Do you open your daycare ready to go all dressed, hair done OR in your robe and jammies hair in a ponytail?

What time do you wake up to prepare for the day?

I ask because I am trying so hard and working two jobs. Sometimes I wake up with just enough time to make my house shine and get plans for the day in place and I MYSELF some days look just like I rolled out of bed... I am mortified on mornings when I don't give myself enough time to be completely ready.

I am getting better I am always dressed now but getting my hair done I usually do that at nap time if I don't get it done in the morning. But now I am taking my C.D.A. coarse online and do homework after cleanup at naptime SO I need to organize my time better

So what are your morning rituals?

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My morning routine:

Alarm is set for 430 wak up at 6-630 (never hear it)
Make sure dishwasher is unloaded, kitchen clean, floors are swept and I always have to vacuum before I open. Get my kids ready for school.

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I am up an hour and a half before anyone arrives. I get up, grab a cup of coffee, shower, do hair and makeup, sweep and mop, vaccum, get any activities I haven't already prepped ready, then a little internet and then read some of the newspaper before the first kid arrives.

No way I could get up and just start work....morning is my time. And No way I'd EVER answer the door in my jammies....completely unprofessional IMO.

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My alarm goes off at 6:30am. I shower, eat, drink some coffee then head downstairs to my office to get some paperwork done or some cleaning or whatever needs done in my playroom.

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I wake up about an hour before anyone gets here. I throw my hair up, throw on some clothes (no make-up) and do my morning devotionals. I never get 'all dressed up' - I sweat to much during the day! If I go somewhere in the evenings, my husband watches the kids in the afternoon so I can get dressed and cleaned up.

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I get up early enough to get dressed(just jeans and a t-shirt), brush my teeth and spend about 5 minutes doing some light picking up of what hubby/kids left out the night before and enough time for a short devotional time. That's it. I exercise at night, so take a shower before bed, and I'm not big into "doing" my hair or make-up. I try to make sure that things are swept/vac'd/washed the night before so that I don't have to clean in the morning. I do NOT like to wake up to a mess--just starts my day off wrong. Once when I thought I had no kids coming and (surprise!) I had a family show up I hollered down the stairs that I'd be right there, and it took me like 20 seconds to quick throw on some clothes

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I get up 30-45 minutes before 1st kid arrives. I am always dressed. Sometimes (not very often) I will wear my confy pants that look like jama pants. Hair is always brushed & pulled back. I drink atleast 1 cup of coffee before kids arrive & have another 1-2 after kids ate breakfast. I may work from home but I refuse to answer the door looking like I just crawled out of bed.

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Sometimes I'm up at 4:30 and to the gym for an hour or so.

Sometimes I reset the alarm.

Always up by 6, shower, coffee, Bible, online baking, email, in that order.
Now I've added this forum.

First children come by 7:30 and I'm ready.

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I am up at 6am, drink coffee with my hubby, straighten up where my older three have gotten ready for school, then shower, get dressed, do my hair. I don't really "do" makeup either, because I sweat so much during the day, even when it's cold out, so it makes me break out. I do wear a moisturizer with foundation in it and when it's not too hot, I will wear a little eyeliner/mascara and creamy eyeshadow that you just put on with your finger. I have drawers full of very expensive makeup that just goes to waste.

Sometimes I wonder if my hubby thinks I am lazy because I don't "do" the whole makeup/nice clothes thing, but the kids just about ruin the t-shirts and jeans or capris I wear, so no way am I wearing my "good stuff". I've started wearing an apron over my clothes so I don't ruin them as badly!

I am trying to come up with a new routine, because this one isn't working for me. I'd like to get up at 5 instead of 6. Lately I've been getting up later and later and it makes me feel lazy, but my own baby is going to bed at 9:30 so I'm not getting enough sleep. By the time I straighten everything up, get the house ready for the next day, and do my own bedtime routine, it's 11 or later.

For those of you who get up very early, what time do you go to bed?

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I get up at 6 AM...let dog out, throw laundry in dryer, jump in the shower, get dressed, light make-up, pull my hair back, straighten up the house, have my morning devotions. My first child arrives at 7:10. I usually eat breakfast after the kids get here.

Truthfully though, sometimes I sleep until 6:30 and SQUEEEZE everything in by 7:10.

I would like to start working out when I wake up but I am not a morning person...unfortunately.

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The key for me for a successful morning, is to have my home clean and tidy before I go to bed at night - all the dishes washed/put away, floor swept...so all I have to do is turn on the lights and my house is ready to welcome my dc kids.

My alarm goes off at 5:45, which gives me time to shower, make-up, hair and dress....and have a cup of tea before my first drop-off arrives at 7.

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Alarm goes off 10 minutes before first child arrives, get up, go potty, brush teeth, wash face, brush hair(very short)get dressed, then unlock door. No make-up, just blue jeans and a t-shirt and slippers. Shower at night before bed.

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my alarm is set for 5, although my LOUD husband sometimes has me up at 4. i shower, get dressed & some light makeup, pull my hair up, and have a cup of coffee by 5:45. then i get my kids up and done as their bus comes at 6:45 (early for little kids!!) then i sit on the computer or tidy up last minute chores before the first child arrives at 7:30.

i try to have everything done the night before, except put the dishes away. i usually throw a load of laundry in too, which gets folded at nap.

i have simplified my outfits, jeans or capris and tshirts that i had my daycare name printed on.

the day of our easter party i decided to get up a little early, blow out my hair, and do up the makeup. i even had a pretty top on. i had to laugh at the strange looks i got from all the parents that morning!!! they probably didnt recognize me LOL

mornings are easy......its afternoons i need help with. between pick ups, homework, cleaning, dinner, and trying to spend time with MY kids, its crazy!!!
now i'm gonna try and squeeze in getting my CDA. i defnetly could use a couple extra hours in the p.m. !!!

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I am up by 5:15 every morning, and sometimes at 5 if a family is coming in early. I actually open at 6:30, sometimes 6:15. I shower, dress as if I am working out of the home, eat something and get my coffee in me. I do all the cleaning the night before so I don't have to deal with it in the morning.

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Phew! I was starting to think I was the only one that started my morning this way! :-) I'm just not a morning person and this is pushing it to start with...part of it's that I don't have kids of my own yet (adoption starting soon) so I don't have to get anyone else ready in the morning and I almost always have dishes to do in the morning but I only have 1 child that I serve breakfast to and she's here at 7 so I do them while she eats. I don't have a dishwasher so dishes consume TOO much of my day.

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I get up at 5, shower, dress (t-shirts w/daycare name and jeans), make coffee, do devotions, tidy up, and unlock and turn on lights for 6. I close at 6, and then family activities are from 6 til 9:00, every weeknight. I should be going to bed around 9:30 since I'm the type that really needs my sleep, but I usually end up staying up til 11 or so watching tv with hubby. The day just seems to be all about kids/work if I don't stay up a little later -- it's worth the need for extra coffee to skip a few hours of sleep

Not too long ago, one of my friends (a fellow home daycare provider) tried to convince me to sleep in til 6, accept my first kid, and then go take a shower while leaving her (a 16 month old) unattended, because she saw how tired I was. I think that's incredibly unprofessional, and unacceptable ... in my opinion, of course. I wouldn't want to offend anyone who does it differently than I do

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I understand completely how you feel, but this made me laugh. Honestly it depends on the day. My first child may show up anywhere between 3:30am and 2pm. When the one shows up at 3:30am I DO answer the door looking like I just crawled out of bed. Why? Because I did, AND I have every intention of crawling back into it once the 6yr old is settled and back to sleep on the couch.

Though, if she isn't going to be here, or even the second time I get up that morning, I get dressed and brush/do my hair before I get her up. Every so often I have one that arrives around 7:30/8am. When he shows up, I've been up since about 6:30, and am dressed, hair done, breakfasted, and my daily chores have been started.

Today is a late day. I'm expecting my first one to show up about 1:30p.

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My morning starts out with alarm or my inner alarm going off around 6:45. I sometimes take a shower quick, otherwise I take a bath the night before. I sit in peace and quiet for about 10 min. then the day begins, my 2 daughters wake up, get breakfast started for them, and get ready for the children to start arriving around 7:15.

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Ummm no way! I agree completely, even with the parent's permission this doesn't seem right. If I don't get a shower first thing, I always wait for my hubby to get up or wake him a little early. I would never leave a child unattended either.

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I try my best to have the house in order the night before so that all I have to do is get myself and kids ready in the morning. I get up 45 mins to an hour before the first kid arrives (8:30). I am always dressed myself (jeans and t-shirts) but on the days that my own kids sleep in, they may still be in jammies when the first kid arrives. I try to get all my paperwork, emails, internet, etc. done during naptime.

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My hubby gets up and greets my early morning baby (6:30) and gets our kids off to school. I get up around 7, jeans and t, no make-up, run a comb through my hair and I'm ready to go...he leaves for work at about 7:30.

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This is exactly how my morning goes. I make sure everything is clean and ready to go the night before, shower before bed and then my alarm goes off at 6:15 and my first dck is here at 6:45. Enough time to brush teeth, get dress and head downstairs for some coffee and internet before dck arrives. I don't wear make-up or "do" my hair so 30 minutes works for me. I just love sleep too much!!

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I get up @ 5:30,let the dog out, shower and get dressed- I generally wear jeans/khakis and a daycare logo T-shirt- sometimes fun bibs. I stretch. I dont "do" my hair or makeup- I put in a ponytail, put on moisturizer w/ sunscreen. I eat some toast/tea, brush my teeth, then pray/devotions. Then I clean up any mess from the day /night before. My daughter gets up @ 6 & showers while I'm doing cleanup/vaccum. I'm all set & ready for the day @ 6:30 when she drives to school. I start breakfast if I'm cooking/baking that morning, and go wake up my son @ 6:30. He gets the bathroom and my first kids arrive at around 6:45. They relax in front of cartoons until my son is dressed & I serve 1st breakfast at 7:15. I make suremy son is ready for his day & send him to the bus at 7:30 as my next 2 families arrive. at 7:45 I do 2nd breakfast for kids that arrive late. At 8:10 I open the door and watch my 2 am school age dc kids walk across the crosswalk to the elementary school. Then everyone goes potty, brushes teeth, and we do opening circle at 8:30.

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My 1st arrival is around 7:25, so I wake up at 7:15. lol! I shower the night before and I put out the clothes that I am going to wear the night before so that I can have the extra 2 minutes of sleep. I brush my teeth and put my hair up (I have really curly hair so sometimes I don't even bother to brush it because you can't tell if I've brushed it or not either way). I read a few uplifting quotes and I do my morning affirmations and then it's on with my day. I don't wear make-up so that saves time. I dress for comfort! I own lots of pairs of athletic type pants (not pajama bottoms) and a few pairs of yoga pants and capris. I wear lots of jeans, too. My shirts are basically long sleeve t-shirts, regular t-shirts, and tank tops and in the summer time I usually rock moo-moos!!! I do wear skirts quite a bit and I have a colorful socks/tights fetish!!! For instance, today I am wearing my rainbow tights and a green skirt with a green tank top layer with a bright yellow long sleeve t-shirt. I got lots of funny looks today!!! I also have lots of "attitude" t-shirts, too! I have an awesome one with a bottle of ketchup and a bottle of mustard saying "what's up, dog?" to a hotdog, lol!

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I set my alarm to go off an hour before my first kiddo arrives. Alarm goes off, I get up, go to the bathroom and then let the dogs out and feed them. I spray the counters with bleach/water solution, unload the dishwasher, wipe the counters off, sweep the kitchen & dining room then vacuum the living room. Then I pull out the laundry from the dryer, put the laundry in the washer into the dryer and then put another load in the washer (I always do at least 1 load a day and pull it out in the evening). Then I truck the clean laundry upstairs and leave it in my room (I put it away after closing). All of this should take me no longer than 30 minutes. The next 30 minutes I use to take my shower, brush my teeth and hair and getting dressed. Brushing my hair consists of towel drying it, untangling it while still wet and putting it in a pony-tail. My "uniform" is the first pair of workout style pants I can find and a baby-T (I buy baby-T's because they're comfy and always make sure to get something colorful, glittery or with some type of cartoon or animal on it. The kids especially like my snoopie, charlie brown and woodstock T's) topped of a pair of socks and some sneakers. Sometimes I wear jeans but I can run and move faster in workout pants.

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