Making Time For Myself To Get Ready In The Mornings WITH A TODDLER!

*This post is sponsored by Curel. Thank you for supporting the brands that allow The Mama Notes to stay in business and for me to produce content! 

Something I’ve struggled with since becoming a mother is properly taking care of myself, some days I used to find I didn’t even brush my teeth for the day! Working from home has certain advantages but with a busy wedding season upon me and Piper in school I’m in and out of the house all week long. The past few weeks I’ve been trying to make the mornings less stressful and I’ve even been carving out time for myself to take an indulgent shower and get myself together for the day. It really helps my mood and overall mentality when I feel more put together.

So here’s what I do!

I set the alarm for 6am.

I hate doing this, in fact I haven’t set an alarm consistently since Piper was born but after a week I realized how much it was worth it! Sometimes if I naturally wake up earlier I’ll get out of bed before 6am and secretly love those days the best! Because I know how precious this alone time is! Piper wakes up between 6:30-7:00am these days so this gives me at least 30 full minutes to do whatever I want. Most days I turn on Morning Joe, make coffee and work on a blog post for Mama Notes. Some days I’ll jump right into the shower, just depends on how I’m feeling and what’s on my to-do list.

I got my husband on board.

I let him know the night before if I need time to myself to get ready for the morning and I’ve shared how important it is for me. Most days now I make time to do my makeup and at least pull back my hair (this is a big change for me) even if I don’t have a meeting! I just feel better about myself and more prepared, it helps my confidence when I’m feeling down or stressed.

I simplified my beauty routine.

I’ve prioritized my beauty routine for the mornings. Most importantly, I take a quick shower, even if I have taken a long one the night before. Most mornings I don’t wash my hair to save time ( I was it 2-3 times a week). I’ve also been trying new time-saving products like Curel Hydra Therapy Wet Skin Moisturizer. This sounds silly but most days I found myself not even applying body lotion because it “took too long” – I’d quickly towel dry and get dressed. As a result, my skin (especially on my legs) has been so dry all summer, I also think pregnancy is to blame! So I’m testing out the Curel Hydra Therapy Wet Skin Moisturizer lotion for the next month to see how it helps my dry skin problem. It couldn’t be easier to apply and so far I LOVE it! It locks in all of the moisture from your shower, because your pores are open the lotion penetrates to give you deeper hydration. It quickly absorbs and leaves no greasy feeling – it also really makes your skin feel soft and moisturized. I apply it before hopping out of the shower, then towel dry and get dressed. You don’t have to wait for it to dry!  The best part is that it’s been easy to incorporate moisturizing into my morning beauty routine, I don’t think twice now about quickly lathering it on after I’m done showering.

I make room for Piper.

Obviously Piper will be around in the mornings and including her in the routine and thinking of her needs has made everything much more peaceful for me! To start, we have a little routine right after she wakes up that gives me an extra 10-20 minutes of time. I get her milk and a special “snack” (usually a baked treat we’ve made the previous weekend). She happily sits on “her chair” with her blanket and slowly wakes up, while I relish my final sips of coffee and put the finishing touches on my blog post. After this time I typically make us breakfast before getting ready but it all depends on my husband’s work schedule for the day.

The only way I can really get ready is if I get Piper involved since often my husband has to also get ready for work in the morning too. I’ve found Piper really likes the idea of helping me get ready and getting herself ready too. She has a mini-hair dryer that she loves to use and play with while I do my hair and makeup. We brush our teeth together and then she’ll play with the stuff in “her” bathroom basket too.

Images by Anna Reynal