Welcome to the Early to Rise Challenge! Throughout the month of March, I’m challenging myself and my readers to make the most of their mornings. So every week day morning at 9 a.m. EST, I’m posting a short Early to Rise post. I’ll share a few of my thoughts on the day’s passage from Early to Rise, tell you what time I got up that morning, and encourage you to leave a comment to tell us what time you got up and how you’re doing on the challenge.
Adjust Your Attitude
Day 6 in the Early to Rise book is about adjusting your attitude. Andy talks about how he was feeling frustrated by his children waking up 15 minutes after he did.
Once he stopped viewing them as interruptions and started realizing this extra time with them was a gift, it changed his mindset completely. I love this — and think that this can be applied to many areas of our lives.
Remember how I encouraged you yesterday to expect interruptions? I said that because it’s something that has really changed how I approach life.
I used to get flustered when I was flying somewhere and there would be delays and cancellations. Six months ago, I decided to change my attitude. Now I expect that every time I travel, there will be unplanned-for delays.
When there are, I’ve already anticipated it, so it doesn’t throw me off course. When there aren’t, I feel like I’ve been given a gift. Either way, my attitude can stay positive and calm because I’ve planned on there being interruptions.
The same is true in my day-to-day life. I’ve started approaching my day expecting the unexpected. Expecting that someone is going to spill things, expecting that there are going to be delays and hang-ups to projects I’m working on, expecting that one or all of my children are going to need extra snuggling time or need correction for misbehaving… and on and on.
This is not because I’m being a Negative Nelly. This is because I’m being Realistic Ruth.
Life happens. Days are never perfect. And if I head into my day expecting it to be perfect, I’m going to be sorely disappointed and irritated when it’s not.
But when things go better than I expected, it feels like I’ve been given a wonderful gift. And I’m genuinely thankful about it. Because the day was better than I expected. 🙂
What about you? What areas of your life are constantly frustrating you? Maybe it’s that your child is constantly waking up before you expected them to, or the dryer that notoriously stops working every few days, or your co-worker who is always late. Can I challenge you to change your attitude about this interruption or frustration? Starting today, expect that it’s going to happen, roll with the punches when it does, and be profoundly grateful when it doesn’t.
Oh and if there’s something else you can do to fix the situation or prevent it from happening so often, do it. Sometimes, it’s not just our attitude that needs to change. Maybe we really and truly just need to buy a new dryer or something. 🙂
What Time Did You Get Up This Morning?
Me? I got up at 5:38 a.m.
What time did you get up? Leave a comment and let us know!
Join in the Chatter!
Want to blog about this challenge? If you’re blogging through this challenge with me, be sure to leave your link to your direct post for today below. Plus, if you’d like to post your daily posts to the Early to Rise Group Board on my Pinterest page, just shoot me an email (moneysavingmom @ gmail dot com) and I’ll invite you.
Want to follow along on Twitter or Instagram? Each week day morning on my Facebook Page, my Twitter account, and my Instagram account, I’ll be posting a picture of my alarm clock as public accountability. I’d love to have you do the same or join in the discussion on Twitter and Instagram. Just follow hashtag #EarlytoRise to see what others are tweeting and Instagramming about this challenge!
Ok so on day six which was yesterday, I was really feeling like giving up, I just could not or would not get up for nothing. It was soooooo hard for me. I now realize that I was setting my goal way to high for me and it was not working. So I went to bed earlier and FINALLY was able to get up 30 minutes earlier today rather than an hour later, which meant I really got up an hour and 1/2 earlier. I was so excited, after my alone time, I cooked breakfast got my kids started on there schoolwork with no issues, and I feel really great knowing that I did not give up!!! I know that accomplishing this challenge is going to do great things for me and believe that’s why it was so hard to start so not giving up was crucial for me and today was a milestone indeed. I hope this encourage someone who is thinking about or even has already given up that it’s not too late to get in or even get back in the game, remember “give yourself grace”
Yay! I’m so proud of you!
I love your mention of “Realistic Ruth.” I was sooo wanting to do this challenge but right now life just isn’t allowing for it. I thought I was going to be able to adjust some of my son’s care needs so that I could go to bed earlier and get up earlier and maybe squeeze in some time in the morning, but it didn’t work out. But I am using my quiet evening time better, while im finishing up his care, rather than squandering that precious time away so I guess I’m participating in an unorthodox way :-). I’m still reading along though and adapting some of the principles to fit my life as mom to a medically complex (and super amazing!) little boy. Looking forward to more good helpful nuggets along the way!
I love your attitude and how you’re being creative and doing the best you can do with your current situations. {Hugs!}
I am posting this as I head to bed! I awoke at 9:10 which gave me time to enjoy my coffee in peace. Tomorrow I hope to add more ideas from yesterday’s list now that I’ve had time to share them with my husband. My goal is 9:00. (Nine sounds so very, very late but I am so thankful to be able to tutor late at night in this time of my life! Everything coordinates so well with my husband’s schedule.)
Same time as usual 5:00 am and now I’m off to bed at 10:00 pm.
I guess part of me feels like I’m missing out on this aspect because I’m not married and I don’t have any children. So, I’m not really getting interrupted in the mornings.
Soooo glad to read this today. My biggest challenge in the mornings is that my kids seem to have a “sixth sense” of when I’m up and are usually bright-eyed and bushy-tailed just minutes after I’m up, no matter how early it is! I need to take the suggestion and view it as a blessing, as peaceful time together in the early hours of the morning. Just thinking of things from this perspective already puts me more at peace with the situation, even though I was soooo frustrated this morning when my children were up so early!
Thanks again, Crystal, for your kind encouragement. I appreciate it so much!
Yay! I’m so glad it was an encouragement to you!
Way to adjust accordingly. Amazing how our little blessings can bother us when our attitudes are messed up.
Hi! I loved this post! I love Realistic Ruth! 🙂 This is what I really need. I find I get real cranky when unexpected things pop up. I love the idea of looking at that time as a gift with your child. Not only do you change your attitude and behavior, but you also change your child’s. It is something I really needed to hear/read.
I have a nasty head cold and I slept until 6:45 am today (45 minutes past my goal). But I am starting to feel better so, I’ll try harder tomorrow.
Kate
Up at 6:05 today! Loving a relaxing start to a hectic day 🙂
5:29. I have to leave for work as soon as my kids get on the bus at 8 so I like to be showered and “coffeed” before they come down at 6:30. Makes my morning go so much smoother!
This challenge is a little frustrating to me, to be honest. I would like to get up earlier, but my daughter needs meds at ten and midnight (seizure meds..so she has to have them, and yes, I’ve tried adjusting the schedule, but this is the best schedule for her body to tolerate the meds). I can’t function on 5 hours of sleep, (not well at any rate!), so my usual schedule is asleep by 1..up by 7. Are my mornings productive? No..it’s a rush to get the older kids off to school, etc. Hearing everyone else say they are getting up at 5:30 and getting things done is discouraging me! I think I may have to embrace that for our family..getting up early is just not going to work right now…and that I don’t need to feel guilty! 🙂
{Hugs!} Maybe just skip over these posts this month, okay? The last thing you need is more guilt… it sounds like you are doing the best you can do with everything on your plate.
Amen to what Crystal said. You’ve got a very unique schedule so don’t put yourself in the same boat as the others with different situations. The owner of this site and the guy who wrote the book are giving you a pass!
and keep up the great work. You’re a great mom.
Crystal said you can skip it and I wrote the book and my advice is the same. Give yourself a break my friend! You’re doing your best and that’s good enough.
Yesterday involved a lot of attitude adjustment. Today was quieter (thank goodness), though I’m still dealing with the aftermath. By the way, if anyone has suggestions for finding something positive in a garage door opener grinding to a halt and showering sprockets everywhere, do let me know… :-/
Hmm, how about considering that having a garage instead of a carport means all the cool and important extra stuff you have stays drier and wind protected? I would say more secure too, but that does involve having a door opener that closes and locks huh?! Also, a garage means you don’t have to pay to store your stuff, leaving you with more money to fix the broken door, and/or maybe get a massage to help you deal with the stress caused by that. 😉 Let’s see…showering sprockets sproinking is evidence that you are blessed with indoor plumbing! We all take that “luxury” for granted in America. Sorry you had to deal with these issues Katie. Glad that today was smoother for you. Hope that trend continues tomorrow! Be blessed.
Love Realistic Ruth. She needs to come round my house more often!
🙂
my goal is 8:00, today I was up at 6:50! it’s been backing up a few minutes each day. 🙂
I’m still planning to get up by 6:30 AM daily, but did set my alarm for 6 AM today and got up then, since I had an early morning activity scheduled. I am still doing pretty well at getting to bed at a reasonable time.
Good job!
I was up at a very late 7:30. This whole week has been a disaster for me. I am fighting a sinus infection (and it has been winning) which I got about when the challenge started. That was unexpected. More unexpected was the loss of our gas and heat for 4 long days because of a gas leak. So I appreciate this post more than you know. I plan to join the challenge in earnest when I am feeling better and not beat myself up about it until then. I also homeschool and had to chuckle about the Mom mentioning her homeschool days not going as planned. I thought that was everyday? I am learning slowly to enjoy the time educating my children more than finishing everything I planned.
I’m so sorry about your sinus infection. Those are rough! 🙁
I was up at 5:15am! Woot!! I actually plan on getting a post on mornings written soon, but more about how my rising early helps my children have a great morning as well. The difference is night and day! Crazy!
I love that rising early helps your children have a great morning, too!
Realistic Ruth, checking in! 🙂
😉
My goal is 6. Today was a very “different” day. My kids school was cancelled for today and my husband stayed home b/c of snow. My dear husband got up with the kids so I got to sleep in and just relax in bed until 9 am! That happened so infrequently!!! 🙂 Also, loved the reminder about not feeling frustration toward our children when they “mess up” our schedule. My main frustration is when people make plans with you and then change the plans at the last minute and don’t even seem to care how it affects others involved. I know that shows how selfish I can be, but it is something I need to change my attitude on as I am a very schedule oriented person. 🙂 Thanks for the reminders!
6:30 for me today. I’m married but we don’t have kids, but I try not to let my husband bother me in the mornings, hehe :). Usually I’m up before him but not this morning, since he had to go to work early. We’ve both been pretty good about getting up early this month even though he’s not participating in the challenge.
My cellphone powered off in the middle of the night last night because I forgot to charge it so I was fairly content to wake up at 5:43 without my alarm and still get some me time before the kids woke up. With this challenge I have been setting my cellphone alarm for 5AM. I am pretty much satisfied with my wake up time if I am up before my kids. I don’t function as well when I am woken up by my kids because I like to ease into my day–even if easing in is just 10 minutes to stretch and pour my coffee before they start to stir.
5:34. Goal is 5:30. Go me!
What a great post. It’s so true. I’ve been meeting the challenge and getting up at 5:50am with my husband to workout. I’ve been tired, but it’s worth it. My son has also started getting up which was disappointing me. This helps put it in perspective! However, I think I’ll make sure the blackout shades are pulled and try to enforce a “no one gets out of bed until 7:30!” rule for the kids.
Up at 5:35. My attitude is pretty good so far during the days, but I’m finding that I get more tired and irritable than usual in the evenings. It’s good motivation for me to get to bed early, and my husband doesn’t really protest (probably because I obviously need the sleep!) 🙂
Today was a snow day for DCPS, so I had the day off. I allowed myself grace to sleep in! After I woke up around 8sh, 9ish?, I continued my morning practice – readng ETR, my Lent devotional, and the Circle Maker. I was able to do my first reading of Proverbs and pray. Made those awesome pecan oatmeal pancakes you blogged about a while back. Sigh, if only all days could be like this!!
Crystal you are in my mind because those consistently late coworkers annoy me to no end! Several things e do require a joint effort, so when they are late I feel like my day is thown off. Beginning tomorrow (I doubt we have another snowday), I will expect their lateness and continue with my day, making the necessary adjustments.
Alarm went off at 6am, I was out of bed at 6:28am. Yes there is room for improvement, but I’m putting a check in the win column for it considering the sleep interruptions I had last night. And my morning still went smoothly, so definitely a win.
My frustrations: are my 3 year old acting like a 3 year old (yes, I know this sounds horrible), but I am working very hard at being kind and patient with him because I know that he is little and it’s my job to teach him; having my sleep interrupted constantly by this pregnancy as well as my son, who is not a great sleeper…but I have recently learned to accept that I will not get a solid nights sleep for a long time and this pregnancy and my son are both a blessing and it has helped ease my frustrations a lot; and lastly my very, very anxious dog who drives me insane…not sure how to change my attitude about this one.
Being a mama to a 3-year-old is hard. Hang in there. I wish I could have you over for coffee to just encourage you with all you have on your plate right now!
Aw Sarah, I will pray for patience to “endure your blessings”. 😉 I find it helps to take a few deep breaths (through the nose, out through the mouth) when I am feeling frustrated (it really does help you to calm yourself, and the extra oxygen helps you to think more clearly) and remember this mantra: this too shall pass. Nothing is forever. That thought has gotten me through the start of some pretty rough days in my life. (Also if you are a bible reader, then the verse I lean on in those times may help too ” I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.”) Sleep will come, probably sooner than you expect, meanwhile grab power naps when you can. Congrats on your “win” today! 🙂
Have to say I do LOVE preschoolers, and three year olds are my absolute favorite age. 🙂 I know, easier to do when they are not with you 24/7, and waking you up in the wee hours! However, consider that they are potty trained (usually) old enough to have good verbal skills, but too young to be the “know it all” that an older child can be. They see the world though wondering eyes, are always curious, (though never patient) and they can say and do the darndest and funniest things. But they can also wear you OUT!! No need to apologize for being honest here, it’s not “horrible”, quite understandable really.
I’ve known terrific twos who were terrible threes, and vise versa. Each child is so unique, and God in His sovereign wisdom chooses us to raise each one. (btw: now that I have teens, I’ve decided they are really just overgrown preschoolers…with hormones! Don’t despair though. You will be plenty experianced and prepared by then.) It is so hard to set consistent guidelines, discipline (teach) a child and provide loving, patient parental care when you are tired AND preggo. Just do the best you can, especially on the challenging days, and know that there is grace to cover each day.
Btw: I hear you on the dog situation. Hubby was out of town the past 4 days and one of ours decided she missed him terribly and HAD to come snuggle with mama on Tuesday, at 4:25 in the morning, UGH! (My wake up time is 6:30, or 6:45) Just gotta luv those furry kids too. 😉
Got up at 5:30a !
My husband usually works nights, and for a few weeks now he has been working day shift. I’ve found when he is on nights I don’t go to be when he should, and when he is on days I go to bed with him. I’ve still been getting up at the same time (6 a.m.) but it’s amazing to see how much better I feel when I go to bed earlier. I also get up easier … no need for the snooze button! I need to remember this and not let other things distract me at night and keep me from taking care of myself.
5:30!
Loved today’s challenge! A GREAT read. Our attitude really can make a big difference.
I want to embrace my kids interruptions. It can be SO hard, but I need to work on it!
I am not feeling well today so although I woke up at 6:30 I stayed in bed to get some extra rest.
My biggest interruption has always been my son getting up too early. Now I’ve learned to accept that he is a morning person just like me and make sure he has things to do when he wakes up (like listening to his audio book or special toys to play with) so I can have my quiet time. 🙂
Epic fail for me today. Baby was up at 4:45, then woke up 4yo. Baby went back to bed with bottle, 4yo wanted something to eat. I sat with him while he enjoyed a granola bar then he came back to bed with me. In his process of finding a comfortable position he woke up 2yo who had spent the night in my bed. Fortunately, daddy was already awake and on the couch so I sent her down to him. I was exhausted — I was woken up several times throughout the night from husband snoring and baby seems to be going through a phase of frequent middle of the night wake ups — and had that I’m-so-tired-I-feel-sick-to-my-stomach feeling and desperately wanted to sleep just a little longer. So I did, knowing full well I was totally giving the hand to the challenge. I woke up over 45 min past my goal time of 5:30 and hit the shower 20 past goal shower time of 6am. Late to work (7min). Total, toal fail today. 🙁
Still trying to figure out how to have a better attitude about frequent wake ups. It makes for extremely difficult mornings.
I think it’s just a matter of reframing it … you had a shower before work (success!) … you made it to work ONLY 7 minutes late (success!) … and you listened to your body when you knew you needed more sleep (success!).
I hope the rest of your day goes smoothly … and your night tonight is peaceful. 🙂
Ah, YES! Perspective. It’s so lost on me sometimes! Thank you for the focus adjustment 🙂
Thanks for the great reminder! I shifted to an early morning schedule at the beginning of the year after realizing my late night ‘work’ sessions were unproductive, impacting my health and marriage. Today’s post is an especially great reminder that my children are not interruptions, they are blessings who long for time with me. Attitude and perception have so much to do with the outcome of a day.
5:56. If the baby wakes to nurse after 5, I just stay up. This morning she let me sleep until almost 6. My kids have always been early risers, so I’ve become one too 🙂
I love “Realistic Ruth”!
This has been my worst day in attitude, but it went to better later than usual. I was shooting for 4:10, because my last Starbucks morning I got up at 4:12 (eventually working towards 4am). But I didn’t get out of bed until 4:17. I still had plenty of time, I just found myself feeling disappointed in myself. However, I’m trying to just be excited about the fact that 4:17 is still WAY better from where I was before I started this challenge.
I don’t have any interruptions really – but I am bad about expectations. I am such a planner – I always play out in my head how I expect a certain situation will go and when it doesn’t go that way, I feel disappointed/pouty. After reading the Love Dare, that was the first time I realized there was a problem with all my expectations. I loved what you said Crystal about not having those expectations, and to expect the unexpected, and when things go well, you’ve been given a wonderful gift. What a lovely way to view life. Thank you for that – viewing things this way will definitely help me work on my attitude! 🙂
Up today at 5:30am. Quick morning prayer for the day, shower, ate breakfast that my wonderful hubby made me, got my older daughter ready and dropped at school and off to work. It’s been going well. Me and my husband are doing a workout/paleo challenge and he got up early to ride our spin bike so that extra motivation/accountability helps out a lot.
I have been doing the challenge too and so far have been able to get up by 6:30 every morning….sure enough my kids keep waking up at 6:45! lol It doesn’t bother me as much as I expected, I just give them a warm good morning and a hug. Then we snuggle by the woodstove to get warmed up and they eventually go play or start chores for the day. I am usually just reading the bible or another book so snuggling isn’t a problem.;) Would I rather have that time alone? Yes probably, most days just so I can think deeper and focus on what I am reading better but snuggling is sure nice too. Also I get to have much better goodbye kisses with my husband when I am up earlier, I get about 10-15 mins with him before he takes off and he LOVES me being up when he leaves for some reason. I had no idea that meant so much to him. Bonuses all around, I also notice more energy throughout the day so far.;) Homeschool is going better, things I am doing in ministry are going better, and I feel less overwhelmed with housework. Thanks for doing this challenge!
Crystal, there is such wisdom in your words. Thank you for blessing my day!
Thank you so much for your kind encouragement!
Yup, she’s smart.
Goal time is 6:00 but I got up at 6:30. At least I was able to shower and dress before kids woke. And I just recently I decided to use 12:00 for reading/praying so I can have my quiet time today that I missed this morning.
Thanks for the reminder that children are not interruptions but blessings. Although my two year old is testing that this morning!
6:30! I have to be easy on the getting out of bed, as I’m in my first trimester with baby #2 and have awful morning sickness. Fortunately, my 11 month old loves her sleep. 🙂
6:15 again…..No interruptions as the kids are all older. I get so much accomplished in the morning now! Thank you for the challenge, sometimes, that is all we need.
First day I didn’t get interrupted by kids. I was a few minutes shy of an hour by myself. So nice. Of course I am setting my alarm for an early time each day. Alarm will be set for 5:30 tomorrow. So crazy. I never thought I’d get up that early when I didn’t have to.
Thanks for this reminder! Its hard right now to ever have my Bible/prayer time alone since my baby has been waking up earlier lately.
My youngest came into my room at 5:40am. First I was irritated because I knew when my alarm went off at 5:55am, he’d be awake and following me around. But it was just fine. He is snuggling on the couch watching Disney channel while I have my morning time. Today’s “lesson” was perfect timing. My kids are not interruptions, but my sweet angels who are always welcome to join me, no matter what time it is. 🙂
My kids ALWAYS wake me up by climbing into bed within a few minutes of my alarm going off. Hate that…but hey, gotta roll with it. Great job!
I had an interruption last night just after I had gotten to sleep. In years past I would have tossed and turned and worried about how am I going to get back to sleep and kept myself awake much longer. But to my own surprise I just let it go and then fell back to sleep.
This is a real attitude change for me. I have been working on changing my attitude in other areas of my life. I am trying not to be negative but to be accepting that my day (or night) may not go as planned and that is ok. I saw the fruit of that effort last night.
While I did wake up on my own at 4:11 this morning I pondered for a moment, just a moment about getting up and starting my day. But I decided to wait for my alarm instead.
So I got up this morning at 6:24.
I get up at 5:15 a.m. on weekday mornings. When my oldest daughter started middle school our morning schedule changed because she has to be at school by 7:20. My youngest has to be at school at 8:20. Since I drive them to school, the staggered schedule was disrupting the schedule I followed to get things done for my blog and my home. I felt like I needed an extra hour in the day and realized I could get that hour if I started getting up earlier in the day. So that’s what I did. I’ve learned to adjust my schedule to what works.
Adjusting your attitude to expect interruptions is also a very good point. Learning to roll with it and see interruptions as opportunities to slow down helps you enjoy life more.
Earlier this week I ran over a pair of pliers while taking my oldest to school and they ended up embedded in one of my tires. As a result, I was blessed with the kindness of a stranger who stopped and changed my tire for me and witness how God always meets our needs and cares for us. If I had allowed myself to get frustrated by the interruption, I may have missed the beauty of it.
I love your last paragraph! How wonderful that you could see the blessing in the difficulty. “If I had allowed myself to get frustrated by the interruption, I may have missed the beauty of it.” Perfectly said.
And you got a free pair of pliers!
FANTASTIC Post !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We ALL need to be reminded of this. I say reminded, because if we are truthful the Spirit has been telling us this since the beginning !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The JOURNEY is the journey !!!
You’re so right that attitude is everything. Traffic along my commute to work is frequently my frustration. Currently we live 23 miles from where my husband and I work. This is an area that we are working on changing not only our attitudes, but the situation. Our goal is to move much closer in a year, but in the mean time, I don’t want to spend the next year constantly irritated! So I try to think of the hour each way commute as extra time I get to chat with my husband since we car pool to work together 4 of 5 days of the week.
I woke up at 5:12am today. Today was my day where waking up on time (5am) was a challenge as I did not get to bed early enough last night. But even with my 12 minute delay I was able to accomplish the 5 things I like to do to set my day up for success, so I suppose the 12 minutes wasn’t much of a delay after all. 🙂
Still debating whether I should blog about it… I got up at 6:56am today. After agonizing over why I need to get up so early for 10 minutes…
My attitude is changing and I am thankful. I don’t look at the alarm clock as long in the mornings now. That is a plus. I still need to work on my attitude about going to bed a little earlier to where I get enough sleep. 🙂
I woke up at 4:30 a.m. to the sound of the heavy winds slamming the unlocked outside fence door into our bedroom wall. I jumped up, put on my snow boots and coat and locked it and decided it was close enough to 5a.m. to stay up. Well, my 2 year old son woke up as well and this was all unexpected so I had an immediate need to change my attitude. Instead of my normal quiet morning routine with every activity in its timed order, I prioritized my frightened and seemingly sleep deprived son first. So the time block I would have spent reading, I spent rocking and calming my son back to sleep. It was just as well and once he was fast asleep, I was able to drink my coffee, read my Early to Rise challenge for the day, read some of Proverbs, exercise, get a shower, and get my husband off to work. I just shortened each by a few more minutes to make up for the blessed moments I got to spend with my little man. I love this idea of approaching the day with a different attitude. I also interpret this as thriving with change and hope I can continue to push myself to always be improving in this area of my life. Thank you for another inspiring message Crystal and Andy.
Wow…I think YOU are the one who’s doing the inspiring today! Good job mom.
Thank you for this! It might not be related to early mornings but our family is going to be relocating across the country for about a year for my husband’s job…..just found out less than two weeks ago, decided last week, and still waiting on details to leave in about a month. Needless to say it is an unanticipated change of plans!! I keep wondering why this is happening, seems like just an “interruption” of everything in our lives…..but this is a good reminder that this is our LIFE and not an interruption of it. Plus, Southern California will definitely be an upgrade in scenery, weather, and activities! I need to focus on the fun adventure part and not the stress of all the details to be settled, the things to get done, and the unknowns of a place we’ve never been. Praying for peace and a change of mindset about this!
Good luck with your move! This challenge sounds like a lovely opportunity to create new friends and new memories. It’s probably also an opportunity to declutter a little since nobody wants to move with excess! I wish you and your family the best!
Yes! I love how you’re trying to focus on the blessings instead of being overwhelmed and frustrated at the unexpected!
5:09 today. Working my way to 5am.
I love this word you had today. I am a stay at home mom & i homeschool so i try not to take on too many outside commitments. When my homeschool day doesn’t go as I think it should go (uninterrupted) I get grumpy about it. I will work on changing my attitude & allow interruptions in my day. I will do as you said, roll with the punches when they do arise and be grateful when they don’t . I think planning to leave extra early will help take care of the interruptions as well, something I never plan. My hubby is still working on me 😉
I totally understand how easy it is to get grumpy when life doesn’t go as planned!
I was tested on this today, just hours after I read this . My 6 yr old spilled her red fruit juice all over the counter & it spilled over into a drawer & a cabinet!! I started to get upset about the mess because it “interrupted” my time during my other daughter’s math lesson, but the word you had, came to my remembrance. I took a breath and just cleaned it up. It sure helps to prepare yourself for interruptions. One day these spills won’t occur anymore & I will probably laugh at them. In fact, as I was cleaning it, my oldest daughter & I were laughing at the unfortunate circumstance. Thanks again for such a timely manner in today’s blog.
SUPER MOM! Way to go.
My children are grown, so I don’t have the “kids” issue to deal with. As I mention in my blog post today, one of my greatest challenges with this challenge is going to bed early enough to get enough rest. Last night, my DH wanted me to stay up with him, so I did. THAT was my call for “attitude adjustment”.. especially when I was so TIRED this morning. Alarm went off at 4:27, but I didn’t crawl out of bed for nearly 15 minutes. First time I’ve done that since the challenge began… but tonight’s another opportunity to get to bed EARLY!! 🙂
6:12 am and I really liked your “Realistic Ruth”! It’s so helpful to consider interruptions (and especially children) as something to be expected, rather than as merely an “interference” to my goals.
My barrier today: an on-coming cold. I got up a little later than ususal (5:42am) and accomplished pretty much nothing before my kids got up. Oh well. Tomorrow is another day and it will go better! :~)
6:50. I gave myself a break today. I have lots of interruptions, not just in the morning, but throughout my day. I have just taught myself not to view my child as an interruption. He’ll be grown in a blink.
6:30am… even though it’s my day off! (This is a big deal, since I almost always sleep in if I don’t have to be at work).
Way to go!
This is a huge barrier for me getting up in the mornings! It seems that no matter how early I get up, little feet are soon to be pitter-pattering down the hall. Usually it’s only one of 4 though, so I am trying to see it as special alone-time with that child…even if it means I don’t get that blog post finished or those emails answered right away.
That’s beautiful. Great attitude. Now if only you can distract them for a bit so you can read etc.
I actually give my kids a time that they are allowed up. Before that time, they are to remain in bed and try to sleep. For little ones, put a nightlight on a timer… When light is on, they are to remain in bed. If off, they can get up. It has always worked great for me. That said, I’m sure it can be hard to implement in a shared room situation. But maybe they are required to quietly read somewhere until a certain time. Just a thought!
Love your attitude, Dani!