Morning rituals + a giveaway
I absolutely love my mornings with Livi. She’ll wake up happy as can be singing in her crib, and I’ll go upstairs to get her. Usually she’ll hand me whatever doll she slept with last night and we’ll sing the “Good morning” song before going downstairs to begin the AM rituals. Breakfast is probably our favorite meal, and we’ll have a mix of fruit, eggs, and oatmeal or pancakes most mornings. While I make our meal, I’ll usually pack up our snacks and water if I haven’t done so the night before. This way, as soon as we’re done, we can get dressed and set off on the day’s adventures. This is usually our routine, unless groceries are getting low… then we’ll have a little breakfast date together. 
Panera is one of our standard options. We frequent there for lunch – especially on the days they have black bean soup – but we also love the breakfast menu. Bagel and smoothie for the little miss: 
and egg sandwich for me.
We share everything. 😉 
I especially love the fact that the ingredients are fresh. The breads are baked that morning by a baker and they crack the eggs as the breakfast sandwiches are ordered. (No microwaved eggs!) Even though I love the food, the company is even better. 
Looking around the restaurant most mornings, you’ll see many types of people. Families, students, professionals, grandmothers, athletes, and in our booth: a mom and her baby laughing with some friends.
Panera was kind to offer a $100 gift card to a lucky reader. Here are the details for this fun giveaway:
Sweepstakes Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
Leave a comment with your usual morning rituals. What is your favorite way to start the day?
Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winner will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 11/13/13 – 12/8/13.
Be sure to visit the Panera Bread’s page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!
<3 xoxo Gina
Thank you to our friend Matt (Sasha‘s husband) for taking these photos!
This post was sponsored by Panera through a campaign with BlogHer. To learn more about the fresh meals at Panera, check out Panera’s head baker backstory. You can also enter The Panera Breakfast Backstory Challenge, which allows you to learn about Panera’s passion for baking while you gain chances to win great prizes, including a chance to win an all-inclusive, culinary experience trip to New York City for two. Thank you so much for supporting my blog and the sponsors who help make it possible. xo
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Get up super early, shower, cereal and coffee, get myself ready, more coffee and blogs, then get to the hospital to start my day as a resident!
My morning routines start very early, but I also start the day with a bowl of coffee and some oatmeal while catching up on my emails and checking my favorite blogs before facing the day
my morning ritual (right now) is blogs and coffee, before the babe wakes up.
I love panera!!! I wake up when my son wakes me up, we have breakfast together while watching cartoons…..Then off to work for me and son off to grandmas house!!!!
Waking up, workout, then my favorite…drinking coffee while catching up on blogs/Facebook.
get up, get ready, eat breakfast and read my blogs, then off to work!
Blueberry almond bites sound delicious!
I always wake up and make a big breakfast right away!
I love Panera…esp their hidden menu! After the gym, I drink coffee and catch up on blog reading. It started to get chilly this week, so my fur baby has been extra cuddly. Makes it hard to leave for work. Have a great weekend!
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. In the winter when I ski, I eat an egg sandwich every morning!
I love getting up early and relaxing in the morning. I drink (way too much) coffee, have some vegan overnight oats with banana soft serve, and scroll through some of my favorite blogs! I then try to squeeze in a quick AM run before work! 🙂
I start my day at the gym followed by a post workout smoothie. I find that working out first thing in the morning works for me and I can’t imagine starting my day any other way. I’m on the road everyday for work, so Panera is often my go-to lunch spot. I can work while I eat!!
We love Panera. Their bagels and breakfast sandwiches are delicious.
Wake up, shower, wake kids with tickles and laughs, get coffee and breakfast then off to work or school. Although I hate getting up early, mornings are my favorite time of day.
love panera.. my morning ritual always starts with a cup of coffee, banana with peanut butter, and a workout before i shower and hit the road to get to work. thanks for the giveaway!
I wake up– let the dogs out– heat up breakfast– make coffee– sit on my butt and look at blogs– go to crossfit. (: the perfect weekday morning!
Get up, get washed and dressed, kiss my husband goodbye and eat my breakfast while reading my blogs then off to work!
Every morning, I eat breakfast while catching up on TV and reading blogs, especially this one!
Oh, I LOVE the morning routine esp when it involves happy toddlers. My mornings look a little something like this…wake up and workout while Keely is still sleeping, have a glass of hot water, cinnamon & honey after my workout and before my shower, shower and dress, do some computer work then around 7:40ish, I hear my sweets starting to wake up which around 8am I’ll go get her, we sing and figure out what stuffed animal we are taking with us to breakfast and we then enjoy a nice breakfast today…It’s my FAVORITE time.
We’ve been making lots of trips to Panera lately as we love their soups & salads plus who could deny a free cookie…PLEASE!!
My morning ritual during the week is always – wake up, get myself and my son ready for work and school, before leaving the house I take care of my horses, then off to work/school.
I wake up, Shower, make eggs and coffee while watching the mornings headline news. get dressed and head off to work! Love Panera!
My morning ritual is my workout. That is a must.
My family loves Panera too! Always fresh and delicious. I can stop by for a quick takeout breakfast before work or sit and relax with friends and family in their comfortable dining room. I would love to win the gift card thanks for the opportunity Gina.
My morning starts off with coffee, oats, and blog reading (and sometimes homework)! If it is not too early in the morning, I always call my mom to say good morning. 🙂
My morning ritual is drinking a cup of tea. Panera has my favorite kind!
my usual morning ritual involves lots of coffee and blog reading 🙂
I LOVE mornings, and always have. My day starts with taking out the pup, then going for a run, then a delicious breakfast. On weekends this means waffles, which are my favorite way to start the day!
My morning ritual starts with coffee, mellow music, and surf the net for 30 minutes. Then I work out and get ready for work or if it is the weekend, running errands.
my morning ritual is breakfast & coffee, watching an episode of something i dvr’d that was on too late for me to stay awake to watch and then heading off to school. it’s the best part of my day!
I wake up at 5 (ugh) during the week to workout before work. It sucks at first then I love it while I leisurely eat my breakfast, catch up on blogs, and drink my coffee afterwards.
Wake up, get some exercise in, have breakfast, and walk to work!
I’m a nursing student so if I’m not getting up at 4:30 for clinicals, I love to enjoy a nice breakfast of protein pancakes followed by coffee while watching Kathy Lee and Hoda.
My morning always starts with lots of black coffee.
Panera is one of my favorite spots. My husband and I often got there for breakfast on Sunday mornings before we head to the grocery store. 🙂
My weekdays begin with a run, taking the dog out, then coffee and breakfast.
Most mornings I am up early to run or workout. To make my life go quicker I often pack my lunch and breakfast and eat breakfast at work. I know my morning routing is going to change though since I am expecting twins in early may. I hope I can still get morning workouts in but I know its going to take some scheduling!
My morning routine: awoken by the toddler (who now shows up in my bed -thank you, toddler bed), breakfast (sometimes we walk to Panera!), get dressed and head out the door for some new adventure for the day!
My morning ritual is much like yours! My toddler wakes up full of stories and things to say and we make our way downstairs for a leisurely breakfast. Today was pumpkin pancakes!
My son wakes me up every morning usually around 5:30AM. I feed him then play until my husband is finished getting ready and then it is my turn.
I LOVE Panera!! 🙂 Their chicken and wild rice soup is my favorite.
I adore mornings! I usually wake up around 5am, do an hour of yoga, then read and drink coffee for an hour, snuggling with the kitty before it’s time to go to work. This ritual really sets the tone for the day and allows me to feel accomplished before the craziness of the day begins. Reading and yoga are my daily priorities, so to do them as soon as I wake up really ensures that I actually get to do them. 🙂
My ritual used to be just like yours…then I got pregnant with number 2 and I just do whatever I can not to puke while getting myself and my toddler together! Fun! We do love Panera for lunch dates!
When you’re a teacher you HAVE to be a morning person! I get up at 5am (yikes), and that’s with showering and packing my lunch the night before. I have an hour commute to work, but I also give myself about an hour to myself before students start arriving. I use this time to drink my coffee and read blogs (yours is first on my list!). Even though waking up early sucks, the day goes by so much better when you give yourself that extra “me” time!
My morning rituals are snuggling with my boyfriend and puppies, taking the little wiggly ones for a walk, pretending *not* to hate my life through traffic, then settling in for a few minutes of coffee + blogs once I get to work.
Wake up and run, then cook breakfast to take with me and make lunch for the day, then ride into work with my boyfriend!
Wake up before little one to get ready, make my breakfast, wake up little one to feed her and change her. Then we are off to sitter’s house and I head to work:(
My mornings depend on my schedule for the day, but I’m pretty bad with early mornings. If I’m heading to my part time retail job for shipment, I give myself about 20 minutes to get dressed, pack a lunch, do my makeup, etc. I give myself about 45 minutes to an hour if I’m subbing. I generally shower at night because I don’t feel like dealing with my hair in the mornings. I really need to start picking my clothes the night before! I’d say that’s my biggest struggle in the mornings – standing in front of my closet whining about not having anything to wear. Womp womp. 😉
Depending on the day, I will either get up and get some coffee before work or go to the gym. I need to get better at being up earlier to work out!
Up at 4:30 (yawn!) for a work out. Coffee. Shower. Rush to get ready. Out the door and my day offically starts!
My morning ritual includes hitting the snooze button for 20 minutes (a habit I would love to quit but haven’t yet…), then a hot shower and coffee while I put on my makeup/do my hair. I always make the bed before I leave for work- tidy bed, tidy room!
Wake up, shower, scramble eggs, make coffee, feed dogs, get dressed, and head to work. 🙂
I wake up and need coffee the next second! Then it’s off to get ready for work.