Hello, good mornings.

Mornings have always been my favorite time of day, for at this time of day, I'm usually at my best: I write best. I think best. I feel best. I’ve always enjoyed waking up early – and first - because of the quiet time. Having time to myself is crucial to my well-being! Now that I have two little ones, I find I need my "morning time" more than ever. Not only is the quiet time nice, but I need to time to physically get ready and fueled up for the day.

When my daughter was two, she used to sing a song from "Barney," her then favorite show:

“It’s a bright new day, full of possibilities…”

(Only her version of the second part came out something like, “pool across the bilities,” which is much more fun!)

During that time of my life, I think that even Barney was trying to help me somehow.

Just recently, thanks to some real-life inspiring ladies, I’ve started a new morning routine that has really helped me get a better handle on my days (and therefore our family's days). It's now affecting the rest of my day, too, helping me with my time management one tiny step at a time.

Here are some favorite (paraphrased) tips for a good morning:

1. Go to bed earlier – get more sleep! -Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project
2. Wake up earlier (even if it’s only 30 minutes – start small) to enjoy the mornings and harness the power of a new day. -Kat, Inspired to Action. (Her free eBook “Maximize Your Mornings” has been such a blessing and has helped me greatly. She was the catalyst who helped me restore my routine.)
3. Wake up, and before you do anything (including reading blogs), get dressed, get your house/kitchen ready for your day. – Rachel, Small Notebook; this tip is from her new e-book “Simple Blogging”
4. Make sure you’re dressed and caffeinated before your little ones join you for the day - Amy McCready, Positive Parenting Solutions
5. And finally, my tip: make the time for a hot shower – if only for 5 minutes. A quick shower helps me wake up and ease into my day gently.

My morning routine? I wake up around 5:15, make a cup of tea, put in some laundry, sip some tea, get the dishwasher unloaded, sip some more tea, set out dishes for breakfast, finish tea. Shower, dress. Make breakfast, wake up little ones. Sit with little ones during breakfast and/or make lunches, help little ones get ready for their day, deliver big little one to bus for kindergarten while smaller little one joins us for a morning walk...

Yes: our mornings are full. But our home does run smoothly. And we are much happier - rejoice!

Thanks to all the great ladies listed above - and all the other ladies out there I didn't mention with impeccable time management skills.

How are your mornings?