In Defense of Mornings

I have a confession: I love the mornings. Now, before I go on, do not get me wrong: This girl loves sleep. I adore sleep. It's truly one of life's best medicines. Sleep is my hobby, naps are my love language, and I will splurge on high thread count sheets because dayuuuum. BUT, lately? I've been having a thing for mornings. Most mornings (not all, mind you!), I like to wake before Hank and engage in my early morning "rituals." Now in the school year this all became a bit more rushed but as winter morphed into spring, it got lighter earlier and it was the best thing ever.

Here's a little rundown of my ideal morning:
-Wake up before my boys and creep downstairs
-Here I either go to the gym and commence "me time" after working out or I'll workout after, I'm flexible! But morning workouts have been my thing lately. One, I workout harder because I'm not as exhausted from the day and two, then it's DONE!
-Open all the blinds
-Brew some coffee/grab a big glass of ice water (I try and drink 2 big glasses with breakfast) and now that I'm on summer break I am free to pee anytime! #teacherlife
-Read my devotion of the day from Everyday Holy (I used to read Savor by Shauna Niequist but after a few years I got sick of the stories so I'm loving mixing it up with this new one from Melanie Shankle)

-Tidy the kitchen and living room /wipe the counters
-Turn on some music (Pandora fave stations include: Banana Pancakes, Coldplay, Joshua Radin, Chris Stapleton, and sometimes Jazz--a pretty eclectic variety)
-Check the baby monitor and give a quick prayer of Thanksgiving for my sweet baby boy AND the fact that he's sleeping peacefully still!
-I am a list girl! In the mornings I make my list for the day: laundry I want to do, any errands I want to run, etc. It helps me feel accomplished to have a clear sense of what needs to be done in a day.
-Cook up something to eat! I love a big breakfast and I am a HUGE fan of eggs. I either scramble up some eggs with peanut butter toast, make a bowl of oatmeal with berries, or whip up some avocado toast. I sit at the kitchen table and enjoy.

-I love to write in the mornings and if, by some stroke of luck, Hank is still snoozing, I work on some blog posts or simply journal.
-The internets: Lest you think I just engage in devotionals and quiet reflection time, I also browse some of my fave websites in the morning: Pinterest, blogs I follow, KSL, Buzzfeed, Zillow, Bachelor(ette) recaps, check my email etc.

My morning time is sacred to me. It's worth it to me some days to set the alarm a bit earlier and engage in some quiet self care and a yummy breakfast. The sun streaming through the windows and starting my day with a good mindset sets the tone for whatever unfolds that day. And now,  I must be off.....I hear a sweet 6 month old practicing using his new found singing voice on the monitor!

My set up as I wrote this very post! 

Savor Your Sparkle,
Leslie