Good Morning Pretty World

While it may sound like I'm trying to draw your attention to the lovely sky, or the birds chirping (regardless of the hour), or the kids laughing in between shrieks, or to the possibility of a beautiful day full of opportunities....

I'm not.  

I mean all that is awesome!!!  And I do mean for you to find the beauty and joy everywhere, but this four word phrase is so much more than a greeting.

G-Gratitude

M-Meditation/Centering

P-prayer/planning

W-workout

 

Let me break it down for you. 

**crucial note: DO NOT touch your phone until you complete this if at all possible.  Science people.  Once distracted and your head gets filled with input this is incredibly hard to quiet down and refocus your energy! 

Gratitude

-I 54321 and leap out of bed (go see this post for that)

-If I am wide awake and don't need to leap, I may stay in bed for a few minutes if my hubby is home that time and lay a hand on him and say thank you to God for him.  Then I thank my husband for working so hard for us, for loving me through all my struggles, for his support, for his kind heart, for his generosity to others, and for being just the most amazing father ever.  I do this in my head.  

*If I DO need to leap out of bed or he isn't home, I say those things as I get up and head towards the bathroom.

- I then peek at kids or simply think of them as I head to the kitchen to make my tea.  How grateful I am for every moment I get to witness, for their unique spirits, for their huge hearts, their wit, their goofy ways, and a million other things.

-As I make my tea I am grateful for having my awesome kitchen, for the keurig, for my bag of Earl Grey tea which is going to make my life infinetly better in just minutes.  

-I drink my tea relishing the peace and quiet, loving on my dogs and cats for a minute and simply breathing. 

Meditation

-this kind of blends with the last two up there (think of this as an ombre transition) I start to center my thoughts from gratitude toward mindfulness.

-I do a body check and see if there is anything I need to focus on releasing muscle wise.

-I practice clearing my mind for a couple mins.

**FULL DISCLOSURE** I suck at traditional meditation.  NO LIE.  I cannot empty my mind for all the gold in China.  

-Then I do MY version of meditation.  I put on one of my Audio books.  Lately, 5 second rule.  I listen fully absorbing each word as I drink my tea.  Sometimes it's 5 mins, sometimes 15.

Prayer/Planning

 **Important: I want to make something known and understood.  I am a Christian.  As in one who followed what CHRIST said, you know "love one another" "judge not" "feed/clothe the homeless" "joyful giving" etc.  SO in that vein, I have ZERO care or judgement of anyones identity, sexual orientation, religious views, etc.  I am an Ally, hardcore.  I have prayed with Muslims and my childrens "god parents" are Atheists.  Why them? They embody the way Christ asked us to live, and they would make sure our children were raised in faith if we were to pass.  SO when I reference God and Prayer, that is MY belief and yes I hope everyone finds God, but I don't care a fig what your beliefs are! Prayer for you might be reflection within. It might be a devotional.  It might be a matter of checking your own emotional allignment.  EVERYONE is welcome here. 

Prayer

-I sit down with my devotional and read the days page.  Sometimes I will then open my bible and do a little more research.  I am HUGE on etymology (study of words and origins based on time period/original meanings etc) which means getting down to words REAL meanings.  For instance so many hebrew words were shortened etc in translations.  Fear back then meant "respect/glory and awe and to be stunned by".  Hence Fear God =respect and see the awe.  You are wonderfully and fearfully made=you are gloriously and stunningly made.  Burden is another word they used to replace the other words.  There were two words that meant "burden".  One meant your responsibilities (shoulder your burden).  The other meant a soul crushing weight (lighten others burdens).  So yeah, words and faith are a big deal to me. 

-If I have a particular thing I'm struggling with I may ask for guidance. 

-I say thank you for my blessings

-I pray for those who I know need prayers

Planning

-I have a Happy Planner and I swear to you it is my lifemate.  If I don't use it, we all go down in a flaming ball of fiery doom.   

-I open to the day and review the plans and time needed for them.  Then I look at my daily focus and any particular things I need to get done on the side.  I write them down on my white board in the kitchen (the individual tasks for just me).  I keep it limited to 5 a day.  THAT IS IT.  NO WAY can I live my life the way I want to with more.  And that may be "laundry, dishes, make dinner, workout, and write".  Das is all-as gonzalles.   See I have fibromyalgia which, no doesnt define me but, puts limits on my energy expendable each day (see the spoons theory).  Instead of being angry that I can't do all I want anymore, I am working with it.  Amazingly, that means I don't hurt and feel broken most days anymore.  Shocker what happens when you listen to your body instead of fighting it! 

-I make kids lunches-this is planning folks and you know it!

-once I have been able to feel focused and like I have a grip on the day we go to.....

Workout

-This one is super crucial for me because if I don't do it now, I ain't gonna. Period. I have learned that out of the 50 times I'll try to workout at night or during the day, 48 times I will end up not doing it.  However, 50 times I aim for morning workout, 48 times I'll do it. SO that said, this is crucial!

-Also scientifically they show that moving your body before starting work increases productivity, boosts mood, and lowers stress! 

-I am doing Beach Body because their workouts WORK.  I also make sure that I have my shakeology once a day.  Is this shake mandatory? nope.  Does it utterly change my health? oh yes. If you want more details on how it works, feel free to go check it out here.

-So I get my ass up from the table or kitchen island, closing my planner etc, grab a bottle of water and press Play. 

Then I am ready to greet my kiddos with joy, peace, a sense of accomplishment, and FAR less stress regarding the rest of the day!  

Does this seem like it takes forever? Well it doesn't! It takes me about 1.5hrs.  Including workout etc.  So I get up at 5.  Yeah some days the first few mins SUCK, but 54321 and up I get.  3 mins later I'm fine. So at 630 when kids get up (yup 1.5hrs before school) we have time to leisurely get ready, do some yoga together, have breakfast, and happily connect on the way to school.  The peace is BEYOND worth the extra hour of sleep I choose to give up.  Don't believe me? Try it for 30 days.  I challenge you.  Set the alarm, get up, and go.  30 days.  Let me know how it works! I DARE YOU, in fact I DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU!  (oooooooooo)😮