Saturday, April 26, 2014

How A Traditional Wife Begins Her Day


Recently, I had someone ask me what my day looks like- with homeschooling, work, kid, classes, activities, husband, dogs etc- it is certainly busy.  Every Mother and every family has their own routine, but it you're looking for something new or wanting to incorporate a few health routines or even just curious how other Moms do things- I hope you'll read on.  Below is simply how I start my morning, I haven't included the entire day- I'll save that for another post!

My day typically begins at 7am.  Some mornings I have to be up at 5:30 for work, but I try to avoid those days.  Sleep is super important.  I cannot stress this enough!  Busy Moms and parents, you simply must make it your priority to get at least 8 hours of sleep.  Being well rested will help you preform better at work, causes less stress to your body, gives you patience when dealing with difficult children and bonus- it helps you look good!

This is the Coconut Oil I use,
I wash my face and put some coconut oil on and sometimes I use that same coconut oil for oil pulling.  I usually average 3-4 days per week.  Do this in the morning before brushing your teeth or eating.  If I'm oil pulling that morning, then I will come downstairs, open the curtains, let the dogs out all while still oil pulling.  I've learned it's easiest to do if you are a little distracted with other things.  Do this for at least 10 minutes then spit it out & rinse with saltwater.  If I don't oil pull, then I simply brush my teeth and come downstairs.  Once I'm downstairs- before I have any coffee or breakfast, I drink my Apple Cider Vinegar.  I do this every single morning.  One tablespoon ACV to one cup water.


Use Bragg's Organic Unfiltered, Raw ACV
So before I've even had a cup of coffee, I've already done a few things that are very beneficial to my health.  Oil pulling is amazing for your teeth, prevents cavities and decay and great for your overall health.  Apple Cider Vinegar helps to alkalize your body, prevents against disease, helps with sinus issues, clears up your skin....really, I could go on and on.  I will also prep a glass of ACV for the husband to have when he comes downstairs.

Once I'm finally ready for my cup of coffee, I will sit and read work emails, log on to my work chat for my at-home customer service job, get on Facebook and try to have a few minutes of quiet to myself.  Not always possible, but I try.

By 8am, it's time for me to start feeding people.  First I make my husband's lunch and then begin on feeding our 2 dogs.  They eat mainly people food that I make from scratch each week- we call it "Puppy Stew" and it's SO much better for your pets then commercial dog food.  Fresh meat, lots of veggies, pasta, lentils, barley, or rice- and they LOVE it!  Once the dogs are happily eating, I make breakfast for us.  My husband is really a meat and potatoes guy, so he would love nothing more then sausage, bacon, hash browns, etc.  While he does get those foods some days, I do my best to balance out our breakfast menu.  My rule of thumb here is to make at least half your plate be a fruit or veggie.  Which works out just fine because both husband and son love fruit.  Many mornings I will also make a smoothie, either as breakfast or for the husband to take on the road with him.  He loves Green Smoothies and it's an easy way to get your veggies in at breakfast time!  We always sit down together at the dining table and eat.  Some days, this will be the only meal my son and I get to eat with Daddy, so we make it count.

My husband and I also take our morning vitamins/supplements with breakfast and if it's cold/flu season, the kiddo will take his Elderberry syrup.  I do not give my son a daily children's multi vitamin.  I used to but then found that most of them contain toxic chemicals and so we focus on eating a whole foods, balanced diet instead.  However, for myself and my husband we take magnesium, vitamin C & D, fish oil (although we are currently on a break due to the issues with contaminated fish), glucosamine, elderberry during cold/flu season and a daily multi.  The reason behind this?  Our bodies are deficient in many areas and although we try our best to eat all our nutrients, we are simply not their yet.  We will continue to consult with our naturopath and I highly recommend that you do the same before starting any vitamin/supplement regime.

By 9am, the husband is usually out the door for work.  He's usually pretty forgetful so I always ask him if he has his work phone, personal cell, wallet, keys, laptop, lunch etc.  Many days he forgets one so this reminder works for us.  Before he walks out the door, I always hug and kiss on him.  A lot.  Something that I think about often is- if this were the last time I got to hold him, love him, kiss him etc- would I look back and wish I held on just a little longer?  Would I wish I had told him how much I love him?  I know it's morbid, but you just never know when your last goodbye will happen and I want my husband to know and to feel how very much I love him.  So wives, send your husbands off to work properly!

Two days per week, the kiddo has homeschool classes.  So on Tuesdays and Thursdays, we all walk out the door together.  However, the other 3 days per week, the kiddo and I are at home all day.  So by now my work phone has been turned on and customer service calls will be coming in throughout the day.  The kiddo will start with his quiet reading and then move on to workbook.  I am usually cleaning up the kitchen, prepping for dinner if need be, starting laundry and doing all those things that need to get done around the house while balancing work and helping with the kiddo's schoolwork at the same time.

So let's recap.  Everyone begins their day differently and there's no right way, really- that's just silly.  But there are a few things that I hope you'll take away from me today.

  • Make sleep a priority, for you and for your kids.  My kiddo gets at least 10 hours of sleep each night and if he doesn't- trust me, you know.
  • Get up and start your day, be productive.  Don't lounge in bed every morning.
  • Incorporate some healthy habits to your morning.  Stretching, oil pulling, yoga, Apple Cider Vinegar, vitamins etc.
  • Prepare a homemade and healthy breakfast to start your family's day off right!  If you have to open a box, it's probably not as healthy as you think it is.  Make sure you have lots of fresh fruit and veggies too!
  • Make your husband a lunch.  Doing something nice for your spouse is always the way to go.  And bonus, you can include a special treat or sweet little love note.
  • Send your husband to work with lots of love.  Seriously, just stop what you are doing for 5 minutes and give him a proper send off.  Trust me, it will make a difference.
  •  Prep now for later in the day.  Mornings can be busy, but once you've hit that calm- usually for me this is around 10am, it's time to prep for later.  Do you need to wash your kids soccer uniform?  Or how about taking a roast out of the freezer?  Even simple things like refilling the dog's cookie jar or making another batch of granola- now's the time.
  • Take time for yourself.  Yep, every Mom needs quiet time.  I usually get mine at the very beginning of the day.  Like now, I'm writing this blog post and drinking my coffee.  This is my me time and we all need this!

Lots of good, helpful tips here, not just for Traditional Wives but for everyone.  I hope you've found something useful and will incorporate some of these tips into your morning routine.

Want to read more about being a Traditional Wife?



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