Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Great Day in the Mornin'!

What is it about getting a good start early in the morning that puts you in the mood to be more productive?

Oh, and if you've never heard the saying that I used for my title, I guess all I can say it's a thing I've heard all my life down here in the South. You say it when you're surprised or in shock or are making some sort of exclamation! For example, "Great day in the mornin! Angie got up before noon!" LOL

This morning I got up with this thought on my mind "...today is the only day I have, so I want to make good choices for today only!" So, I got up before the baby (I usually sleep until she gets up) and went into the living room and turned on an exercise program from "On Demand." I did a few minutes of yoga stretching and a few minutes of kick boxing. In all, I could only do about 10 minutes before I was huffing and puffing and hurting. But something is better than nothing, right? Well, because I was sweaty from just that 10 minutes, I hopped in the shower...and even shaved my legs! Now that's saying something (you ladies know what I'm talking about...that gets neglected during the winter months! LOL)! Now, me taking a shower first thing in the morning is REALLY odd! But I was on a roll!

Well, by then, the baby had woken up, so I got her up and changed and immediately went into the kitchen to make her breakfast. I usually plop down on the couch with her and get on the computer immediately while she watches a cartoon. But I didn't today. I made her breakfast and then straightened up a little in the kitchen. While in there, I realized that my husband had not taken out the 3 bags of trash I put out for him for trash day...which meant he didn't haul the container to the curb! Arghh! So, after I fed the baby her blueberry waffle, I got dressed (in matching clothes), put on some tennis shoes and hauled out the trash to the curb in about 3 inches of snow while it was raining! Yeah...fun.

So, I came in, and THEN plopped down on the couch for some computer time. I just updated my fb status, checked some emails and approved some blog comments, which all took about 15 minutes, then I was off.

I decided that I was hungry, so I made myself a good breakfast. And not just the usual Capt. Crunch that I usually make. I had some leftover sausage links from the weekend's breakfast, and some tortillas, so I decided to make breakfast burritos. So, I chopped some onion, green pepper and cut up the leftover sausage and sauteed those in a pan. Then added a couple of beaten eggs. I rolled all that up in two warmed tortillas, added some salsa and sour cream and had a very nice, filling breakfast! I looked up at the clock and it was only 10:00am!

I couldn't believe I had done all that and it was not even close to noon! No wonder my grandmother (who is my homemaking hero) would always plop down in her favorite chair with a nice cup of coffee at 11:00am to watch the Price is Right, she had been up since 6am, cleaning and getting things done around the house and needed a much deserved break! Then, from 1-4pm, she watches her "stories," and is back up after that to get dinner started and piddle around on whatever else she can find to do! She's amazing!

So I guess I shouldn't feel so guilty about the time I spend on the computer in the afternoon when the baby is asleep. But the difference between my grandmother and me, is that she gets up early, works quickly and efficiently and gets a lot done before noon. And I get up late, do nothing all morning, and still want time for "myself" in the afternoon. But today was different! I did get a lot done this morning and feel very at peace with taking a few minutes for myself.

So I ask again...what is it about getting a good, early start that just sets us up for success for the day? I know God told us to...I guess He knows the answer to that question, so I should ask Him, right?

2 comments:

Kathryn Lang said...

It seems that when we do what we need to do then there is time to relax and enjoy NOT doing.

The key is to remember that every day and to make that choice every morning. :D

Darcie said...

Oh man, this is something I should so learn to do. I just dread mornings, but I always tell myself I could get so much more done if I just get up a little earlier. UGH. Hey...maybe this is where babysteps could come in helpful for me. Instead of getting up an hour earlier, maybe I will shoot for 15 minutes earlier.

Awesome job Angie...and thanks for the encouragment!