Tag: starbucks

Guide to Calmer Back-to-School Mornings

Guide to Calmer Back to School Mornings
After the the more relaxed mornings of summer, back-to-school can bring a whole new level of chaos to our family. Here’s what works to keep things a little less hectic for my family.

The Night Before

One surefire way to have a calmer morning is to do as much preparation the night before. I find there to be two components of this that are equally important for me.

First, is the mental preparation aspect. Check your calendar and touch base with your husband. Does anyone have a special appointment tomorrow? Is it a special day at school that requires a special outfit or taking something to school. What are you going to have for dinner? Think through the whole day and have a grasp of what it’s going to look like.

It’s also not a bad idea to sit down with your kids and/or spouse and talk through the order in which you’ll do things. Do you want them to get dressed before or after breakfast? Does hair get brushed before or after teeth? Who will feed the pets? Which parent will change and dress the baby? Have those things figured out before you’re in the moment and things are chaotic.

Now it’s time to take action. This is when you make the lunches, pull anything that needs to thaw for dinner out of the freezer, and pick your outfit for tomorrow. I’m very blessed that Keith cleans up the kitchen while I’m putting Leah to bed but if he didn’t, I would do this every night. I think it starts the day of much better if the first thing you see when you go to make your coffee in the morning, isn’t a big ol’ mess in the kitchen. I try to also make sure backpacks and daycare bags are all packed up and ready too. I say try because I could be better at this. Even though I swear I won’t every morning, I tend to leave stuffing diapers for the morning and I lose too much time doing it. It’s not a terribly long task but better suited for the night before.

Don’t forget to get your coffee ready to brew too!! A great choice is the new Starbucks Fall Blend.

Crafted with Sumatran beans to provide the warmth of fresh spice notes, coffees from Kenya to add citrusy brightness as well as beans from Peru that offer balance and a subtle nuttiness. A layered and full-bodied blend reminiscent of fall season, this medium roast creates a cup that’s hearty and refined. Look for Starbucks Fall Blend where you buy groceries.

Get Up Early

Sorry mamas!! This is going to hurt you to hear just as much as it hurts me to say. Getting up before the rest of the house is a great way to calm the morning. Even if it’s only 15 minutes so you can have your coffee while it’s still warm.

For me, I get 45 minutes – 1 hour before Brooke gets up. I can grab a shower & slap on some makeup, put together my pump parts and throw them in my bag, pack my lunch and get started on our breakfast. When she finally rolls out of bed, I’ve already checked tasks off my list and my head is in a good place.

Create a ritual

Devotional Time with Brooke
I resisted getting up much before Brooke for a long time. But when we hit a rough patch with lots of outbursts and tantrums, I came up with a game plan for more one on one time. Since nights are crazy and Leah’s in a stage that still requires almost constant supervision, mornings would have to be it. So now, every weekday morning and quite often on the weekend too, Brooke and I have breakfast together, just the two of us. We work together to get breakfast around, eat, talk, read through a devotional. I treasure and look forward to that part of my day every day. Even though it means getting up earlier than I would otherwise need to.

Rituals don’t have to be that involved and don’t have to be with a kiddo. It could be as simple as time spent doing hair, putting shoes on, driving to school with your kids or a cup of coffee or prayer time with your spouse. Look at your morning and try to find a place where you can be intentional about your time spent with the others in your house and make it special.

Mornings can be a crazy time but I believe it’s so worth it to put some time and effort into making small changes that can start your day off on a much calmer note.

Do you struggle with chaotic mornings and need help calming them down? Feel free to ask for help in the comments.

Do you have a great tip for keeping mornings running smoothly? Share those in the comments too!!

This post was sponsored by Starbucks via the Modern Mom Insider Program. While I was compensated for this post, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Spring Is

Trees becoming green again

End of school-year festivities
Field Day - edited

Earlier sun rises & later sunsets

Breaking out the sprinkler for the first time
Sprinkler time as a reward for doing an awesome job watching Little Sister while Mommy and Daddy painted her room. #beautifulbrooke

Ice Cream shops open up for the season

Flips flops & bare legs

Lunches outside in the sunshine
Awesomized

Dusting off the grill

Grandma on the swing with the grandkids
Awesomized

Baseball and swimming lessons

Craving lighter fare, including coffee
Awesomized

Luckily, Starbucks has introduced its Spring Blend!! It has a lighter, milder flavor than the Winter Blend I got to sample back in December.

Our master blenders offer their expression of spring in this lively, remarkably balanced coffee. Combining exquisite beans from Latin America and East Africa reveals spirited, juicy notes and medium body. Created to perfectly pair with buttery shortbread and early harvest berries—a love poem to the season of renewal.

I just recently bought a reusable K-cup for my Keurig so I’ve been able to easily make Starbucks Spring Blend a part of my morning coffee rotation. It’s yummy with Vanilla Caramel creamer (my current fave) and good just black, of which I’m not typically a fan.

To try Starbucks Spring Blend for yourself, check out your local grocery store. But don’t wait too long, it’s a seasonal item and only available a limited time.

Disclosure: I was provided 2 packages of Starbucks Spring Blend and a Starbucks gift card to facilitate this review. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Bringing Family Together with Starbucks Holiday Blend {Giveaway}

I was provided a bag of Starbucks Holiday Blend ground coffee and a mug in return for my participation in this campaign with Modern Moms and Starbucks. Any and all opinions shared are my own.

During our holiday trip last week, we bounced from house to house spending a night or two here and then a night or two there. Some mornings there were big family breakfasts and some mornings every one fended for themselves depending on their plans for the day.

But the one constant at every house – there was always coffee brewing.  And it was more than just a jolt of caffeine or something to warm to drink on a cold Michigan morning.

It’s a common thread among households, families, people at all ages and stages of life.

It breeds togetherness as folks gather by the coffee maker waiting for the last drip to fall so they can fill their mug.

It’s an excuse to slow down from the hustle of holiday plans and chores and check in with each other.

For the holiday season, Starbucks offers its Holiday Blend.

The holidays are full of surprises—especially this reimagined Starbucks® Holiday Blend. Our newest creation is crafted with vibrant Latin American and smooth Indonesian coffees. The result is complex yet approachable, elegant yet versatile, hearty yet smooth. It’s a balance of herbal and sweet maple notes that pairs beautifully with everything your holiday season has in store for you.

Before I even brewed the coffee, I thought the aroma was amazing. The flavor is quite mild so I might experiment with an extra scoop or two next time. I’m typically a flavored creamer or milk kind of girl but I enjoyed the Holiday Blend black as well.

Starbucks was gracious enough to provide another bag of Holiday Blend ground coffee and mug to one of my readers! To enter, leave a comment below telling me what activities bring your family together at the holidays – cookie decorating, movies, driving around looking for lights????

I will pick a winner on Monday, January 6th.