Realistic Morning Routine for Working Moms: Coffee, Chaos, and Survival Hacks

Here’s the thing: I’m a morning person.

Not in the “run five miles and recite affirmations” kind of way—but in the “let me sit in total silence with my French press and scroll my phone before the chaos begins” kind of way.

Morning is my time. My sacred window. My brief, blissful moment of calm before someone yells “Mommy!” and the sock-hunting, smoothie-blending, daycare-bag-packing frenzy begins.

And while my routine isn’t glamorous (and definitely doesn’t involve matching pajama sets or sunrise yoga), it works. It gives me enough structure to function—and enough coffee to fake it when I don’t.

Here’s how my mornings go down (most days):

My Quiet Wake-Up Routine (A.K.A. The Calm Before the Kid Storm)

I start my mornings with what might be the most underrated mom hack of all time: the silent vibrating alarm on my Whoop band. It gently buzzes me awake at 5:00 a.m.—exactly 7 minutes before my actual alarm goes off. Weirdly specific, I know. But that soft wake-up is clutch. (Remember the 4:27 a.m. alarm I was trying in hopes of getting a workout in? It never happened and I don’t think it ever will. Getting up before 5 a.m. is just a level of discipline that I simply do not possess at the moment. And honestly I’ve made peace with that.)

First stop: hydration station.
I grab a mason jar and mix up some electrolytes—either LMNT or Just Ingredients, depending on what I’ve got stocked—plus a scoop of creatine. I take 5mg of creatine every day to support both muscle and brain health—it’s a simple and relatively cheap supplement with powerful benefits. It helps improve strength, muscle recovery, and endurance during workouts, while also boosting cognitive function, mental clarity, and energy levels throughout the day.

Then it’s coffee time.
I grind my snotty, overpriced organic beans (the kind you feel irrationally proud of until you realize how much you paid for them), pour them into my Bodum French press, and let the magic happen. Once it’s ready, I stir in a scoop of Thrive Market Collagen and a little MCT oil. It’s part self-care, part brain fuel, and fully the reason I’m able to function.

 Getting Ready (While the Sausage Sizzles)

Once I’ve had about 10 minutes of coffee, quiet, and catching up on emails and social media, it’s time to shift into motion. I throw a few Jones Farm sugar free sausages on the stove for the girls—our current breakfast MVPs—and head to the bathroom to get myself ready.

I’m not a high-maintenance skincare person, but I do love clean products that don’t irritate my skin or smell like a Bath & Body Works explosion. Right now I’m using a mix of Primally Pure face products—simple, non-toxic, and they keep my skin hydrated in the Colorado altitude.

Makeup? Occassionally.
On the rare mornings when I feel like doing something, I swipe on a little BeautyCounter (unfortunately it’s no longer available), Ogee, or Ilia—basically whatever non-toxic product I’ve had rolling around in my makeup bag for the past year. I don’t wear makeup daily, so I’m not loyal to much beyond “non-toxic and affordable.”

Most days, I spend about 15 minutes getting myself together: throwing on an outfit, doing a quick five-minute curl with the curling iron, maybe swiping on some makeup, brushing my teeth, popping a few vitamins, and calling it good enough.

My Food Prep

Once I’m mostly human and the kids’ sausages are done, I shift into food-prep mode and throw together a quick lunch for myself—usually some leftover chicken, half an avocado, some Simple Mills crackers, and whatever roasted veggies are lingering in the fridge. Nothing gourmet, just something to keep me fueled through the day. I focus on having lots of protein, some healthy fats, a crunchy carb (always a craving at lunch time), and some kind of veggie for fiber. 

Then it’s smoothie time.

It’s the same one I’ve made almost every day for the past year because it checks every box: fast, filling, and full of the good stuff. I blend up Raw Organic unflavored whey protein, nonfat plain Greek yogurt, chia seeds, walnuts, frozen spinach and cauliflower, a handful of frozen berries, and a little water—using the leftovers from my morning electrolytes.

The result? A powerhouse smoothie with 50 grams of protein—which is the key to starting my day with consistent energy, keeping me full through the morning chaos, balancing my blood sugar, and front-loading my nutrients before life gets in the way.

Next Up: The Girls’ Lunches 

I pack lunches the night before, but they also have snacks (it’s a long day for them from 7:45am-5pm at daycare) and everything needs to be organized into bags. I pack everything into their PackIt freezable lunch bags, which I swear by for keeping things cold all day. Their actual lunchboxes are stainless steel bento style from Uptrust—one of the more budget-friendly options I could find. They work pretty well, but they’re not perfect. I’m still on the quest for a stainless steel setup that doesn’t leak between sections and also doesn’t cost as much as my mortgage. For now, these get the job done—and I’m just happy with how much we have reduced our plastic use in the past year. 

How We Keep Food Simple, Healthy-ish, and Stress-Free In Our House

I try to follow the 80/20 rule when it comes to food: about 80% of the time, I focus on real, nutrient-dense whole foods. The other 20%? That’s reserved for the flexible moments—like restaurant meals, special treats, or anything that’s delicious but not necessarily packed with nutrients.

I do my best to apply the same approach with my kids. Our house doesn’t really have anything I’d label as “unhealthy”—even the treats are upgraded versions, like Siete almond flour cookies with no refined sugar. I’m trying to raise them with an understanding of how food fuels their bodies, so we talk about protein, fiber, healthy fats, and carbs, and how those things help us grow strong and fuel our brains.

I don’t restrict them from eating anything, but we generally avoid artificial dyes, ultra-processed foods, and refined sugar-heavy snacks on a regular basis. That said—if there’s a birthday party, they’re having the cake. If we’re out for a celebration, yes, we’re ordering dessert. Like I said: 80/20. A little structure, a little flexibility—and a lot of awareness about what foods make us feel our best and help us grow.

Back to Morning Routine

Once my breakfast and lunch are packed, and Zach helps pack the daycare bags, it’s time to get the girls up—though let’s be honest, they have usually been up for a while by then.

Olive is our more reasonable early riser, typically waking around 5:45 or 6. Violet, on the other hand, likes to start her day before the sun even thinks about rising—usually somewhere between 5:00 and 5:45. I leave her in her crib until about 6:15, where she happily entertains herself by babbling, singing, or shouting out completely unhinged toddler demands like she’s hosting a solo variety show. It’s not neglect—it’s independence. And she’s absolutely thriving.

From 6:15 to 6:30, it’s game time. I get both girls dressed, do their hair, plate their breakfast, turn on Blippi, tame a few tantrums, say my goodbyes, and hand off the morning baton to Dad. And yes—you read that right. Our kids watch TV while they eat breakfast. It’s a habit we started long ago in the name of survival, and honestly? It buys us just enough sanity to get everyone out the door by 7:15. We don’t feel guilty about it. One day, when Violet’s a little older and needs a bit less hands-on attention, we’ll reassess. But for now? It works.

Off To Work

I’m out the door by 6:30 and at work by 6:50 (a little later in the middle of winter with snowy roads). I’ve never been the kind of teacher who can stroll in five minutes before the bell rings—I need some time to breathe and prep. That extra time lets me grab coffee #2, straighten up my room, update my morning slides, lay out the day’s work, make any last-minute copies, and—very importantly—use the bathroom before I don’t get a break for hours. At 7:23, the students roll in and it’s go-time.

And that’s the gist of my working mom morning routine. I run this same drill Monday through Thursday. Fridays through Sundays are a whole different vibe—slower, less scheduled, and blessedly free of alarms and lunchboxes.

Why It Works (Even When It Feels Like It Doesn’t)

Some mornings run smoothly, and others feel like I’m trying to pack bags and find missing socks in the middle of a small tornado. But this routine? It gives me just enough structure to keep things moving—and enough flexibility to roll with whatever the day throws at us.

If you’re a fellow teacher mom navigating early wake-ups, daycare prep, and classroom life before most people have had their coffee, I hope this gives you a little inspiration—or at least a sense that you’re not doing it alone. It’s not perfect, but it works. And that’s good enough for now.

What about you? I’d love to know what your mornings look like. Are there any little routines or life hacks that help keep the chaos in check? Drop them in the comments—it might just help another tired mom survive her Tuesday.

Let’s not lose our minds together,

Tori