There was a time when I thought the best part of my day began after my kids went to bed. These days, I’d choose a quiet morning over a late night every single time.

I Used to Protect My Evenings

I think one of the biggest shifts I’ve made in motherhood over the years has been realizing that I’d rather protect my mornings than protect my evenings.

When I first became a mom, I was the opposite.

As soon as the kids went to bed, I finally had time to myself. I think every mom knows that feeling. It’s like you spend all day taking care of everyone else, and then the house gets quiet, and you think,

“Okay… now it’s my turn.”

So I’d stay up late almost every night.

I’d watch TV, scroll my phone, do whatever I wanted to do because it felt like the only part of the day that actually belonged to me.

The problem was…

Eventually it would catch up with me.

I’d be so exhausted that I’d have no choice but to go to bed early one night. Then the next morning I’d wake up before everybody else, and I’d sit there with my coffee, and I’d think…

“Oh… this is nice.”

Sometimes I’d intentionally do it again. I’d go to bed earlier just to see if I could wake up before everyone else. And after doing it a few times, I realized I actually liked that so much better than staying up late every night.

It wasn’t just because I felt more rested.

It was because I genuinely enjoyed the mornings.

My Morning Routine Is Surprisingly Simple

If you asked me what my morning routine looks like—without trying to make it sound impressive—it’s honestly pretty simple.

I wake up.

I go make coffee.

Well… technically while the kettle is heating up, I feed my cats. Then I make my coffee, go sit on the couch, and just enjoy it.

Some mornings I read my Bible.

Some mornings I finish a show I started the night before.

Some mornings I just sit there in complete silence.

Honestly, if I had to choose between watching TV or sitting in silence with my coffee, I’d choose the silence every single time.

As a mom, your brain is going to be stimulated all day long.

You have children with emotions, personalities, questions, sibling arguments, toddlers crying…

Your brain is constantly processing something.

So I don’t really want to wake up and immediately start stimulating it even more.

I love when it’s still dark outside, and then while I’m sitting there drinking my coffee, I watch the light slowly start coming through the windows.

I don’t know…

I can’t really explain it.

I just love it.

Not Every Morning Is Peaceful

Now, that’s not to say every morning is peaceful.

Sometimes I sleep in because I went to bed too late.

Sometimes I wake up with the kids.

Sometimes I barely sit down with my coffee before my eight-year-old is asking me twenty questions.

I’ll laugh and say,

“Buddy… you’re asking me too many questions. I haven’t even had my coffee yet.”

And sometimes the older two come downstairs sleepy, lay on the couch together under blankets…

And five minutes later they’re arguing over who’s hogging the blanket or telling each other to quit putting their butt in someone’s face.

Those mornings definitely don’t stay peaceful very long.

But even then…

I don’t rush our mornings.

Why Homeschooling Changed Our Mornings

One of my favorite parts about homeschooling is that we don’t have anywhere we have to be.

If my kids wake up at eight and we start school around nine-thirty or ten, that’s fine.

If they wake up at nine, we simply start later.

I don’t feel this pressure to rush everybody out the door.

They get to wake up naturally.

They’ll come downstairs, curl up on the couch, get something to drink, slowly wake up, let themselves get hungry before breakfast.

I actually enjoy that slower start.

One thing that really helps our mornings is making breakfast easy.

I’ll make yogurt parfaits ahead of time.

I’ll make breakfast bowls ahead of time.

Sometimes it’s bagels.

Sometimes it’s cereal.

Just having simple breakfasts ready for the week makes our mornings so much easier than trying to cook something from scratch every single morning.

Sometimes the Morning Isn’t the Problem

When I see some of these elaborate morning routines online, I sometimes wonder…

Would having more steps actually make me happier?

For me…

I’d rather have a peaceful morning than a productive one.

If another mom told me she wakes up overwhelmed every single day, I don’t think the first question I’d ask her is what time she wakes up.

I’d probably ask,

“What time did you go to bed last night?”

Because I know for me, staying up late always caught up with me eventually.

And if she was getting enough sleep, I’d probably ask if her home feels overwhelming.

Sometimes it’s not the morning that’s the problem.

Sometimes it’s carrying yesterday into today.

Too much stuff.

Too much to do.

Too many expectations.

Sometimes simplifying your home, your schedule, or even your expectations makes a much bigger difference than trying to build the perfect morning routine.

The Morning Memories I Didn’t Appreciate Until I Was Older

As I’ve gotten older, though, I’ve realized something else.

When I was a teenager, I’d spend summers at my grandparents’ house.

I’d usually sleep in, and when I’d finally come downstairs, I’d go looking for them.

They were almost always on the back porch.

They’d smile and say,

“Good morning.”

And I just want to say…

If you have kids, don’t underestimate those two words.

It’s so nice to have someone tell you good morning.

Back then, I didn’t think much about what they were doing.

I just knew they were on the porch.

But now that I’m in my thirties, I look back completely differently.

I realize they’d already lived a whole beautiful morning before I even woke up.

They’d had coffee together.

They’d watched the horses.

They’d watched deer out in the field.

My grandma might have already hung laundry on the clothesline.

She’d fed the chickens.

My granddaddy might have already gone for a walk.

And I think that’s part of why I love mornings so much now.

There’s just so much more to experience.

The birds are singing.

The sun is coming up.

The world is waking up.

At night, everything is dark.

Most of us are either watching TV, scrolling our phones, sitting on our laptops, or reading a book.

But the morning invites you into something.

Looking back now, I think my grandparents taught me to love mornings without ever trying to teach me at all.

They simply lived them.

And somewhere along the way, I realized…

I’d rather protect that quiet hour before the day begins than stay awake chasing one more hour after it ends.

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Have You Become a Morning Person Too?

I’d love to know if you’ve experienced this too.

Has your relationship with mornings changed over the years?

Are you someone who loves staying up late, or have you found yourself slowly becoming a morning person like I have?

I’d love to hear your story in the comments.