Honey and Vanilla Brown Rice Flour Pancakes

Not too long ago I was faced with the reality that I had to make a permanent change regarding my morning routine. My kids have always been early risers and nothing beats having them stumble into my room to wake me up. I would snuggle with them for a bit before I started my day. It was clearly one of my favorite times of the day, which was why I fought so hard not to part with it.

As sweet and special as that time was to me, that little spot of time in the morning was causing havoc for my mornings. A few minutes would turn into a lot of minutes and when I would attempt to leave, I would be met with sad faces pleading me not to go. I am a huge sucker and would crawl back into bed to watch a cartoon with them for just a few more minutes. Then before I knew it, I would look a the clock and go into full panic mode.

The rest of my morning would be a whirlwind of rushing the kids through breakfast, rushing them to get dressed and then rushing them out the door to school. I hated all the rushing, but I felt like a bad mom if I didn’t give them my full attention in the morning. Then I started to realize that no one was happy being rushed and it was more important for me to provide as calm and organized a morning as possible.

I reluctantly set my alarm much earlier than them the next day and forced myself to go for my run before they woke up. Over the winter I had gotten into the habit of running after I dropped them off at school. This resulted in me being rushed for the rest of my day. As a mom that works from home, the handful of hours are vital to me. If I can’t complete my work during that time, that means I’m finishing it after they go to bed.

I knew that starting my day long before their eyes popped open, was the only way to break the endless cycle of rushing and everything getting pushed back. Since I have made this simple change everyone’s morning runs much more smoothly and calmly. I start my day with a run, I catch up on my emails from the night before and most mornings I even have time to make them a yummy breakfast before I send them on their way.