Monday mornings used to fill my body with dread.

The relative freedom of the weekend is O.V.E.R and now it’s back to the morning rush, work obligations and to-do lists.

There’s no magical elixir that will change that reality. Weekends can be awesome and yes, Mondays can really, really tough. 

Jackie invited me to write this post because I have found a way to soften the smack-down that Monday mornings often deliver. (And no, I’m not the parent who sets a 5am alarm so I can workout and make muffins before my kids get up!)

For me, softening the blow starts with waking myself, waking my home and getting the day started with warmth and love for my family.

How could I make Monday mornings as good as the weekend?

I started by thinking about what makes the weekends so good: slow wake-ups, lazy breakfasts, morning cartoon binge… The best part was being together in our home. Mondays kind of broke up that groove.

How can I smooth the transition and start my day with a little bit of that bliss?

I’m often the first up and make my rounds rousing my kids, which sometimes includes turning on the blinding lights for my slumbering tween boy. I make my way downstairs waking our home, turning on lights and morning radio.

A nutritious, yet savoury, breakfast together

I made the conscious choice to give myself a few extra minutes to make my kids a decent breakfast. The smell of breakfast wakes me, gets the kids downstairs and is a warm wake-up for our whole home.

It’s no Saturday pancake platter, but it is something I can put on the table that gets their day started with some love and nutrition. 

Then I considered the blissful weekend slow-start.

How do I fix that? It was easy. I sit down with my kids at the kitchen bar in the true heart of our home. The simple act of sitting slows me down enough to be able to really listen and take in the moment.

A send-off with love

Finally, the exit from our home.

Like most parents I’m all, “where’s your coat? Do you have your homework?”, but I give them enough time to scramble around collecting what they need. When everyone’s put together, we meet at the front door where I finish with a small, but meaningful, ritual.

I use aromatherapy in my home, almost like a lovely fragrance my home “wears” every day. So as my kids leave, I give them a few spritzes of an aromatherapy spray. Then we hug, like really hug, and say, “goodbye, I love you, make it good.”

For sure some mornings are a dumpster fire, but more often than not, they go according to my intentions.

Our family and our home is much sweeter for it.