I am raising three children. I wake up at 5am most mornings. Here is why:

1. Prayer-As soon as I get up in the morning, I give thanks, and ask for some miracles. If I don’t ask, I can’t expect to receive. 

2. Solo Shower Time-My toddler is super attached. If I don’t grab the chance to shower alone in the early morning, there is a great chance that I won’t be able to until the evening when everyone is asleep. Most mornings, I listen to a book on Audible during my shower. Right now, I am vacillating between The Mountain is You, and We Should All be Millionaires (I have listened to it at least twice already.) 15-20 minutes of hot water does my nervous system a world of good. 

3. Getting Dressed-When I had my first child, I lost myself in a way that seems unbelievable to the woman I am now. With the birth of my second child, I have learned that how I look is connected to how I feel. I am choosing to feel good. 

4. Reading- I am a voracious reader. Always have been, but am I alone in feeling like I’m wasting time when I sit down to read a book now? I just got a part-time job, and so I am like, could I be doing some tasks to clear my plate? Should I be doing dishes? Should I be cleaning the baseboards? At 5am, it sort of feels like I am stealing time from some secret time vault, and as such the reading isn’t hurting anything. 

5. Writing- My writing life has taken center stage again. With three kids, a part-time job, a home that I enjoy keeping clean, my love for cooking, and my relationship, when do I write? At 5am. Even if it’s only a few paragraphs, I do a little writing most mornings. Unless I overdo it on the reading. 

6. Setting Intentions-When I am up at 5am, and I am in the shower, or I sit down at my desk to look at my calendar, I can ask myself what I want/need to get accomplished for the day. My new job is fully remote. It is also part-time. This flexibility really works for my life considering the fact that I am raising two school-aged children, and a toddler. It has been imperative for me to get up and take a look at what my non-negotiables are for the day, since I now have to incorporate work tasks into the day. I like to write on legal pads. I just recently found one at Staples that is formatted in a Cornell Notes style. What I love about it the most is there is a line just under the date that has space to write your purpose for the notes, and that is where I jot my intention. Some days, I simply write, “To be my best self.” Other days, the intention is to stay focused on work so that once the kids get home, I can give them my undivided attention, and not try to edit things, or create new content while I guide them through their often ridiculous homework. No disrespect to their teachers, especially Ms. B. I love you!

I realize not everyone is interested in dragging themselves out of bed at 5 in the morning. Trust me, when I first started doing it, nothing seemed more silly. The truth is, for the things I wish to accomplish in my life, I have to make time. With my toddler still breastfeeding, and my other kids being overall wild, there is virtually no other way to create time during my day that is solely for me. 

5am it is.