Our mornings maxed
When it comes to parenting, there are very few things I can say I've mastered. I can't figure out how to get my kids' naps to synch up. I can't get Caroline to crawl forward instead of backwards. I can't get Jude to do a number two on the toilet. However, one thing that I can say I've mastered is maximizing our morning. The kids wake up around 9:30 a.m. and we, as a family, hit the ground running.
If I were a morning person, I'd set my alarm for 7 a.m. and have two+ hours of uninterrupted me-time before the little ones start stirring, but alas, since Caroline is not yet sleeping through the night (meaning I'm up with her at midnight, 4 a.m., and 7 a.m.), this lady chooses to sleep in as long as possible. No need to set an alarm; hearing my kids through their baby monitors gets me going. Because they sleep until 9 or 9:30, and because I typically want us out the door by 10 a.m., I am a pro at maximizing what's left of our mornings.
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Our typical weekday mornings look like this:
7 a.m.: Caroline cries out for morning milk. I do a big nursing session in her room and put her back down for two more hours of snoozing. I go back to bed myself.
9:30: Jude gets out of bed and turns off his white noise machine. This jolts me (and Noodles) awake. I bolt up, knowing I have only a few minutes until he starts calling out to me, thus waking Caroline who has the room right next to his. 
9:31: I'm a night showerer, so I quickly brush my teeth, wash my face, and then moisturize my face and body. Vaseline Spray & Go enables me to spray my body lotion on and get dressed immediately. On workout days, my exercise pants go on instantly. On non-workout days, I shimmy into my skinny jeans without waiting for my lotion to dry.
9:35: I put on a little make-up (foundation, blush, and eyeliner), pull down the bun I've slept in, and I greet Jude at his door. I quickly change diapers and get both kids downstairs.
9:45: I let Caroline work on crawling in the living room while I get Jude situated in his high chair in the kitchen. I give him a yogurt while I heat up a sausage link and toast him a piece of raisin bread. While he eats and watches birds at the bird feeder, I nurse Caroline if she seems hungry again.
10:00: We're out the door, either meeting a friend for a walk around the lake or a romp on the playground or we make a trip to the store. We often grab lunch while we're out or we're back home by 11 for lunch and Caroline's first nap.
We try to get out of the house every single day so we can enjoy our city together. What's helped my family is having certain weekday rhythms and go-to items that help this non-morning person get the ball rolling: speed inducing beauty products like Vaseline Spray & Go, dark skinny jeans with a fitted top, and a swipe of bright lipstick help me look good and feel good. 
I can get ready and get two kids up and out the door in 30 minutes flat. How about y'all? Do you speed out the door or are your mornings a little more leisurely? 
For more info, please visit MaxtheMorning.com. Thank you so much for supporting the companies that support my family.
