 

2-7pm Mommy + Kid Time!

By now it’s afternoon so that will end our morning routine! However, I thought I’d quickly share how the rest of the day goes too! In the afternoon, I try not to do any work unless I absolutely have to. Afternoons are my time to shift to full mom-made and we go to the library, do an activity together and play. We make dinner, go on a family walk or fly our kite, play legos and read together. After the kids go to sleep, Aaron and I may do a little more computer work before we take the evening off to rest before the day begins again!

A person’s routine is so personal as it’s truly unique to their lifestyle, work schedule and overall how they prefer their day to go! This is just our routine and what works best for us. A big blend of working together and raising our babies together. I hope you found this post helpful and I’d love to know if you give Nudge toothpaste a try! Tag me on Instagram HealthyGroceryGirl

Real Life Motherhood 

Lastly – I will say that writing out our morning routine is much calmer and quieter than living out the morning routine! Our children operate at 100% energy from the moment they wake up. The mornings can be filled with energy and big emotions from the little ones if I’m taking too long to peel a banana or I use the wrong spoon for someone’s oatmeal. Mornings can be hectic but never-the-less, I always try and create a rhythm we can all depend on which brings comfort and a plan. I just want to share this closing thought because what we see online is never the full picture, even if I try and share as much as I can. 

I hope you feel encouraged to create a morning routine that helps create a nourishing start to your day… it’s not about perfection, rather just doing life together and doing the best we can! 

Disclosure: Thank you to Nudge for sponsoring this post. We only partner with and promote brands that we use and love and believe our community would love to learn about.