LexTalk

  My mornings aren’t glamorous, but they’re mine.  

  I am absolutely a creature of habit.

My mornings usually start around 6:00 a.m. when my husband’s alarm goes off. Notice I said his alarm. I don’t immediately jump out of bed ready to conquer the world. I need about ten minutes to lie there, gradually wake up, and accept the fact that morning has arrived.

Once I finally get up, the very first thing I do is make the bed.
It’s such a small thing, but I swear it changes the entire feeling of the room. Even if there are clothes that need to be put away or something sitting where it shouldn’t be, a made bed instantly makes our bedroom feel cleaner. Plus, I’ve already accomplished something within the first few minutes of being awake.
Tiny win. I’ll take it.

Then, of course, there’s Juggy
No morning routine would be complete without greeting my little shadow.
Juggy usually follows me downstairs, where I turn on a lamp and put on the TV. I like having the local morning news and Good Morning America playing in the background while the house slowly starts waking up.

Then I head into the kitchen.
This is probably the busiest part of my morning. I get my husband’s lunch together for work, pack lunches for all three kids for school, and get everything situated before everyone heads out for the day.

Thankfully, Past Me usually does Present Me a huge favor by prepping the coffee the night before.

There are few things better than coming downstairs at 6-something in the morning and realizing the coffee is already brewed and waiting for you.

My favorite 15 minutes of the morning

Once lunches are packed and coffee is poured, my husband and I usually sit together on the couch for about fifteen minutes.
We watch the news, sip our coffee, cuddle, and just have a few quiet minutes together before the day really begins.

Honestly, this might be my favorite part of my entire morning.

There’s nothing particularly exciting about it. We’re not doing anything elaborate. It’s simply coffee, the morning news, my husband beside me, and probably a cat somewhere nearby.
But I love those ordinary little moments.

A little morning magic

Before I start work, I try to pull a daily oracle card.
I don’t necessarily ask some huge question. Usually, I just pull a general card for the day and see what comes up.
Then I leave it alone.

At the end of the day, I like to revisit the card, read its meaning again, and think about how—or if—it connected with something that happened during my day.
Sometimes the connection is surprisingly obvious. Other times it gives me something to reflect on.
Either way, it has become a small ritual that I really enjoy.

Then it’s time for work

My workday starts at 7:30 a.m., and because I work from home, my morning routine looks a little different than someone who has to commute.
Throughout the morning, I take tiny breaks here and there to keep the house moving.
I might start a load of laundry, unload some dishes, brush my teeth, straighten something up, or knock out another small chore.

I’ve learned that I would much rather do little things every day than wait until the house becomes one giant overwhelming project.
One load of laundry doesn’t feel like much.
A sink full of dishes doesn’t feel like much.
A quick pickup doesn’t feel like much.
But keeping up with those little things makes a huge difference in how our home feels—and in how stressed I feel.

Around 12:30 p.m., I stop for lunch and then head back to work.

By about 2:30, the kids start coming home from school, so the house starts transitioning into its next phase. I usually get their after-school snacks ready while finishing up my workday, and suddenly our quiet morning house isn’t quite so quiet anymore.

The comfort of doing it all again tomorrow

I know routines can sound boring to some people, but I’ve realized there’s something really comforting about mine.

These aren’t big, exciting moments. Most of them probably wouldn’t even be worth mentioning on their own. Making the bed. Packing lunches. Pouring two cups of coffee. Sitting beside my husband for fifteen quiet minutes. Pulling a card. Starting a load of laundry.

But put them all together, and they make up this little rhythm of our life.
They make our house feel like home.

They give my husband and me a few minutes to connect before the day pulls us in different directions. They give me a little spiritual moment to myself before work begins. And keeping up with the small household things helps me feel like I’m taking care of our home without letting it completely overwhelm me.

Maybe that’s why I love my routine so much.
It isn’t really about doing the exact same things every morning. It’s about starting my day surrounded by the people—and the cat—I love, taking care of the home we’ve created, and carving out a few small moments for myself along the way.

Tomorrow morning, my husband’s alarm will probably go off around 6:00. I’ll probably lie there for another ten minutes pretending I don’t need to get up yet. I’ll make the bed, Juggy will follow me downstairs, the coffee will be waiting, and another ordinary day will begin.

And honestly?
There’s something pretty special about that.

Just please don’t mess with the routine too much…
Because then the Taurus comes out.