I have never been a morning person. I’m not sure I’m even a morning person now with two small kids. However, I’ve been waking up more gently and peacefully lately which does make a difference in my day. Some people get up at 5 a.m. or earlier just for time to themselves before their kids get up… could never be me. But getting up in a flurry when someone starts crying or yelling was just getting to be too poor of a way for me to start my day. Here’s how a non-morning-person mom of two found her happy medium with this new morning routine.
Wake Up to Light, Not Sound
This alarm clock has been my latest revelation. If you’re an Instagram friend, you know I’ve been talking about it forever. However, it’s a bigger purchase so it took me a while to finally buy it. And let me tell you… I’m never going back to my annoying phone alarm. Waking up to light versus sound is ELITE!
I’m so much calmer upon awakening, almost like opening my eyes after just closing them for a minute or two. There’s no sudden noise startling me awake like a middle-of-the-night tornado siren. You can even set the ‘sun’ to rise as slowly as you’d like. Mine is set to 15 minutes for a slow and steady rising, which provides me a very calm awakening.
My alarm clock is the Hatch Restore 2. They now have a Hatch Restore 3 but I prefer the second generation model, and here’s why. The only real difference is Hatch Restore 3 allows you to select your lights and sounds with the large button on the top that Hatch Restore 2 doesn’t have. This allows you to go even more screen-free before bed if that’s a goal for you. Personally, I like the user interface of the app and use that more. There’s a lot of light and sound options and selecting them on the phone is much faster to me.
My current Hatch Restore wakeup routine is with the Malibu Sunrise light and the Ocean Shore sound. I may explore more sounds but I really like the softer yellow-white light and probably won’t change that any time soon.
New Morning Routine: Making Your Bed
Everyone says this. I’m aware this isn’t revolutionary, but it works for me, so it’s worth mentioning. The concept isn’t entirely around having a made bed, but rather accomplishing a small task first thing in the morning.
That one simple task then becomes a gateway for checking bigger tasks off your list for the day. Plus, it just feels fantastic to get back into a crisply made bed at the end of your productive day. Trust me, take 30 seconds and make the bed!
Daily Matcha Latte
Long-time readers, you probably know that I can’t drink a lot of caffeine. Matcha lattes are my go-to morning beverage because the caffeine level can be adjusted more easily. Haters on Threads LOVE to comment on my large “green milk” saying it’s not even worth it with “that little bit of matcha” in it. But to that I say… yes it is, and live your life!
Matcha is green tea, which has phenomenal health benefits over coffee. Some highlights include helping lower cholesterol, providing lots of antioxidants and is rich with catechins that help break down body fat that can aid in weight loss. My matcha latte order is an iced matcha latte with sugar-free vanilla in whatever milk that coffee shop uses.
Pro Tip: If you’re a slow iced coffee/tea drinker, a small handheld strainer is clutch. Scoop out the extra ice before refrigerating for later so it doesn’t dilute your drink!
Give Your Skin Some Vitamin C
In late 2024, I made it one of my goals to find better skincare products. I’ve been using the same drugstore-grade products for over a decade. While they’re fine enough, I’m now 36 years-old and want products with more potency. After chatting with a knowledgable Ulta employee, I decided to try the Sunday Riley Jewel Box product sampler. The brand and products have great reviews and are very rich in the good stuff you want in your skincare.
For me specifically, I wanted products with real Vitamin C content because it’s fantastic for your skin. I’m also a huge advocate for retinol at night. So, my routine is Vitamin C-heavy products in the morning and retinol-heavy products before bed. This routine gives me glow during the day and anti-aging/repair overnight.
My favorite Sunday Riley products are the Luna Night Oil, Good Genes Serum, Night Eye Cream and CEO Serum. I use the CEO Serum (and the CEO Vitamin C oil) in the morning so I use the Good Genes serum only before bed.
Pro Tip: Always apply thinnest/lightest products first (like oils), then serums, and heaviest creams at the end. Thin oils won’t penetrate your skin through a heavy cream or moisturizer.
I’m still finishing my old moisturizers before purchasing my Sunday Riley equivalents. Will report back on those once I try them! Plus, this gives me time to watch for sales on some of these items because they are a bit pricy. I share deals I find on my Instagram and LTK, so keep an eye out for savings there!
New Morning Routine: Protein-Rich Breakfast
Admittedly, I’ve had Starbucks for breakfast more mornings this winter than I care to say. The weather made it rough to go places with the kids during their longer morning wake window, so many days it was either a car ride to Starbucks or a trip to Target just to get out of the house. Having never been a big breakfast food person, I don’t really make it either. So, Starbucks ended up being my go-to breakfast.
However, I’m nearly always making a smart choice there. The Spinach, Feta & Egg White Wrap is protein rich at 20g per wrap, and low in calories (only 290 calories for the whole thing). That’s what I order 99% of the time. The wrap is also vegetarian-friendly, and I like incorporating a few meatless meals into my weekly diet.
When we have breakfast at home, it’s because Kevin, our chief breakfast chef made meat in bulk for us. In which case, I’ll make myself whole wheat toast with avocado, everything seasoning and crispy bacon for some protein. Either of my main breakfast options are fantastic ways to kickstart your day with good nutrition and energy.
New Morning Routine: Preparing the Night Before
Remember setting your school clothes every night before going to bed? I sure do, and I still do it to this day. As I type, the outfit I’m wearing was laid out yesterday while putting away laundry to eliminate having to do it in the morning.
Some evenings I even set out my morning skincare products on the bathroom counter. It’s easy to do as I’m finishing my evening skincare routine and cuts out a step in my morning process. Which is great for me, because my brain is certainly not an early morning one!
Things To Do at Night for a Smoother Morning
- Lay out your clothes
- Place necessary skincare/beauty products out
- Set coffee maker to auto brew (don’t forget to put a cup under it!)
- Have a breakfast plan, or prep some of it if possible
- Make school and/or work lunches
- Pack backpacks, work, diaper or gym bags
- Ensure car has enough gas
Save this graphic to your Pinterest for an easy reference point for the list above:
Honestly, the theme of not hating mornings for me is to do as much as I can the night before. It’ll help make things run more smoothly when the time actually comes, especially if you have kids.
Let me know your best non-morning-person tips to avoid the daybreak dread in the comments!
